Tiger bells in South Asia

Tibet

Tiger bells are mainly of the B type, one type A tiger bell and two tiger bell type C are reported.

Group: unknown, probably common
One type A tiger bell, probably used for dogs.

Collection: Leyden Ethnological Museum, procured in 1957.

---

One small type A tiger bell, silver plated, on a silver prayer mill.
Photographed in an antique shop in Singapore.

---

One bell type C, similar to those found in Nepal; on the catalogue card the country of origin, 'Tibet', is followed by a question mark. Leyden Ethnological Museum, collected in 1948.

---

Yak belt, Rotterdam Ethnological Museum

Several belts, for yaks and horses, with eight to ten or more large type B tiger bells.

Several belts and tiger bells were sold at the Tibetan Refugee market in New Delhi in the late seventies and early eighties. There are belts in the Rotterdam Ethnological Museum and in the author's collection. From both belts, one bell is missing.

Typical type B bell, on a yak belt, in author's
collection, bought at the Tibetan Refugee market
in New Delhi in 1975

---

Two tiger bells, one type B (left) and one type C (right), bought in Lhasa in 2008.

Dimensions:
Type B (left): diameter front: 4 cm.; side: 4,5 cm.
Type C (right): diameter front: 3,8 cm.; side: 4,7 cm.

Front view

Bottom view

'Forehead' view

Reported by Toos Suyker and Jan Verdiessen; the bells were donated to them by I. van der Meulen, who visited Lhasa in 2008. Details will follow.

---

Tibetan market (source: unknown)

---

Go back, to the top of the page
or continue to the next page

All text and photographs are copyrighted,
for information please contact F. de Jager