Hand Damaru

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[dropcap]S[/dropcap]mall hand damaru, known as ChanTe’u or more colloquially, TrangTrik, are for everyday ritual use, apart from Chod ritual practice. These are suitable for all diety practices, offering rituals, etc. especially those of a more peaceful, enriching and magnetizing variety. For wrathful practice, human bone is preferable.

These are made of Sengdeng, just like the much larger Chod damaru, and their shape emulates a skull, as an oval or egg-shape with one end (the bottom) more sharply pointed. Sandalwood is also used, which is always imported from India, as it was rendered extinct in Nepal due to over-cutting.

The skins here are trin-pak, made with proper mineral salts and herbs, buried for a week or so, then soaked and stretched for application to the drum.

Of course those “toy” damaru found in all shops around Nepal and India are made of unknown cheap wood, with skins painted green and no mantras or paper mantra inside—a travesty!