Kamandalu Pot

Handcrafted Bronze Kamandalu Pot with colored tibetan stones.

Kamandalu is an oblong water pot traditionally made of a dry gourd ( pumpkin), clay, coconut shell, metal or the wood of the Kamandalataru tree, usually with a handle and sometimes with a spout. Hindu ascetics or yogis often use it for storing drinking water. The water-filled kamandalu, which is invariably carried by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life.

The Kamandalu also used in Hindu iconography, in depiction of deities related with asceticism or water. It is, thus, viewed as a symbol of ascetism in Hinduism. The Kamandalu is also used by Jain monks and in depictions of some Bodhisattvas.