Indian musical instruments

The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau Khan, an 18th-century figure of the Mughal Empire, has been identified by modern scholarship as the inventor of the sitar. According to most historians, he developed the sitar from the setar, an Iranian instrument of Abbasid or Safavid origin.

thumb|A demo of tabla playing

The veena, also spelled vina ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps. The many regional designs have different names such as the Rudra veena, the Saraswati veena, the Vichitra veena and others.

Daf (), also known as dâyere and riq, is an Iranian frame drum musical instrument, also used in popular and classical music in Persian-influenced South and Central Asia, such as in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkey many regions of Georgia, Armenia, Pakistan as well as in parts of India and Russian polar regions. It is also popular among Balkans, Caucasians, Bukharan Jews, Kurds, and Macedonians.

The mridangam is an ancient percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a traditional royal instrument originating in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is widely used in south Indian classical music, called Carnatic music, especially in its sangeetha kacherees. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the kendang, played in the Maritime Southeast Asia. It is a complex instrument to tune and involves a lot of mathematics to co

The tanpura (; also referred to as tambura, tanpuri, tamboura, or tanpoura) is a long-necked, plucked, four-stringed instrument originating in the Indian subcontinent, found in various forms in Indian music. Visually, the tanpura resembles a simplified sitar or similar lute-like instrument, and is likewise crafted out of a gourd or pumpkin.

The naqareh, naqqāra, nagara or nagada is a Middle Eastern drum with a rounded back and a hide head, usually played in pairs. It is thus a membranophone of the kettle drum variety.

Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such as the Jammu, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Kashmir, Sindh, Assam Valley, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Konkan, Goa, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A related instrument is the dholak or dholki. Dhols are amongst other events used in Indian wedding ceremony processions such as Baraat or Varyatra.

thumb thumb|A man playing the pungi The pungi, also known as bīn or Murli, is a musical instrument that originates from the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a reservoir into which air is blown and then channelled into two reed pipes. It is played with no pauses, as the player employs circular breathing. In street performances, the pungi is used for snake charming.

A damaru (, ; Tibetan ཌ་མ་རུ་ or རྔ་ཆུང) is a small two-headed drum used in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism. In Hinduism, the damaru is known as the instrument of the Hindu deity Shiva, associated with Tantric traditions. It is said to be created by Shiva to produce spiritual sounds by which the whole universe has been created and regulated. In Tibetan Buddhism, the damaru is used as an instrument in meditation practices.

harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece

lute-like musical instrument

thumb|Carved conches or Vamavarta shankhas, , Pala Empire|Pala period, India: The leftmost one is carved with the image of [[Lakshmi and Vishnu, and has silver additions.]] thumb|A shankha, 19th century thumb|A Shankha (conch shell) with Vishnu emblem carved

The dholak is a two-headed hand drum and folk percussion instrument of South Asian origin. The dholak can be anywhere about 16" to 24" in length. It is widely used in qawwali, kirtan, bhajan, bhangra, chutney, baithak gana, Hindi film music, lokgeet and various classical styles such as Hindustani, Carnatic and Trinidadian local classical / Guyanese taan. The drum has two different sized drumheads. There is a smaller drumhead that can be from 5.5 to 8 inches in diameter and is made for sharp notes while the bigger drumhead, which can be from 7.5 to 10 inches in diametre, is made for low pitch.

The kanjira, khanjira, khanjiri or ganjira, a South Indian frame drum, is an instrument of the tambourine family. As a folk and bhajan instrument, it has been used in the Indian subcontinent for many centuries.

The ' or esraaj (from the Shahmukhi: اسراج Bengali: এস্রাজ) is a stringed instrument found in two forms throughout South Asia. It is a relatively recent instrument, being only about 300 years old. It is found in Pakistan and North India, primarily Punjab, where it is used in Sikh music, Bangladesh and West Bengal, India where it is used in Rabindra Sangeet and Classical Music. The is a modern variant of the ', differing slightly in structure.

