Drum (Damaru)
ClassificationsTools and Equipment-musical instruments-drums
Date19th Century
Made AtTibet Autonomous Region, China, Asia
MediumHuman skull caps, silver, leather and cloth
DimensionsWith Tassel: 3 1/8 × 20 3/4 × 4 1/2 in. (7.9 × 52.7 × 11.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih
Object number2021.8.25
DescriptionTwo-sided skull hand drums, known as damaru, are one of the many ritual objects used in the practice of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism. Traditionally made from two skull caps mounted in silver and capped with animal skin, damaru are played by Buddhist monks by grasping them at their narrow center, holding them aloft, and rotating them back and forth so that the beaded tassel which hangs from them swings and hits the drumhead, producing a rhythmic sound. Other forms of damaru are made of wood rather than skull caps.It is generally agreed that these instruments reached the Himalayas in the 8th century and have been a part of Tibetan Buddhist practice ever since. During meditation, damaru are believed to aid an individual in overcoming the problems they face on their path to enlightenment.
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19th Century
20th Century
late 19th to mid 20th Century
20th Century
17th to 19th Century
17th to 19th Century
19th to 20th Century
19th to 20th Century