This 15th century Tibetan Ghanta (bell) is used as a ritual object in Vajrayana Buddhism. The ghanta also known as drilbu represents femininity. It has a gilded surmount with a Buddha head and six pronged spokes. The ghanta itself is decorated with festoons and bears an inscription on the inner side of the Ming dynasty Xuande period (1426-1435 BCE). It may have been donated to one of the monasteries in Tibet by Emperor Xuande or a part of an imperial donation to a Vajrayana Buddhist monastery. Vajrayana Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism and it spread from Northeast India to Nepal, Tibet and East Asia.
