Kanjira
The kanjira is the South Indian frame drum of Carnatic music, played beside the mridangam: a wooden frame with metal jingles and a lizard-skin or goat-skin head wetted for bass.
£250 - £600
Entry-level kanjiras with synthetic heads start at around £250, and professional instruments with hand-selected frames cost £350 to £600. Choose a goat-skin or synthetic head, as monitor lizard skin is protected, and listen to the bass after wetting and to the jingles before you buy.
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History & Origins
What is a kanjira?
The kanjira (also khanjira or ganjira) is the small, single-headed South Indian frame drum of Carnatic classical music, and a KalaSudha kanjira suits the student percussionist and the concert accompanist. At most Carnatic concerts it sits beside the mridangam as supporting percussion, with the ghatam and morsing; it plays sharp rhythmic counterpoint against the mridangam. A wooden frame of about 7–8 inches carries the head on one face and metal jingles in a single slot in the rim.
What makes a great kanjira
The traditional head was Bengal monitor lizard skin (Varanus bengalensis), thin and dense, for a cutting tone and wide pitch bend. The species is now protected under Schedule I of India's Wild Life (Protection) Act and CITES Appendix I, so makers fit goat skin or synthetic heads with little change to the feel. Players dab water inside the head before playing: it lowers the tension, tames the very high dry pitch and brings out the favoured bass.
How it is played
The fingers of one hand strike the head while the holding hand presses the inner skin to bend the pitch mid-stroke, for sharp attacks and sustained tonal glides rare among frame drums. Selvaganesh, Bangalore Amrit and T. H. Subash Chandran have taken its solo vocabulary far beyond accompaniment. Start on one of our kanjira study paths.
Its name is the Tamil word for the drum. The kanjira belongs to the frame drum family found across the subcontinent and was a folk instrument before it reached the classical stage, where its high pitch was once judged unsuited. By most accounts Manpoondia Pillai of Pudukkottai brought it into Carnatic concerts, with dates from the 1880s to the early 20th century. A lantern bearer who learned drumming from the thavil player Mariappan, he settled on monitor lizard skin, added jingles and adapted thavil technique. He founded the Pudukkottai school of percussion; his disciples included Dakshinamurthy Pillai.
For most of its history the kanjira held a supporting role beside the mridangam. In the 20th century Raghavan (1912–1985), called the father of modern kanjira playing, built a systematic technique. His students extended it, and by the late 20th century concert organisers accepted kanjira concerts. Its fast strokes, pitch bends and complex patterns suit korvais and kalpana swaras as the mridangam's do. G. Harishankar (1958–2002) received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for kanjira in 2001.
Legal protection of the Bengal monitor ended lizard-skin heads on new drums from the 1980s; older players still use original heads.
Construction & Craftsmanship
Construction Process
The frame is a shallow wooden ring of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) or mango wood, about 7–8 inches across and 2–3 inches deep, with the head on one face. A single slot in the rim holds the jingles, one disc or coin on many frames and a pair or several on others; they sit loose with no hardware.
Makers glue the head to the rim with no tensioning system. The traditional head is Bengal monitor lizard skin (Varanus bengalensis), a dense membrane 0.1–0.15 mm thick that gives a sharp attack and wide pitch range. The species is now protected under Schedule I of India's Wild Life (Protection) Act and listed on CITES Appendix I, so makers fit goat skin or synthetic heads in its place.
With no rim tuning, the only pitch adjustment comes from water: players wet the inside of the head to lower its tension and bring out the bass.
Maintenance & Care
- After playing: Wipe the head with a dry cloth to remove sweat and oils that degrade the skin.
- Storage: Keep the kanjira in a padded case away from sun and heat, which dry the skin and can crack it or lift it from the rim.
- Wetting: Before playing, dab clean water inside the head with a damp finger to lower its tension and bring out the bass. Over-wetting flattens the tone and takes time to reverse.
- Synthetic heads: If one wrinkles or loses resonance, let it dry in open air before playing.
