This essay examines the musical instruments played in the Nava Durgā performance, a Hindu tradition practiced by Newar people of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Due to rigorous restrictions enforced by the dancers and musicians, there is a dearth of investigation into these instruments among existing studies. While the Nava Durgā performance shares certain common traits with other Newar musical practices, several distinct aspects set it apart from other local music traditions and highlight its significance in Newar culture. Drawing from six years of fieldwork, this essay aims to bridge the gap in previous studies about the Nava Durgā performance by delving into three unexplored aspects of the musical instruments: their morphology in relation to religious symbolism; the specificity of their execution; and their function within the Nava Durgā performance and the broader social context. The analysed musical instruments and sonorous objects include the drum dyokhin; two pairs of brass cymbals known as tāḥ and kansa; the hourglass-shaped drum ḍamaru, as well as rattles ghanghalā and chānp. The analysis integrates detailed ethnographic descriptions with audio-visual materials collected during fieldwork. Beside the objective of complementing existing ethnographic studies on the subject, these materials aim to provide an in-depth understanding of Newar music practice through a sensorial experience and to convey oral and material knowledge in a non-written form.

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