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Source Description
<em>Damaru</em> drums are made from the tops of two skulls joined in the center and sounded by rapidly turning it side to side so the ends of the cords fly up to sound against the stretched skin. In Hindu and Buddhist rituals, the rhythm of the damaru references the ongoing, relentless beat of time. The material of bone reminds practitioners of the inevitability of death in the course of time.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98700
label
Ritual Drum (damaru)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98700
contentType
object
title
Ritual Drum (damaru)
description
<em>Damaru</em> drums are made from the tops of two skulls joined in the center and sounded by rapidly turning it side to side so the ends of the cords fly up to sound against the stretched skin. In Hindu and Buddhist rituals, the rhythm of the damaru references the ongoing, relentless beat of time. The material of bone reminds practitioners of the inevitability of death in the course of time.
date
c. 1800
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79485400
genreSpecific
Musical Instrument
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 20.4 x 17.8 x 13.1 cm (8 1/16 x 7 x 5 3/16 in.)
cul
Tibet
accession
1918.391
Source extras
tec
skull bone, cloth, hemp fiber, leather, and skin
tombstone
Ritual Drum (damaru), c. 1800. Tibet. Skull bone, cloth, hemp fiber, leather, and skin; overall: 20.4 x 17.8 x 13.1 cm (8 1/16 x 7 x 5 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr., 1918.391
collection
Tibetan Art
didYouKnow
Dancing Shiva, in his form as Nataraja, holds a <em>damaru</em> in one hand.
citations
citation
"Accessions." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 5, no. 8/9 (1918): 82-85.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 82
citation
D. S. M. "Exhibition of Musical Instruments." <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 8, no. 9 (1921): 134-43.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 134-137
creditline
The Charles G. King Jr. collection; Gift of Ralph King in memory of Charles G. King Jr.
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:19:58.660000
sourceId
98700
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Tibetan Art
med
skull bone, cloth, hemp fiber, leather, and skin
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c395324e2874a187