"In the olden days," said Manjunath, "musicians used to 'play' these slender columns with sandalwood sticks or their fingers, producing the sounds of different instruments." He explained that when struck, the pillars produce different musical notes as well as the sounds of various Indian instruments like the ghanta (bell), plus percussion instruments like the damaru (a small handheld drum)and mrindangam (an oblong double-sided drum).
