Ghanta Meaning: The Bell in Hindu and Buddhist Ritual

A ghaṇṭā is a ritual bell. In Hindu worship it is rung during pūjā, the offering of devotion to a deity, in temples and at household shrines alike. The same word names the hand bell of Buddhist ritual, where it carries a distinct symbolic meaning.

The bell in Hindu worship

Worshippers often ring a bell as they enter a temple, and the priest or householder rings a hand bell during pūjā, especially during ārati, the waving of lamps before the deity. Traditional explanations say the sound announces the worshipper, calls the attention of the deity and clears away inauspicious influences, so that the mind can turn to worship.

Garuda and Nandi

Hindu hand bells are often topped with a small figure that shows which deity they serve: Garuda, the bird-mount of Vishnu, for Vaishnava worship, or Nandi, the bull of Shiva, for Shaiva worship. The bell is therefore part of a larger iconography of devotion.

The Buddhist ghanta

In Tibetan and other Vajrayana Buddhist ritual, the bell is paired with the vajra, the thunderbolt sceptre. Held together, the bell represents wisdom and the vajra skilful means or compassion; their union expresses the goal of practice.

Sound, not medicine

Descriptions of the bell sometimes stray into physical claims about the body. The tradition itself is about devotion and attention: the sound marks a threshold between everyday life and worship.

The ghanta in jewellery

A ghanta design references a familiar and much-loved object of Hindu and Buddhist devotion. You can see the AURYN Ghanta charm, or read about the abhaya mudra, another shared image of South Asian religious art. In the same devotional world, meet Kubera, lord of wealth.