- Jingles: Check that they move freely, and clean a sticking slot with a dry brush, never oil, which reaches the skin.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Kanjira
Physical dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Frame diameter | 7–8 inches (18–20 cm) |
| Frame depth | 2–3 inches (5–7.5 cm) |
| Head diameter | 7–8 inches (matches frame) |
| Weight | 150–250 g |
| Jingle count | 1 (a pair or 3–4 discs on some instruments) |
Construction materials
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Frame wood | Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) or mango wood |
| Head material | Goat skin or synthetic membrane today; Bengal monitor lizard skin (Varanus bengalensis) traditionally, now protected |
| Head thickness | 0.1–0.15 mm |
| Jingle material | Brass, bronze, or steel disc |
| Jingle diameter | 25–35 mm |
Sound characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Pitch range | Variable (tuned by skin moisture) |
| Pitch bend range | Up to 3 semitones |
| Tone character | Sharp attack, short sustain |
| Dynamic range | Pianissimo to forte |
| Resonance type | Membrane resonance with jingle overtones |
Playing technique
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Primary striking hand | Right |
| Stroke types | Bass stroke, open tone, slap, mute |
| Pitch control | Left-hand pressure on inner skin surface |
| Grip | Frame rests in left hand with thumb above the rim |
| Difficulty level | Advanced |
Tuning and setup
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tuning method | Skin moisture adjustment |
| Pre-performance | Wet skin with clean water 5–10 minutes before playing |
| Optimal humidity | 60–70% RH for stable pitch |
| Skin drying time | 10–20 minutes at room temperature |
| Replacement heads | Synthetic or goat-skin heads fit standard 7–8 inch frames |
Available Instruments
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Contact for Custom OrderYour Journey to Kanjira Mastery
Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer
Basics of frame drum technique
Tuning the kanjira
Carnatic tala system
Pitch bending and meend
Kalpana swara, tani avartanam and solo playing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the kanjira, the frame drum of Carnatic music?
The kanjira is a single-headed South Indian frame drum of the tambourine family. Its circular wooden frame has a slot holding a small set of metal jingles. In Carnatic concerts it supports the mridangam, often alongside or in place of the ghatam and morsing, and it has long served in folk and bhajan music.
What skin is a kanjira head made from?
The traditional kanjira head is the skin of the Bengal monitor lizard, and its belly skin has long been used. Manpoondia Pillai, who shaped the modern instrument, experimented with woods and skins before settling on monitor lizard skin. Goat skin and synthetic heads are now the common replacements.
How is a kanjira tuned?
A kanjira is not tuned to a fixed pitch, unlike the mridangam or ghatam, and untreated it sounds very high. Players sprinkle or apply water to the inside of the head, which reduces its tension, lowers the pitch and brings out the bass tone they favour. Players therefore judge a kanjira on its bass response after wetting.
Who brought the kanjira into Carnatic classical music?
Manpoondia Pillai of Pudukkottai is credited with bringing the kanjira into Carnatic concert music around the 1880s and shaping its modern form. He learned drumming from the thavil player Mariappan, settled on monitor lizard skin, reduced the jingles to a single set and adapted thavil technique to the kanjira. He founded the Pudukkottai school of percussion.
How does the kanjira differ from a tambourine?
The kanjira belongs to the tambourine family of frame drums. It is small, about 7 to 9 inches across, with a single slot holding its jingles. Players wet the inside of its head, traditionally lizard skin and now goat or synthetic, to lower the pitch and bring out a bass tone.
What should I check when buying a kanjira?
Because a kanjira has no fixed pitch, players judge each drum on its bass response after wetting, its head material and its jingle response, and serious players keep a spare. Goat skin and synthetic heads are now the common choices. Frames run about 7 to 9 inches across and 2 to 4 inches deep.
What role does the kanjira play in a Carnatic concert?
The kanjira is a supporting percussion instrument, an upapakkavadyam, to the mridangam in Carnatic concerts, often alongside or in place of the ghatam and morsing. It began appearing on classical stages from the late 19th to the early 20th century, after being thought unsuited to classical music because of its high pitch. It also serves folk and bhajan music.
Who are the best-known kanjira players?
Manpoondia Pillai of Pudukkottai brought the kanjira into Carnatic concerts, and his disciples Dakshinamurthy Pillai and Muthiah Pillai played it alongside the mridangam, thavil and ghatam. Later, G. Harishankar's main disciples include C. P. Vyasa Vittala, Bangalore Amrit and Nerkunam Sankar. T. H. Subash Chandran plays kanjira among several percussion instruments.
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