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HUMAN SKULL, TANTRIC LAMA or SHAMAN'S DAMARU DRUM (Item No. Damaru 01)
Origin: Tibet or Nepal
Age: 30 - 70 years approx
Diameter of drum head at widest point: 140mm (5.5 inches approx)
Overall Length: 590mm (23 inches)
Price: £425 (including postage worldwide) - SOLD
Tibetan Buddhist, double sided 'damaru' drum made from the tops of two human skulls, joined together. Drums like this are used in tantric rituals by lamas and shamans. They are partically favoured by the old 'Red Hat' Nyingma school of Buddhism who use human bone objects more than other later schools do.
Beneath the drum hangs a brocade tail. At the top of the tail there is a large, real red coral bead and a smaller turquoise one. On the red brocade band that runs around the join of the two skulls there is an old copper dorje shaped amulet
The drum is in good condition, with tight skins (probably goat) and has a very good sound. The tail appears to be slightly newer than the drum.
For more information about damaru and chod drums please read the article about the ritual objects of Tibetan Tantra on the articles page of this website.
TANTRIC LAMA or SHAMAN'S CHOD DAMARU DRUM (Item No. Damaru 03)
Origin: Nepal
Age: 40 - 100 years approx
Diameter of drum head: 198mm (7.8 inches approx)
Overall Length: 1060mm (41.5 inches)
Price: £195 (including postage worldwide)
Tibetan double sided 'chod' drum, used in tantric rituals by lamas and tantric shamans often called Chodpa.
They are used by Nyingmapa lamas and non-monastic ngakpas (tantric shamans). Chodpas practice chod (cutting) ceremonies, where they offer their bodies to be eaten by hungry 'demonic-type' beings as an act of self-sacrifice and compassion. Chodpas hold the drum in their right hand, and either a bell or a thighbone tumpet (kangling) in their left while singing sacred songs.
This is an old, well-used drum, made of wood. Beneath the drum hangs its original cloth tail with represents the colours of the Tibetan cosmos (five directions, five elements etc.).
The drum is in excellent condition, with tight skins, and has a good sound.
For more information about chod and damaru drums please read the article about the ritual objects of Tibetan Tantra on the articles page of this website.
TANTRIC SHAMAN'S OR LAMA'S DAMARU DRUM (Item No. Damaru 04)
Origin: Nepal
Age: 30 - 100 years approx
Diameter: 100mm (4.0 inches approx)
Price: £35 (including postage worldwide)
Tibetan Buddhist double sided 'damaru' drum. Used in tantric rituals by lamas and shamans. Sometimes made from the tops of two human skulls, this is one is made of wood.
The drum does not have a brocade tail, which is traditional, but such tails are very easy to buy from many Buddhist suppliers on the internet, for very little money.
The drum is in excellent condition and has a very good sound. It is unusual to get a round drum and the drum has a very nice feel in the hand while it is played.
For more information about damaru and chod drums please read the article about the ritual objects of Tibetan Tantra on the articles page of this website.
SHAMAN'S DRUM CHEPANG TRIBE (DHYANGRO) (Item No. Frame Drum 01)
Origin: Nepal
Age: 80 - 150 Years Approx
Diameter: 420mm (16.5 inches approx)
Depth of Frame: 173mm (6.8 inches approx)
Price: £425 (including postage in UK)
(Postage to Europe - additional £20)
(Postage Outside of Europe - additional £75)
A stunning, completly authentic, well used, museum quality, large single-sided village shamans drum from the Chepang tribe of Nepal.
The drum is a deep, hand-shaped wooden hoop with a single stretched skin over the front. The skin is laced onto the hoop with ratan as is the traditional method. The method of construction used in this drum means that the skin is folded back on itself - this folding back can be seen in the photos of the front of the drum, they show a small ring of additional skin around the edge of the hoop, which is the folded back skin rather than a defect in the skin..
The drum is held by means of two wooden struts bound with ratan at the back - one of which has come loose. Most of the ratan binding is missing and what is there is loose.
The drum is decorated by a quantity of iron chains and hand made iron cones and other shapes which jingle when it is played or moved.
The condition of the drum is good, the wood is sound and the skin is in generally good condition with no tears or major damage, although there are a few small holes (which will not get any worse unless the drum is treated badly), The skin is not as tight as it once originally was, and so the sound of the drum is poor. It is not really a drum to be played except with great care, rather it would be suited for a private collection or a museum.
It does not come with a drum stick which originally would have been a stick ment from bent bamboo.
The drum offers a chance to own a beautiful unique real shamans drum - single sided drums like this rarely come onto the market and one complete with it's iron cone bells and chains makes this a stunning object.
SHAMAN'S DRUM (DHYANGRO) (Item No. Frame Drum 02)
Origin: Nepal
Age: 70 - 125 Years Aprrox
Diameter: 230mm (9.2 inches approx)
Overall Length: 605mm (23.75.75 inches approx)
Depth of Frame: 132mm (5.25.75 inches approx)
Price: £375 (including postage in UK)
(Postage to Europe - additional £20)
(Postage Outside of Europe - additional £75)
Authjentic, used traditional double sided Nepalese shaman's drum (dhyangro) with well carved wooden phurba handle.The two drum skins represent male and female. The male side is the side which has the edge of the phurba's blade and the female is the side with the flat of the phurba's blade. The skins of these drums traditionally should be bear and a drum of this age may be bear, although it is hard to tell for sure.
The drum is in excellent condition, the skins are tight and it has a good sound. It is laced with thin cord rather than the normal ratan, but the cord is the same age as the drum and it is very well made. There are some strips of ancient cloth decoration around the head of the phurba handle. The drum has somethings rattling around inside it when it is moved, this is intentional and these loose objects are normally small stones, or a stone, a bone and a sea shell. There is no original drum stick with the drum, but it will come with a newly made bamboo drum stick similar to the one it would have originally have had so it can be played.
This is a beautiful, useable drum with tight skins and great overall character. It would be suitable for shamanic practice or display. It is of high quality and would be suitable for a museum or a private collection.
