The ''taal'' or ''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 physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

, 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 ''karatala'' (; ''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 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 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

:''See

List of Nepali musical instruments This list contains "traditional" musical instruments used in Nepal. Instruments overlap with nearby countries, including India and Tibet. An example is the Sarangi, a common bow Indian instrument. Although the Nepali people have their own local ...

'' The instrument is played in Nepal as well, known as the Jhyamta (Nepali: झ्याम्टा) (phonetic: Jhyāmṭā), a Nepali traditional musical instrument. The Kirat community uses this with dhol (kirat)) in various cultural festivals such as Sakela, Chyabrung, Udhauli, Ubhauli and other social functions.

Tibet

In Tibetan culture, the '' tingsha'' 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. 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 States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...

i and Marathi folk music. In

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

they are known as Taal. Initially Manjiras were played in aarti. In

and

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

References