The dhyāngro is a

frame drum A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mat ...

played by the '' jhakri'' (shamans) of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

—especially those of the

Magars The Magar, also spelled as Mangar, and Mongar, are the third largest ethnolinguistic groups of Nepal, indigenous to Western Nepal and representing 7.1% of Nepal's total population according to the 2011 Nepal census. The original home of the Magar ...

, the

Kirati The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirant or Kiranti, are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. They are peoples of the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state of Sikkim ...

, and the

Tamang The Tamang (; Devanagari: तामाङ; ''tāmāṅ'') are an Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group of Nepal. In Nepal Tamang/Moormi people constitute 5.6% of the Nepalese population at over 1.3 million in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 as of the 2011 c ...

—as well as by

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

musicians. The dhyāngro may be either single- or double-headed. Double-headed drums are said to have a male side and a female side. The

drumhead A drumhead or drum skin is a membrane stretched over one or both of the open ends of a drum. The drumhead is struck with sticks, mallets, or hands, so that it vibrates and the sound resonates through the drum. Additionally outside of percus ...

, which is made from animal skin, is struck with a curved

beater Beater may refer to: Clothes * Beater (weaving), a tool used to force woven yarn into place *A shortening of "wifebeater" (shirt), a colloquialism for particular style of sleeveless shirt Music *Any of various types of percussion mallets ** A r ...

fashioned from

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking *Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are b ...

. The frame may also be equipped with

jingles A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

. Like the '' na'' drum of Tibet, but unlike most frame drums, the dhyāngro usually has a handle. The carving in the wooden handle of a dhyāngro may be quite intricate; owing to Buddhist influence, the handles of some drums are fashioned into a '' kīla''.

Ceremonial use

In Nepal, a jhakri (shaman) plays the dhyāngro during traditional shamanic ceremonies. The drum is occasionally used in Tibetan Buddhist celebrations, as in an orchestra performing

Buddhist music Buddhist music is music created for or inspired by Buddhism and part of Buddhist art. Honkyoku Honkyoku (本曲) are the pieces of shakuhachi or hocchiku music played by wandering Japanese Zen monks called Komuso. Komuso temples were abolished ...

. For example: In Malaysia, such a performance greeted the seventh

Ling Rinpoche Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche is a Tibetan tulku. The best-known incarnation is the sixth incarnation, Thupten Lungtok Namgyal Thinley (1903 - 1983), a Tibetan buddhist scholar and teacher. Thupten Lungtok Namgyal Thinley, the 6th Yongzin Ling Ri ...

when he visited the Tadika Than Hsiang Farlim and Child Care Centre on

Penang Island Penang Island ( ms, Pulau Pinang; zh, 檳榔嶼; ta, பினாங்கு தீவு) is part of the state of Penang, on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was named Prince of Wales Island when it was occupied by the British Ea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhyangro Buddhist music Buddhist ritual implements Drums of Nepal Medicine drums

Ceremonial use

See also

References