Saron musician

As part of the Hindu diaspora that Siva Ashram will celebrate, at the entrance of our gardens, our very own gamelan (a traditional instrumental ensemble of Bali, Indonesia) will welcome our visitors. This musician is ready to play the saron, a bronze bars instrument placed on top of a resonating frame. This instrument is struck with a tabuh in an angled form to produce a fuller sound. Whilst one hand controls the tabuh, with the other hand he dampens the previous note by grasping the key, in order to prevent a muddy sound. On repeated notes, the note is usually dampened half a beat before it is struck again. The statue, based on a traditional Balinese design, has been carved in Bali exclusively for Siva Ashram and is awaiting shipment to Costa Rica to be installed on the grounds of our gardens. It is one of nine statues of musicians gracing the entrance to our gardens in celebration of life and the spiritual path. Line drawing courtesy of Manish Prajapati, @artbymanish.