Following is a list of the heaviest bells known to have been cast, and the period of time during which they held that title.
Heaviest functioning bell in the world The title of heaviest functioning bell in the world has been held chronologically by: Year Bell Weight Fate tonnes lb 732 Tōdai-ji Surpassed 1484 Great Bell of Dhammazedi Stolen and lost 1608 Tōdai-ji Surpassed 1633 Chion-in Temple Surpassed 1810 Mingun Bell Fell during earthquake (raised again in 1896) 1839 Chion-in Temple Surpassed 1896 Mingun Bell Surpassed 1902 Shitennō-ji Temple Bell Recycled for war 1942 Mingun Bell Surpassed 2000 Bell of Good Luck Incumbent
The Great Bell of Dhammazedi, Myanmar
At approximately 300 tons, the Great Bell of Dhammazedi is the largest bell to have existed in recorded history.World's Three Biggest Bells Cast in 1484 by King Dhammazedi of Mon, this bell was located at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar). The bell was said to be twelve cubits (6.276 m) high and eight cubits (4.184 m) wide.drawing of the bell as it appeared while still at the Shwedagon Pagoda.
The Great Bell of Dhammazedi remained at the Shwedagon Pagoda as the heaviest functioning bell in the world until 1608. That year, Portuguese warlord and mercenary Philip de Brito removed it and attempted to carry it by a specially constructed raft down the Yangon River to his stronghold of Thanlyin (later known as Syriam). However, the ship carrying the bell sank at the confluence of the Yangon and Bago rivers. The Dhammazedi Bell remains buried to this day at that location, possibly well-preserved, beneath some of sediment. Numerous attempts have been made to locate and recover the bell, thus far without success.Largest Bell under water Mike Hatcher
So while the Great Bell of Dhammazedi might indeed be the heaviest bell in the world, it must be disqualified from consideration as such, until it has been recovered and restored to a functional status.
The Chion-in Temple Bell Cast in 1633, the 74-ton Chion-in Temple Bell, located in Kyoto, Japan, held the title of heaviest functioning bell in the world until 1810.Chion-in Temple, Kyoto
From March 1839 until March 1896, the Mingun Bell was not functional due to the fact that it was not hanging freely from its shackles. During this period, the Chion-in Temple Bell regained its former title.
The Mingun Bell
Cast in 1808, the 90-ton Mingun Bell in Mingun, Sagaing Division, Burma became the heaviest functioning bell in the world from its suspension in 1810 until 23 March 1839. On that date, it was knocked off its supports by a large earthquake.Photograph of the Mingun Bell as it appeared in the late 1800s.
The Mingun Bell was resuspended in March 1896 by a team of men from the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company.Bird, George W (1897). Wanderings in Burma, pages 318–319. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd. The Mingun Bell was again the world's heaviest functioning bell from its resuspension in 1896 until 1902.
The Mingun Bell regained its status as the heaviest functioning bell in the world in 1942 and held that title until 2000.
The Shitennō-ji Temple Bell In 1902, the newly-cast 114-ton Shitennō-ji Temple Bell was hung in Osaka, Japan. The Shitennō-ji Temple Bell reigned as the heaviest functioning bell in the world from that year until 1942, when it was melted down for its metal to assist with the then-ongoing World War II effort.
The Bell of Good Luck Cast on New Year's Eve 2000, the Bell of Good Luck is located in the Foquan Temple in Pingdingshan, Henan, China.The Bell of Good Luck: the largest working bell in the world The bell weighs and it is in height and in diameter. The Bell of Good Luck has therefore claimed the title of heaviest functioning bell in the world since its construction in 2000, up to the present date.
The Tsar Bell
The 216-ton Russian Tsar Bell (also known as the Tsar Kolokol III) on display on the grounds of the Moscow Kremlin is the heaviest bell known to exist in the world today. However, a very large piece broke off from the Tsar Bell during a fire which engulfed the tower the bell was intended to be hung in, so this irreparably damaged bell has never been suspended or rung. The Tsar Bell cannot be considered as the heaviest functioning bell in the world due to its inability to serve as a percussion instrument. Rather, it may be considered to be the largest bell, or at least the largest bell-shaped sculpture in the world.
