Kirtan means narrating, reciting, telling, describing of an idea or story.It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas.A person performing kirtana is known as a kirtankara or kirtaniya. A Kirtan performance includes an accompaniment of regionally popular musical instruments, such as the harmonium, the veena or ektara, the tabla, the mrdanga or pakhawaj, flute and karatalas or talas.