Tibetan Human Thigh Bone Silver Inlaid Trumpet (Kangling)

Late 19th or Early 20th Century, Tibet

Exceptional and rare human bone ritual trumpet (kangling) lavishly adorned with repoussé silver and copper alloy fittings. The ends of the tibia are sheathed in finely worked silver (untested), expertly shaped to retain the natural patellar groove, which has been hollowed to create a dramatic double bell. The shaft is wrapped in delicate copper wire, culminating in a beautifully formed silver mouthpiece. Both terminal silver mounts are richly decorated with intricate repoussé motifs and inlaid with turquoise and red coral, enhancing its ceremonial presence and rarity.

The kangling (Wylie: rkang-gling), literally “leg flute,” is a trumpet made from a human femur or tibia and used in Tibetan Buddhist chöd rituals, as well as in funerary rites performed by chöpa practitioners. Traditionally, the bone of an individual who died violently—or alternatively, that of a revered teacher—was considered most efficacious. While wooden or animal-bone variants exist, true human-bone kanglings such as this example represent the most potent form.

Used exclusively in outdoor chöd ceremonies, the kangling is played together with the thöpa damaru or chöd damaru, a double-headed ritual drum fashioned from paired human skull caps. In tantric chöd practice, the practitioner plays the kangling as an act of unwavering fearlessness—summoning spirits, demons, and hungry ghosts, not to repel them but to offer compassion and spiritual nourishment, thereby relieving their suffering.

Ritual instruments such as kanglings, kapālas (skull bowls), and damarus were traditionally made from bones gathered at sky burial (jhator) sites, one of Tibet’s oldest and most sacred mortuary customs. In this practice, bodies are ritually dismembered and exposed to the elements in designated charnel grounds as a final act of generosity—“giving alms to the birds.” Selected bones were then meticulously cleaned, shaped, consecrated, and adorned with silverwork, turquoise, coral, and sacred carvings before being used in advanced tantric practice.

This rare and beautifully preserved kangling—rich in patina, craftsmanship, and spiritual provenance—stands as an extraordinary example of Tibetan ritual art and a powerful artifact of tantric Buddhist tradition.

Excellent condition. Wear consistent with age and use. Lovely polished patina. Size approx. 31,0cm x 5,2cm x 7,7cm. 

Provenance: Swedish private collection

For a similar examples see:

Bone pipe, National Museum, New Delhi, Accession Number: 87.792 (https://indianculture.gov.in/artefacts-museums/bone-pipe)

Rkangling, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 46.34.11 (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/505238)

NB! All of our human osteological specimens are historical ethnographic or ceremonial artefacts (e.g., kapalas, kanglings). We do not sell, buy, or handle human osteological material of unknown origin or items that do not clearly meet these criteria. This policy adheres to Finnish law regarding the sanctity of graves (Criminal Code of Finland 563/1998, Chapter 17, Section 12).

References and further reading:

The practices and rituals of Tibetan Kapala skull caps, Ancient Origins - Reconstructing the story of humanity's past, April Holloway (https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/practices-and-rituals-tibetan-kapala-skull-caps-00945). 

Charnel Ground Ornaments and Implements, Rufus C. Camphausen (www.yoniversum.nl.).

Instruments of Burma, India, Nepal, Thailand and Tibet, Thomas E. Cross, M.M. Thesis, University of South Dakota, May 1983, pp. 73-75.

Tibetan Mahayoga Tantra: An Ethno Historical Study of Skulls, Bones and Relics, Andrea Loseries-Leick, 2008, B.R. Pub. Corp. p. 225.

Body Matters: Exploring the Materiality of the Human Body, Luci Attala & Louis Steel, Cardiff, Wales: University of Wales Press. p. 166.

Tibetan Rituals of Death: Buddhist funerary practices, Margaret Gouin, Published March 29, 2012 by Routledge.