The ghaṭam (Sanskrit: घट ghaṭ; Kannada: ಘಟ ghaṭa; Tamil: கடம் ghatam; Telugu: ఘటం ghataṃ; Malayalam: ഘടം ghataṃ) is a percussion instrument used in various repertoires across the Indian subcontinent, especially in Southern India . Its variant is played in Punjab and known as gharha as it is a part of Punjabi folk traditions. Its analogue in Rajasthan is known as the madga and pani mataqa ("water jug").

thumb|right|Indian Ravanhatha at the Casa Museo Del Timple, Lanzarote, Spain. A ravanahatha (variant names: ravanhatta, rawanhattha, ravanastron, ravana hasta veena) is an ancient bowed, stringed instrument, used in India, Sri Lanka, and surrounding areas. It has been suggested as an ancestor of the violin.

musical instrument

Indian melodic percussion instrument

thumb|An Ektara from Bangladesh

The nadaswaram (Tamil:நாதஸ்வரம்) (Malayalam: നാദസ്വരം) is a double reed wind instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

North Indian zither, type of veena

Alghoza also called Beenon () is a paired woodwind traditional musical instrument of Sindhi culture, also used by Kutchi, Saraiki, Punjabi, Rajasthani and baloch folk musicians. It consists of two joined beak flutes, one for melody, the second for drone. The flutes are either tied together or may be held together loosely with the hands. A continuous flow of air is necessary as the player blows into the two flutes simultaneously. The quick recapturing of breath on each beat creates a bouncing, swinging rhythm. The wooden instrument initially comprised two flute pipes of the same length but over

thumb|right|Close-up of a pair of khartal blocksthumb|right|Close-up of a khartal thumb|300px|Player of khartal sheets, Rajasthan Khartal is an ancient instrument mainly used in devotional / folk songs. It has derived its name from Sanskrit words ‘kara’ meaning hand and ‘tala’ meaning clapping. This wooden clapper is a Ghana Vadya which has discs or plates that produce a clinking sound when clapped together. It falls under the class of idiophones of self-sounding instruments that combine properties of vibrator and resonator.

thumb|Toomba and algoza. The tumbi or toombi (, pronunciation: tūmbī), also called a tumba or toomba, is a traditional musical instrument from the Punjab region of the northern Indian subcontinent. The high-pitched, single-string plucking instrument is associated with folk music of Punjab and presently very popular in Western Bhangra music.

thumb|A pair of ghungroos thumb|Kathak dancer Namrata Rai performing with 400 ghungroos

The pakhavaj is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, originating from the Indian subcontinent, kendang of Maritime Southeast Asia and other South Asian double-headed drums. Its older forms were made with clay.

The dramyin or dranyen (; ; ) is a traditional Himalayan folk music lute with six strings, used primarily as an accompaniment to singing in the Drukpa Buddhist culture and society in Bhutan, as well as in Tibet, Ladakh, Sikkim and Himalayan West Bengal. It is often used in religious festivals of Tibetan Buddhism (cf. tshechu). The instrument is played by strumming, fingerpicking or (most commonly) plucking. The dramyen, chiwang (fiddle), and lingm (flute) comprise the basic instrumental inventory for traditional Bhutanese folk music.

string instrument from India and Pakistani Punjab, developed from the Japanese

plucked string instrument

Chimta (, Shahmukhī: ) literally means tongs. Over time it has evolved into a traditional instrument of South Asia by the permanent addition of small brass jingles. This instrument is often used in popular Punjabi folk songs, Bhangra music and the Sikh religious music known as Gurbani Kirtan.

right|thumb

Wikimedia list article

thumb|alt=|A folk musician playing Dotara in Dhaka, [[Bangladesh]] The dotara or dotar ( dütüra, দোতৰা dütora, ; dotora), (literally, “Of [or ‘having’] two strings”) is a two-stringed, plucked musical instrument from South Asia, with most contemporary models having four playing strings (similar to the sarod). Comparatively, the sarod is a slightly larger and more elaborate instrument, being built with an additional set of resonant sympathetic strings. However, the dotara is still quite resonant and projective of its own sound, due to its rounded shape and overall construction. It is commonly

thumb|right|Mizhavu kept in Mizhavana (wooden box made especially to keep the mizhavu).

bowed string instrument from the north Indian region of Punjab

The dilruba (also spelled dilrupa) is a bowed musical instrument originating in India. It is a type of bowed sitar that's slightly larger than an esraj and has a larger, square resonance box like a sarangi. The dilruba holds particular importance in Sikh history.

thumbnail|Sursingar player The sursingar (IAST: ), sursringar or surshringar (Sringara: Pleasure in Sanskrit), is a musical instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent, having many similarities with the sarod. It is larger than the sarod and produces a deeper sound. It precedes the sarod chronologically.

