Kashkūl, c. 19th century
The Kashkūl, also known as a beggar’s bowl, is a container carried by wandering dervishes (belonging to the Islamic Sūfī sect) and used to collect money and other goods (sweets, gifts, etc.) usually after a street session of poetry recitation, religious eulogies, advice or entertainment. These typically boat-shaped vessels were made in a variety of media, including coco-de-mer shell, wood, metal, or ceramic and were hung over the shoulder using a metal chain.
Kashkūl is a compound word composed of the words konash (کنش) meaning ‘to make’ and kol (کل) meaning ‘complete, full’. Together it indicates that all of the Dervish’s worldly goods are in the container and requesting people to fill it with donations.
This bowl is carved with Persian inscriptions. It is made from half the shell of a nut from the fruit of the coco-de-mer palm which grows in the Seychelles Islands but drifts all the way to the shores of India and Iran.
