Walk into almost any temple, old or new, and the first thing we do right after entering is ring the bell, or ghantas. We spot it even before reaching the deity. The bell is a heavy metal Ghanta hanging right at the entrance, worn smooth by generations of hands reaching up to ring it.It’s such a familiar gesture that it almost happens on autopilot, and we have never even stopped to ask the reason behind it.So, is ringing the bell just a way of announcing oneself at the Lord’s doorstep, like knocking before entering someone’s home? Or is there something more deliberate happening in that one simple action?Even as kids, when we asked our grandparents the reason why we ring bells, “it wakes up the god” was the most we would hear.Is is just that or is there more to it, let’s dig in to find out.
The sound of the mandir bells pull our attention to just be there.
The image of temple bells is so ordinary that it’s easy to miss how reasoned their design actually is and what are they made up of.According to a video posted by the Ministry of Culture series, culture ki pathshala, “before entering a temple, our mind is everywhere, work, family, messages, worries and endless thoughts, then comes the sound of the bell, and for a moment everything stops. The mind becomes alert, the attention shifts, and we leave the outside world behind. The bell is like a reminder that you are entering a sacred space. Be present.“
Bells are built from a special alloy
The video was posted with the caption, “Temple bells are traditionally associated with Panchaloha, an alloy of five metals that reflects India’s rich heritage of metallurgy and craftsmanship.” and as the video further explained, “The bell invites the divine and drives away the negative influences.”The bell is like a reminder for our awareness, to come back into focus, “Bells are designed to produce a resonant sound and are made up of a special blend of metals. So the next time you ring a bell, do not do that, listen to the sound and follow it into silence. The purpose of the bell is not to create noise, but to help us disciver the silence within”.In that perspective, the bell isn’t random noise before prayer; it’s treated like a tuning fork for the mind, meant to settle it before anything else begins.These deep “uninterrupted, reverberating, deep and sonorous” sounds are steady enough to override whatever mental noise a person walked in with.So “waking up God” was probably always a simplified, easy answer that grandparents probably gave to just quieten the curiosity.
