A Cymbal by Any Other Name

Manjira and kartal are treated together here because their function is identical even though their construction differs, metal cymbals against wooden clappers, and because regional and sectarian usage is not consistent about which name attaches to which object or even whether the two are always distinguished at all; manjeera, manjira, jhanj and kartal all appear in different regions and traditions for what is functionally the same small hand percussion role. Both instruments are old enough that no specific point of introduction into Hindu or Sikh devotional practice is recorded; they belong to a broad, ancient stratum of simple idiophones, that is, instruments that produce sound from the vibration of the instrument's own body rather than a stretched skin or string, found across South Asian folk and devotional music generally. Their continued use today, largely unchanged in form, in both Hindu bhajan and Sikh kirtan reflects how little a genuinely functional, low cost instrument needs to change once it has found its role. Devotional retailers near major temples and gurdwaras routinely sell inexpensive pairs specifically so visiting worshippers can join congregational singing on the spot.