Dhantal

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The dhantal is a long steel rod which was adapted from the prong used to connect the yokes of the bullocks that transported the cane-filled carts on the estates in Trinidad and Tobago. The metal horse shoe used on the estate's horses and mules was used to strike the dhantal. In this way the dhantal became a new instrument for providing rhythm. The dhantal is also used in Fiji during religious singing. This percussion instrument along with the dholak, harmonium,kartal, jhanj forms the basis of musical instruments of a Ramayan mandali. The dhantal is played by striking the metal horse shoe to the steel rod( usually a 3/8th steel pipe of approx 1 meter. It is not clear if the dhantal was originally an instrument brought by Indian indenture immigrants to Fiji. The dhantal is popular in Trinidad as well. The Fijian dhantal is almost identical to the Trinidad versions. The dhantal may be closely related to the early indenture instrument called the dandatal, which was a wooden stick and had a rectangular shaped striker. The words danda means stick and tal means rhythm.