280-kg Nagara drum inaugurated in Baglung

BAGLUNG: JULY 13 – A 280-kg traditional drum known as Nagara in Nepali was recently unveiled in Tangram, Khathekhola Rural Municipality-4, Baglung district.

This kettle drum was built by the Rural-Friendly Revolving Fund, which is said to be the largest in the country.

Hemraj Ashram, the Fund’s Chairperson, revealed that the massive drum is made of 222 kilograms of brass and 15 kilograms of iron, with a circumference of 7 feet.

The musical instrument was created in 18 days by a team of 50 people, including artisans and assistants. The skin of a buffalo, which was required for the instrument, was obtained from India.

The Nagara was made in traditional ‘Aran’ technology by artisans such as Rabilal, Jarsingh BK Tamang, Lal Bahadur Kisan, Jag Bahadur, and Sar Bahadur BK, among others, according to Chairperson Ashram.

The 6-foot tall Nagara is thought to remain a tourist attraction and contribute to the preservation of traditional musical instruments.

According to the Fund, the Rs 50 million musical instruments will be played on special occasions and festivities such as Dashain, Chaite Dashain, and Saraswati Puja, among others.

The second-largest Nagara is at Hanuman Dhoka in Kathmandu, with a circumference of 6.5 meters and it was constructed at the date of Malla era.

The fund is also building a cultural museum, for which it has already amassed a collection of 25 different types of folk musical instruments.