Khartal is an ancient instrument mainly used in devotional / folk songs. It has derived its name from

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

words ‘kara’ meaning hand and ‘tala’ meaning clapping. This wooden clapper is a Ghana Vadya which has discs or plates that produce a clinking sound when clapped together. It falls under the class of

idiophones An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow (as with aerophones), strings (chordophones), membranes (membranophones) or electricity ( electrophone ...

of self-sounding instruments that combine properties of vibrator and resonator. Usually made of wood or metal, a khartal player will hold one ‘male’ and ‘female’ khartal in each hand. The ‘male’ khartal is usually thicker and is held with the thumb while the ‘female’ khartal is usually thinner and is mainly balanced on the ring finger, which represents the fire element. It is associated with the sun and the root chakra. Its force is associated with staying power, stamina, and the power to be assertive. A pair of wooden castanets with bells attached to them was the earliest form of the khartal. These pieces of wood are not connected in any way. They can be clapped together at high speeds to make rapid, complex rhythms. Aside from being an excellent accompaniment instrument, the khartal is valued for being a highly portable percussion instrument. 1. ''Kartals (blocks)''. It consists of a pair of wooden blocks with jingles or crotales (kartals mean crotales). One pair is used in one hand of the musician. These pieces can be clapped together at high speeds to make fast complex beats. 2. ''Kartals (small sheets)''. It consists of a pair of thin, hard wooden pieces similar to the percussion

bones (instrument) The bones, also known as rhythm bones, are a folk instrument that, in their original form, consists of a pair of animal bones, but may also be played on pieces of wood or similar material. Sections of large rib bones and lower leg bones are the ...

. These are used in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. 3. ''Kartals (cymbals)''. The

karatalas 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, which make high-pitched percussion sounds. In its ...

are small cymbals, also known as manjeera. These are used in devotional chants. 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 ...

Kartals are better known as ''Chipaḷyā'' ( Marathi: ). It is commonly used in religious song like Kirtans and Bhajans. In

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, kartals ( Bengali: ) are commonly used in religious song like Kirtans and Bhajans. In

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

, they are better known as ''dāsåkāṭhi'' ( Odia: ଦାସକାଠି), which is an almost similar instrument. It is most notably employed in a folk theatre form that derives its name from the instrument itself, ''dāsåkāṭhiā'' ( Odia: ଦାସକାଠିଆ). The Rāmåtāḷi ( Odia: ରାମତାଳି) is a larger variant that is associated with the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, according to a traditional Odia legend. The

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

Folk genre Biraha uses a version of Kartal which consists of two pair of tapered metal rods, each approximately nine inches in length. This version of Kartal was invented by Biraha singer Bihari Lal Yadav and only used while singing Biraha. The singer holds the pair in his hands and strike them to produce music while singing. In

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of ...

, the word ''Karatāḷa Dhvani'' is most commonly used for sound produced from clapping hands.

References

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External links

"Khartal" The Official Site

Video con kartals (small sheets)

Video con kartals (blocks)

Video con kartals (cymbals)
{{Authority control Indian musical instruments Asian percussion instruments Idiophones Punjabi folklore