Bell with Pagoda-Shaped Handle (Tōrei) and Three-Footed Stand (Kongōban)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bells used in Esoteric Buddhist rituals often had handles shaped like vajra (thunderbolt) ritual tools with five prongs. This one, however, is equipped with a handle that represents a pagoda formed of the five elements of the cosmos. Earth, at the base, is a square; water a sphere; fire a pyramid; wind a half-moon; and air, at the peak, a jewel.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art