Traditional Musical Instruments of Nepal

The rich culture and history of Nepal has brought about some of the most outstanding and endearing music possible. Although this country is known for its ready acceptance of outside influence, it is also known for its fierce pride in promoting its own musical heritage and the use of the indigenous & Traditional musical instruments of Nepal.

There are so many genres to Nepal’s music scene, most of them based strictly on ethnic and religious influences. There are of course, outside influences from the West such as classical music, the blues, jazz, rap, and the lot. However, Nepal’s music scene is so diverse that some of the prominent music have resisted categorization even today. Other indigenous genres include bhojpuri, gurung, kirant, khas, maithili, newari, sherpa, and tamang music, to name a few.

Seven of the most prominent indigenous musical instruments of Nepal include the: damaha, damphu, dhimay, dholak, laha, tamko, madal, damaru, flute, tingsha and the sarangi. The first 6 aforementioned musical instruments are percussions while the sarangi is a bow-stringed instrument. The damaha is a single sided kettle drum, while the damphu is a double-sided percussion instrument struck by a long wooden handle. The dhimay (also known as the dhimaya) is a tall cylindrical membranophone. The dholak (also known as dholaki) is a small hand drum, as with the madal. The jhyali or jhyalis is very similar to the western cymbals.

On the other end, the sarangi is a short necked stringed musical instrument played with a bow. The sound it makes is very similar to both the violin and the cello.

You can buy Traditional Musical Instruments of Nepal at wholesale prices please visit our wholesale section or email us at sales@himalayacrafts.com