Singing bowls can bring resounding fortunes with right chord struck

Kathmandu, May 19: From Swoyambhu to Thamel, Basantapur to Boudha and Mangal Bazaar to Taumadhi, sound bowls or ‘Tibetan Singing Bowls’ are a staple of curio shops all over Kathmandu Valley. Famous for the soothing sound they produce when struck or rimmed with their small mallet, these bowls possess an exotic allure that instantly captivates tourists, according to Dinesh Moktan, owner of a souvenir shop in Swoyambhu. “They make excellent decorations and gifts and are also believed to offer health benefits,” he said.

The bowls are so popular among foreigners that Sudeep Neupane, chief executive officer of Best Himalaya Exports, feels they can become a major export item if the sector is managed properly.

Neupane shared that his company, which makes and exports handmade singing bowls, sold more than 150,000 bowl sets every year to customers in the United States of America and Europe, with America being the largest market.

“And 90 per cent of our sales are to clients looking to purchase the bowls as birthday and Christmas gifts,” he said, adding, “The latter, in particular, has emerged as a very lucrative occasion over the last six/seven years.”

Best Himalaya Exports has bowls ranging in price from US$ 30 to over US$ 500 listed on its website.

Sajan Thapaliya of Om Singing Bowls and Healing Hub has also observed an increase in tourist interest towards singing bowls. However, his observations are based more on their supposed healing qualities than business potential. “Asians and Europeans are very interested in undergoing ‘singing bowl therapy’,” he said. But he quickly added that Nepalis too had started viewing the practice favourably. 

Thapaliya explained that the therapy, which, among other things, includes placing the bowls near or on certain parts of the body and ‘playing’ them, helps promote relaxation, align the Chakras (centres of spiritual power in the human body), relieve pain and induce sleep.

Thapaliya believes that the COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to the rise in the popularity of singing bowls and singing bowl therapy. “It made people aware of mental health issues like anxiety and depression and realise the value of physical and psychological well-being.”

However, internationally, bowl makers and practitioners issue several precautions about undergoing singing bowl therapy. A 2022 article published in the American health information website Healthline warns that singing bowls may trigger seizures and asks people with epilepsy to avoid them. Similarly, American manufacturer Shanti Bowl, also recommends that people avoid placing singing bowls directly or near tumours, implants, screws and artificial joints. 

Singing bowls have also been found to aggravate inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and hives and doctors have advised against using them during pregnancies. 

Healthline also advises people diagnosed with mental health conditions to seek the counsel of certified doctors and medical professionals to make sure they can manage the thoughts and feelings that may arise from singing bowl therapies.

Thapaliya too noted these caveats. “Sound can heal and sound can kill,” he said. “That is why this therapy should only be administered by properly trained and experienced individuals.”

To encourage this sector’s appeal and support its growth, Thapaliya sees the need to regulate professionalism. “Random people performing random techniques without skill or knowledge risks giving the entire therapy a bad name,” he worried.

Meanwhile, Neupane called for an increase in production. “We do not make many bowls,” he said. “There are only a handful of legally registered businesses supplying Nepal-made singing bowls in the international market.”

Generally, in Nepal, singing bowls can range in price from below Rs. 1,000 to well over Rs. 50,000 depending on their size, quality and whether they are handmade or mass produced.