MANIPURI SINGING BOWLS

Basic Shape:  Low shallow profile, gently splayed rim, small rounded bottom

Vocal Range:  3^rd – 6^th Octave. Ease of Play:  Very easy, especially with wooden ringer.

Size:  Small to Medium

Diameter: 3.5 - 9 inches (9 - 24 cm)

Height: 1.5 – 4 inches (4 – 10 cm)

Weight: 0.5 – 3.3 lb    (0.25 – 1.5 kg)

Price Range:

Small: £50 - £175 ($75 - $275)

Medium: £150 - £275 ($240 - £$425)

Premium Quality: £250 - £450 ($400 - $700)

Manipuri Singing Bowls

SHAPE: Shallow , thick to thin rim

origional Use : the Manipuri bowl was made special and bought by the Father of Bride  as part of the dowry.

Sound: usually higher octave.

are the shallowest of the singing bowl family.  They can be thick or thin, plain or highly decorated, but all are characterized by their low profile and small rounded bottom.  The rim is often subtly splayed.  The lip may be plain and simple or, in thicker bowls, ornamented with symbols.  The outer rim is frequently decorated with several incised lines forming a collar.  Most Manipuri bowls have diameters of 6 inches or less, and high octave voices.  Some have talking abilities, but they rarely fountain.  Antique Manipuri bowls are rather pretty, responsive, and relatively inexpensive… and for these reasons they are often the first bowl purchased.

Most Manipuri singing bowls are easy to play, but their rounded bottoms make small or light specimens rotate in the hand, so these are best played balanced on the fingertips.

Some antique Manipuri bowls are extensively ornamented both inside and out with a ribbon of mala beads or sun motifs (punched dots within circles) and incised lines just below the rim.  Most have concentric circles radiating out from the centre of the bowl, although these are often faint due to wear.  Sometimes the external walls are decorated with sacred geometric symbols, or an irregular sequence of ritually made gashes, or fine-tuning cuts (the tone of a bowl can be altered by removing metal).   It is rare to find one with an inscription.  Large Manipuri bowls, once commonplace in the 1980s, are now quite rare, and heavy bowls even more so.

Some Manipuri bowls appear to be made from a softer, brighter, and more golden bronze alloy than other bowl forms.  Many will have served a domestic or utilitarian purpose during their lifetime, and regular abrasive cleaning probably accounts for their typically smooth appearance.  However, Manipuri, with their diversity of markings are among the more interesting singing bowls.