Kite Manja - Patang Manja
Kite Manja is traditionally hand made using cotton thread coated with abrasive materials.
Kite Manja is normally made by Manja Makers in India, Pakistan and other countries where kite fighting tradition is present.
Different types of cotton thread is used to make kite manja as per requirement of strength. Usually due to safety criteria professional kite players use only 6 cord thread to make Manja but during festival season 9 cord and 12 cord Manja is also used by kite flyers across country.
Kite Manja Makers are also known as Ustad in kite flyers community and they guard the ingredients used in making of Manja. We can understand that Manja is made using cotton thread + some kite of glue + glass powder + color. How it is made is the secret of Manja makers.
Which kite Manja is best for kite flying?
- It is a very difficult question to answer and the most common questing asked by kite flyers to Manja shop owners and kite shop owners. Manja is a thread coated with abrasive material used to cut the opponent’s kite flying thread. Manja is made using a cotton thread of different strengths.
- Basically for any kite fight – kite game what happens is two threads moving at different speeds get in contact with each other and the thread moving faster has the advantage of cutting the other thread. That’s when the kite Manja-making skills come to play if both threads are moving at the same speed Manja with good fine abrasive coating will have an advantage and will cut the opponent’s kite thread.
Which manja shall I use 6 cords? 9 cord? 12 cord ? or any other Manja?
- People use to fly different sizes of kites and different wind speeds and Manja should be selected based on the size of the kite and wind speed. Manja with poor strength will break if you fly bigger kites or even pauni patang at higher wind speeds. Where if you are flying a smaller kite you should use lighter thread as not much strength is required. lighter thread will have less sag and will give you optimum control of the kite without any delay.
- 4 cord Thread – can be used for small and medium size kites upto Pauni Patang
- 6 cord Thread – can be used to fly Medium and Pauni Patang – Lower wind speed you can fly bigger kites too.
- 9 cord thread – can be used to fly Medium to Bigger kites – Can be used at Higher wind speed due to more strength
- 12 cord Thread – can be used to fly all sizes of kites especially bigger kites at higher wind speeds without any worry of thread getting broken.
- The most popular Manja in INDIA is the 6-cord kite Manja it has optimum strength for kite flying and it does not cause any hazard due to its low strength. In kite fighting tournaments only 6 cord Manja is allowed to use for kite flying and kite fighting. Vardhman thread article number 123 is used to make such Manja and is known as 123 Manja. Traditionally manja is made from cotton thread by expert Manja makers who are practicing this art-skill form for centuries. Different makers use different materials in Manja Makign and guard their Manja-making recipe and share only among their family or the next generations.
What is the cost of different Manja?
- Like any other Market price is a function of demand and supply. The Manja makers who are in demand due to their quality and honesty can afford to sell Manja at a premium to other makers who are not much known or of inferior quality.
- Kite Manja’s cost also depends upon the thread used to make Manja.
- 6 cord thread is cheaper than 9 cord thread, similarly, 9 cord thread is cheaper than 12 cord thread. Also, there are different brands and different quality of threads for each variety of cords. Nowadays we have 100+ options to choose for manja making. cotton thread is getting more costly each year as cotton prices are also increasing year after year.
- Manja making is totally manual process and kite Manja makers are still making Manja the same way as it was made centuries ago.
- Manja makers need a lot of man hours to wind thread on polls and then coat it using their manja-making material and wait till it gets dried and then roll it on the spool – charkhi – firki – kite thread winder.
- At PatangDori.com we always support quality kite Manja makers. We also encourage new Manja makers who are making quality Manja with honesty. As we feel that only quality products will make our customers come back to us and we are here to build trust and give answeres to your questions regarding Manja and kite flying tradition.
- When you buy kite Manja from PatangDori.com you rest assured about quality and quantity as we are here to support kite flyers and good quality Manja makers. Kite and Manja selling is our full-time profession and we do it throughout the year for 20+ years.
Kite Manja Making Techniques
Here are Tips for safe kite flying using kite Manja or any other kite Thread.
- Always use a safe string. Do not use very strong kite String as if entangled it can hurt.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Do not fly your kite near power lines or other hazards.
- Keep an eye on your kite at all times.
- Do not fly your kite if it is windy or raining.