The Temple Bell

The Temple Bell that tolls at prescribed times in the temple is a symbol of all auspicious musical divinity.

It is said that Goddess Saraswati resides on its tongue, Brahma on the face, Rudra on its belly, Vasuki on its stem with its entire body signifying the divinity of  time.

Its handle denotes the vital force (Prana Sakti) and is represented by Garuda, Chakra, Hanuman, Nandi or Vrishabha. Made out of pure bell metal, it reverberates Om, the primordial sound.

This glorious spectrum of sound created by the Bell is believed to dispel all demoniac feelings within the worshipper and infuse him with divine bliss.

It is also believed that use of the bell carrying the insignia of  Garuda, who is in eternal service of the Lord, pleases God and mitigates fears about birth and death. “That bell, the sound of which envelops the whole world and destroys the power of the demons, protects us as the Goddess protects her sons,” goes a traditional saying.

Such attributes create an aura of sublimity for the bell and confer a special status on it as an insignia of the gods and an accessory to worship. It is prescribed that the bell should toll at the time of  archana, avahana, dhoopa seva, deepa seva, arghya, naivedya, purnahuti, bali-pradhana and, in fact, at the commencement and the completion of all the upacharas laid down the Agamas. To be precise, no worship can take place without the tolling of the bell, and the bells ought not to toll when no worship is being conducted.

Most of the old temples have large bell at the entrance of the temple and we need to ring it before we enter temple.

A temple bell is another Scientific phenomena;  it is not our ordinary metal. It is made of  various metals including Cadmium, Lead, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, Chromium and Manganese. The proportion at which each one of them mixed is real Science behind a bell. Each of these bells is made to produce such a distinct Sound that it can create unity of out left and right brain. The moment we ring that bell, bell produces sharp but lasting Sound which lasts for minimum of  seven seconds in echo mode good enough to touch our subtle chakras in our body. The moment bell Sound happens our brain is emptied of  all thoughts, invariably we will enter state of Tan’s where we are very receptive. This Trans state is the one with awareness.

Bells have special significance for Budhists everywhere. They are rung not only for their beauty of tone. They are used in chanting and special ceremonies throught the year.