Ghanta
Ritual bell used in religious practices
- 2 min read
- 5 chapters
Related on Lably
Characteristics
The bell is made out of five to seven precious metals, which are connected to the planets: lead (Saturn), tin (Jupiter), iron (Mars), copper (Venus), mercury (Mercury), silver (the Moon) and gold (the Sun). A clapper is attached to the inside and the bell makes a high pitched sound when rung. The top of the bell handle is usually adorned with a brass figure - bells intended for use in the worship of Shiva will have a figure of his bull Nandi, while those used in the worship of Vishnu or his avatars as Rama, Narasimha or Krishna will have a figure of Garuda or Panchajanya shankha or Sudarshana Chakra.
Sign in to keep reading
4 more chapters are free with a Lably account.
Usage
In Hinduism, bells are generally hung at the temple dome in front of the Garbhagriha. Generally, devotees ring the bell while entering into the sanctum. It is said that by ringing the bell, the devotee informs the deity of his/her arrival. The sound of the bell is considered auspicious which welcomes divinity and dispels evil. The sound of the bell is said to disengage mind from ongoing thoughts thus making the mind more receptive. Bell ringing during prayer is said to help in controlling the ever wandering mind and focusing on the deity.
Mantra
In Hinduism, the mantra chanted while ringing the bell is
Aagamanaardhamtu devaanaam gamanaardhamtu rakshasaam, Kuru ghantaaravam krutva devataahvaana lanchanam
I ring this bell indicating the invocation of divinity, so that virtuous and noble forces enter; and the demonic and evil forces, from within and without, depart.
Yogic view
From the Kundalini Yoga perspective, the sound of a bell energizes chakras and balances the distribution of energy in body. Also, the number of times the bell should be sounded depends on the number of letters in the mantra; accordingly the bell should be sounded 8, 16, 24, or 32 times. In Shilpa Shastras it is mentioned that bell should be made of panchadhatu – five metals, namely, copper, silver, gold, zinc and iron. These five metals represent the pancha bhoota.
Symbolism
Bells have symbolic meaning in Hinduism. The curved body of the bell represents Ananta. The clapper or tongue of the bell represents Saraswati, who is the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. The handle of the bell represents Prana Shakti – vital power and is symbolically linked to Hanuman, Garuda, Nandi (bull) or Sudarshana Chakra.