The taal, manjira (also spelled manjīrā or manjeera), jalra, karatala, kartal or gini is a pair of clash cymbals, originating in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

, which make high-pitched percussion sounds. In its simplest form, it consists of a pair of small hand cymbals. The word taal comes from the Sanskrit word ''Tālà'', which literally means a clap. It is a part of Indian music and culture, used in various traditional customs e.g. Bihu music, Harinaam etc. It is a type of Ghana vadya. In Hindu religious contexts it is known as karatalas (; ''kara'' "hand", "arm" and ''tāla'' "rhythm", "beat"), typically used to accompany devotional music such as bhajan and kirtan. They are commonly used by

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna may refer to: * International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a group commonly known as "Hare Krishnas" or the "Hare Krishna movement" * Hare Krishna (mantra) The Hare Krishna mantra, also referred to reverentially as the (" ...

devotees when performing harinam, but are ubiquitous to all Hindu devotional music. It is also called karatala or kartal (pronounced as “kartel”) in some contexts.

Types

There are many types of Taal, categorised by size, weight and appearance. * Bortaal is the big size clash cymbal, Its weight approx. 1½−2 kg. The player who plays Bortaal is called in Assam as ''Gayan''. Bortaal is a symbol of Assamese traditional culture. Sometimes, the players perform dance-music with both e.g. in Gayan-Bayan, Bortaal Nritya etc. Sometimes the player perform with only music e.g. in Harinaam, Dihanaam etc. The rhythmic high-pitched sound of the Bortaal makes the surroundings pure and sacred. * Majutaal is medium size clash cymbal, * Khutitaal or Xarutaal is small size clash cymbal. It is also known as Manjira or Karatala. It is generally used in traditional, folk and classical music in India. It is also used in dance in Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi Manipuri Mohiniattam

Andhra Natyam Andhranatyam is a dance in the Nattuva Mela tradition, one of the two ancient dance traditions in India. Natya Mela which is performed by men, and Nattuva Mela which women perform. Andhranatyam, the ancient classical dance form of the Telugu ...

Kathakali This Instrument has some other names e.g. thaaleaj (Kashmir), taalam, tala, jalra etc. * Ramtaal or Khoritaal are two wooden handled musical instruments, containing multiple pairs of small cymbals. It is generally known India as Khartal.

Nepal

The instrument is played in Nepal as well, known as the Jhyamta (Nepali: झ्याम्टा) (phoenetic: Jhyāmṭā), a Nepali traditional musical instrument. The

Kirat 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 ...

community uses this with

dhol Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...

(kirat)) in various cultural festivals such as Sakela,

Chyabrung The ''Chyabrung'' also ''Kay/Ke'' in Limbu language is a traditional drum of the Limbu community in Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling hills and North-East India.The Chyabrung is a hollow oblong wooden drum about a two meters in diameter and two feet in ...

, Udhauli, Ubhauli and other social functions.

Tibet

In Tibetan culture, the ''

tingsha ''Tingsha'' (or ''ting-sha'') () are small cymbals used in prayer and rituals by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. Two cymbals are joined together by a leather strap or chain. The cymbals are struck together producing a clear and high pitched to ...

'' is a very similar instrument.

Uses

Manjiras are commonly played in folk and devotional music. They are played in various religious events and ceremonies in India and especially in

bhajans Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

. Manjiras are ancient musical instruments. Manjiras can be seen in many ancient temple pictures.

Marathi and Gujrati folk music

Manjiras have a significant importance in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

i and Marathi folk music. In Maharashtra they are known as Taal. Initially Manjiras were played in aarti. In

and Maharashtra, manjiras hold great importance and are played in bhajan, santvani and dayro.

References