Existing bells Bells weighing 25 tonnes or more:
Name of bell (or edifice containing bell) Location Weight Year cast Manufacturer or foundry Notes Tsar Bell Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia 1735 Ivan Feodorovich Motorin brokenGreat Bells of Russia Bell of Good Luck Foquan Temple, Fodushan Scenic Area, Pingdingshan, Henan, China 2000 Tianrui Group currently the heaviest functioning bell in the worldGreat Oriental Bells of Asia and the Pacific Rim Mingun Bell Mingun, Myanmar 1808 King Bodawpaya Weighs 55,555 viss, or exactly 199,998 pounds. Tsarsky Kolokol Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia 2004 Zavod imeni Likhacheva, Moscow, Russia Chion-in Temple Bell Kyoto, Japan 1633 unknown Great Uspensky Bell (also known as Great Assumption Bell) Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia 1817 Yakov Zavyalov and Rusinov Tōdai-ji Temple Bell Nara, Japan 732 unknown Yongle Bell Da Zhong Si (Great Bell Temple), Beijing, China ca. 1420 unknown Name unknown Moscow, Russia 1600 Andrey Chokhov Tharrawaddy Min Bell Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar 1842 Maha Sithu and Maha Min Kyaw Thinkhaya Gotenba Bell Toki no Sumika Park, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Japan 2006 Royal Eijsbouts bell foundryRoyal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry :Gotenba Bell Đại hồng chung Bai Dinh Pagoda, Gia Vien, Ninh Binh, Vietnam 2007 Nguyễn Văn Sở, Huế, Vietnam Blagovestnik (also known as Firstborn) Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia 2002 Zavod imeni Likhacheva, Moscow, Russia Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast, Russia 2003 Vera LLC, Shilova, Voronezh, Russia'Most sonorous' bell of all Russia is recast (35 tons) Yuriev Monastery Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast, Russia unknown World Peace Bell Newport, Kentucky, U.S. 1998 Fonderie PaccardPaccard Bell Foundry Kazansky Monastery Tambov, Tambov Oblast, Russia unknown Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery Kirillov and Belozersk, Vologda Oblast, Russia unknown Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Petersburg, Russia mid-19th century unknown Torzhestvennyj Bell Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, Russia 1878 unknown Evangelist (bell) Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia 2002 Zavod imeni Likhacheva, Moscow, Russia Saint Sophia Cathedral Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast, Russia 1659 unknown Big Bell (People's Salvation Cathedral) People's Salvation Cathedral, Bucharest, Romania 2016 Grassmayr St. Petersglocke Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany 1923 Heinrich UlrichThe heaviest bell in the world which hangs on a straight bar.Great bells of Europe by weight Sysoi Assumption Cathedral in Rostov, Rostov-Velikij, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia 1689 Flor TerentyevPhotographs of Sysoi Singu Min Bell Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar 1779 Singu Minphotograph of the Maha Ganda Bell as it appeared, circa 1897.Vox PatrisSanctuary of the Eternal Father, Trindade, Brazil2017Rduch Bells&Clocks, PolandThe heaviest swinging bell in the world.
Destroyed or lost bells Bells weighing 25 tonnes or more, no longer in existence (lost or destroyed):
Name of bell (or edifice containing bell) Location Weight Year cast Manufacturer or foundry Notes Great Bell of Dhammazedi Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar 1484 King Dhammazedi submerged in the Bago River in 1608; may be recoverable Shitennō-ji Temple Bell Osaka, Japan 1902 unknown destroyed 1942 Tsarsky Kolokol Bell (aka "Trotzkoi Bell") Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia 1748 unknown destroyed 1930 Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery Zvenigorod, Moscow Oblast, Russia 1667 unknown destroyed 1941 Godunov Bell (also known as Old Assumption Bell, or Resurrection Bell) Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiyev Posad, Moscow Oblast, Russia ca. 1600 Andrey Chokhov destroyed 1701 Kaiserglocke Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany 1874 Andreas Hamm destroyed 1918
Gallery
See also American Bell Association International Bellfounding Campanology Carillon Russian Orthodox bell ringing
References
External links Blagovest Russian Church Bells:A Select List of Russian Bells Weighing 36,100 Pounds or More Guild of Carillonneurs in North America Russian Orthodox leader blesses new church bells at holy site