Manipur is the land of music and dance and there are certain musical instruments of Manipur that are used specifically for their local songs and dances. There are different kinds of songs in Manipur, all of which are accompanied by some kind of musical instrument. There are a number of musical instruments of Manipur, which include:
All of these musical instruments of Manipur are used widely during any cultural, religious or social function in the state. Pena is one of the special musical instruments of Manipur. This instrument is made with a slender bamboo rod and a round dry shell of gourd of coconut. A circular opening is made on the shell of the gourd and then the opening is covered with hide covering. A string of a horse tail is fastened from the bamboo rod to the opening. A curved iron rod is attached with another string to give a bow like appearance. In order to play the Pena one needs to rub the strings on the bamboo with the string attached to the iron rod.
Besides, this special musical instrument of Manipur, the other instruments like the kartal, harmonium, flute and esraj are common Indian musical instruments.