Sacred Object
Ghanta
Sanskrit: Ghaṇṭā · Tibetan: དྲིལ་བུ།
The ghanta, or ritual bell, is paired with the vajra as one of the two indispensable implements of Vajrayana Buddhist ritual, representing wisdom (prajna) in complement to the vajra's skillful means (upaya).
- Category
- Instrument
Material Culture & Craftsmanship
Ritual bells are cast in bronze, typically featuring a handle topped with a half-vajra form, so that vajra and bell together form a conceptually and visually matched pair. Kathmandu Valley Newar metalworkers are among the most renowned traditional makers of ghantas.
Symbolism
The bell's sound is traditionally understood to represent the sound of emptiness (shunyata) and the wisdom that realizes it — its resonance, arising and fading, is read as an auditory teaching on impermanence.
Vajra and bell held together in the practitioner's crossed hands (vajrahumkara) represent the indivisible union of method and wisdom central to Vajrayana practice and iconography.
Ritual Use
The ghanta is rung at specific points during ritual and puja to mark transitions or accompany mantra recitation, held in the left hand throughout much Vajrayana liturgy while the vajra is held in the right.
Sources & References
- The Buddhism of Tibet, or Lamaism — L. Austine Waddell, W. H. Allen & Co. (1895) · Link
Public domain.