Bronze Ghanta Bell With Internal Clapper, Shivaite Cult, South India, Late 19th, Early 20th Century

 "Large Ghanta bell with internal clapper in bronze, Shivaite cult, southern India, late 19th early 20th century"
Bell with internal clapper made up of two separate elements, the body and its handle.
# On the top of the handle, Nandi, Shiva's mount and protector of cows.
These are venerated in India and cannot be consumed.
Everything they produce is used by the Indians, from milk to dung. Reputed to bring fertility and fertilization,
Nandi is also evocative of strength and virility, he remains the mount of the god reputed to be the most virile in the pantheon.
The handle is fitted onto the top of the body of the bell and the internal clapper is fixed to its lower end which crosses the thickness of the bell. At two thirds of its height, the skirt is enclosed in a disc, a characteristic found on most Hindu ritual bells.
The bottom of the skirt opens into a flared corolla.
The bell and the handle were cast in bronze.
Dimensions: Total height: 21.3 cm. Width of the bell: 11.3 cm, weight: 1035 grs.
Marks and inscriptions: Above and below this disc are engraved several rows of concentric circles. Inside the clapper is a large orange pearl suspended by a cord.
## Between the two lower rows are inscribed characters that appear to be in Telugu, a Dravidian language spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Context of use: This bell is used by priests celebrating Shivaite rituals.
The cult of Shiva is one of the major currents of the Hindu tradition.
The rites generally take place in a temple, the priest recites the shloka (verses chanted during the religious service) and shakes this bell according to a specific ceremony.
The sound of these bells is different from what can be heard from other types of bells.
The bell associated with them (Ghanta) symbolizes the knowledge of the emptiness of all phenomena as well as the transience of things.
The Museum of Music, Phylarmonie de Paris (cité de la musique: 221 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris) holds two Ghanta bells in its collections.
The Orient, or oriental world, designates in geography a cultural concept mainly used by Europeans.
Overall, the term refers to "the areas located in Eastern Europe", Asia
We present in the last photo, a Ghanta bell that we offer on our Proantic gallery: "Large Ghanta bell with internal clapper, Shivaite cult, southern India, end of the 18th century"
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