PAINJANI

PAINJANI in Uttar Pradesh

Material: Metal

Usually made of bell-metal containing iron pellets(one or more). The shaking sets the pellets in motion within the hollow cavity, producing a rattling sound. Round shaped, it opens into a single or double cross slit at the bottom. To Indian Music and Dance, the jingle-bells (known by many names in different Indian languages and dialects) have an overwhelming significance. Its use is as variegated as its shape and size. The entire Indian subcontinent, has an equal share in its distribution and in its prolific use, both in the human and the animal world. The larger jingle bells containing a single iron pellet have a hooked ring on the top and are strung on a cotton thread around the neck of domesticated animals. These vary in shape and size to suit the animal and are generally worn singly. Sometimes a number of them are also laced to a leather strap for harness reserved for bullocks and horses. The use of bells for animals is both utilitarian and decorative. Its main usage is in dance performances. A bunch of bells is tied or laced into a long cord or to a leather strap. Worn around the ankle, the foot movement or the dance step is elevated to a ‘musical sound’ and lends itself to rhythmic expression. The ghunghroo and Indian dance are inseparable. The Paijani is an example indicating the ornamental use of ghungroos.