Historical information

A kangling is a trumpet made out of a human thighbone, used in Tibetan Buddhism for various chöd rituals. The practitioner, motivated by compassion, plays the kangling as a gesture of fearlessness, to summon hungry spirits and demons so that she or he may satisfy their hunger and thereby relieve their sufferings. It is also played as a way of "cutting off of the ego."

The hip end of the thigh bone is cut off, forming a nearly circular opening in the bone’s shaft, and it becomes the mouthpiece. The large flaring at the knee is left intact except for two gouged openings through which air and sound escape. The “bell” end of a kangling is usually covered with tightly sewn skin to ensure durability.

Physical description

Made out of a human thighbone, reinforced with leather.