Ghanta ritual handbells with vajra finial

Ghanta handbells are one of the most important ritual objects in Hinduism and Buddhism and are held in the right hand by the priest or monk performing the ceremony. Among their important uses on Bali are during the priestly consecration of holy water known as tirta.

The bell consists of three parts: the cup, a clapper to make the ringing sound when shaken, and a long handle ending in a finial ornament. The most ubiquitous type of finial is the vajra, a stylized lightning bolt usually consisting of four or five upward curving prongs and said to symbolise the cutting through of spiritual defilements and obstacles. The open form of the prongs appearing here was once said to represent ‘wrathful’ energies in Buddhist Tantric rituals. Other forms of finial represented here also include a cakra which is a stylized solar wheel with a cross within and flames on each corner of the circle. The collection also includes a rarer finial image of an animal in the form of a singa lion standing on its rear paws.

Ghanta handbells are one of the most important ritual objects in Hinduism and Buddhism and are held in the right hand by the priest or monk performing the ceremony. Among their important uses on Bali are during the priestly consecration of holy water known as tirta.

The bell consists of three parts: the cup, a clapper to make the ringing sound when shaken, and a long handle ending in a finial ornament. The most ubiquitous type of finial is the vajra, a stylized lightning bolt usually consisting of four or five upward curving prongs and said to symbolise the cutting through of spiritual defilements and obstacles. The open form of the prongs appearing here was once said to represent ‘wrathful’ energies in Buddhist Tantric rituals. Other forms of finial represented here also include a cakra which is a stylized solar wheel with a cross within and flames on each corner of the circle. The collection also includes a rarer finial image of an animal in the form of a singa lion standing on its rear paws.