The anandalahari (; ) is originated in bengal region. The instrument often accompanies dance, and may act as melody and rhythm.

ancient form of musical story-telling

cymbal-like musical instrument

plucked string instrument used in Indian classical music

Indian musical instrument

thumb|right|250px|An idakka

thumb|Chenda Melam (ചെണ്ട മേളം) thumb|Pandi Melam thumb|Chenda (ചെണ്ട) thumb|Chenda and Koal (stick) (ചെണ്ടയും കോലും)

The ghumot (East Indians: घुमट or ಘುಮೋಟ), gumot or ghumat is a membranophone instrument from Goa, India. Ghumat is a percussion instrument made of earthen vessel with both sides open; on the larger opening a leather (drum membrane) of monitor lizard is mounted. It is often accompanied by 'shamel', another traditional instrument with wooden drum with goat leather mount. This instrument remains popular among East Indian people. In August 2019, Goa declared the ghumot a heritage instrument.

thumb|Drummer playing Madhalam thumb|right|Madhalam The maddalam, madalam or madhalam (Malayalam: മദ്ദളം) is a drum made out of the wood of the jackfruit tree. It has two sides for playing, made out of leather, and has different kind of sounds on each side. The maddalam is a heavy instrument which is hung around the waist of the person playing, and the player stands all the while to perform. The maddalam is a vital instrument in traditional Kerala percussion ensembles like Panchavadyam, Keli and Kathakali orchestra.

brass instrument

The gogona is a jaw harp, a vibrating reed instrument that is used primarily in the traditional Bihu music in Assam, India. In Boro language, it is known as Gongina.. It is made of a piece of bamboo/horn that has a bifurcation on one end. The solid end is gripped with the teeth and the free ends are then struck repeatedly with the fingers to emit the distinctive sound of the gogona.

thumb|right|Timila

Parai also known as Thappattai or Thappu is a traditional percussion instrument from South India, used to make announcements and played during festivals, folk dances, weddings and functions. It is played predominantly by the Tamils in Tamil Nadu, and in other regions with significant Tamil diaspora such as Sri Lanka. Although there are many variants of the instrument, it generally consists of a drum made of wood, open on one side and closed with a stretched animal hide on the other side along with two wooden sticks used for beating the drum.

The morsing (also mukharshanku, mourching, morching or morchang; Sanskrit: दंत वाद्यन्तरात्मसत्रस्य, Telugu: మోర్సింగ్, Kannada: ಮೋರ್ಸಿಂಗ್, Rajasthani: मोरचंग, Tamil: நாமுழவு அல்லது முகச்சங்கு, Malayalam: മുഖർശംഖ്, English: "jaw harp") is an instrument similar to the Jew's harp, mainly used in Rajasthan, in the Carnatic music of South India, and in Sindh, Pakistan. It can be categorized under lamellophones, which is a sub-category of plucked idiophones. The instrument consists of a metal ring in the shape of a horseshoe with two parallel forks that form the frame, and a metal tongue in the mid

thumb|right|An artist using Ilathalam Elathalam, ilatalam or ilathalam is a musical instrument from Kerala in southern India. It is made completely of bronze and resembles a miniature pair of cymbals, played by holding one part in the left hand and banging the other cymbal against it. Although small in size, it is thicker than common cymbals, with a distinct chime.

Nafir (Arabic نَفير, DMG an-nafīr), also nfīr, plural anfār, Turkish nefir, is a slender shrill-sounding straight natural trumpet with a cylindrical tube and a conical metal bell, producing one or two notes. It was used as a military signaling instrument and as a ceremonial instrument in countries shaped by Islamic culture in North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In Ottoman, Persian and Mugulin miniatures, the nafīr is depicted in battle scenes. In Christian culture, it displaced or was played alongside of the curved tuba or horn, as seen in artwork of about the 14th century A.D.

thumb|400px|right|Ransingha horn assembled in the C shape. Can also be fitted into S shape.

Musical instrument

hornpipe musical instrument

thumb|Traditional Instruments of Odisha - Tamak 02 thumb|Tamak

The yazh (, also transliterated yāḻ, ) is a harp used in ancient Tamil music. It was strung with gut strings that ran from a curved ebony neck to a boat or trough-shaped resonator, the opening of which was a covered with skin for a soundboard. At the resonator the strings were attached to a string-bar or tuning bar with holes for strings that laid beneath of the soundboard and protruded through. The neck may also have been covered in hide.