Unsung India: Musical instruments you haven’t quite heard of

You may be familiar with instruments like sitar, veena, tabla, harmonium, and even the tanpura. But do you really think you know your country and its music? This article will open your eyes to the unsung sounds of India.

Khol

While the word may mean ‘open’ in Hindi, it just refers to a drum in this context. The khol is a two-sided drum with the palms and fingers of both hands. It is also called a mridanga (not to be confused with the mridangam, a South Indian percussion instrument), meaning “clay limb”.

It is made of a hollow body sculpted of terracotta, with drumheads at both ends, one far smaller than the other. The drumheads are made from cow or goat skin, and are three-layered, with a circle of rice paste, glue, and iron on each side known as syahi.

The khol finds its roots in parts of eastern and north-eastern India (Odisha, Manipur, West Bengal, and Assam). It is used mostly in bhakti and devotional music, notably by ISCKON.

Shri Gopal Burman, and Manoj Kumar Das are some notable exponents of the khol.

The khol or mridanga.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Pulluvan Veena

You may be familiar with the veena, but this isn’t the veena that we have seen. The pulluvan veena, also called the veenakkunju, is a bowed and single-stringed instrument from Kerala. The body and neck are made from wood, bamboo, coconut shells and the bow is made from bamboo. The single string is made from brass or vegetal fibre.

The instrument is used by the Pulluvan community for ritualistic snake worship music, known as Pulluvan Pattu.

The Pulluvan Veena on display at the District Heritage Museum, Palakkad.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Taus

Is it a statue, or an instrument? The Taus, also called the Mayuri veena, is a 17th Century North Indian fretted and bowed string instrument. However, there have been many early references from the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., notably in Kalidasa’s play, Mālavikāgnimitram (translation : Mālavikā and Agnimitra).

It is known for its peacock-shaped body and resonating sound. The instrument consists of a leather-covered resonator, horsehair bow, heavy frets, and sympathetic strings (extra strings that are never directly played or bowed). The taus is believed to be the ancestor of the dilruba and the esraj (two relatives of the sarangi and the sitar).

The instrument is commonly used in Sikh devotional kirtans. It also should be noted that the Persian word for peacock is taus. And the Sanskrit word is mayura. That should explain a lot of things.

Bhai Avtar Singh and Sandeep Singh are some well-known Taus players.

A taus.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Yazh

You’ve seen a western harp, now here is India’s take on this huge instrument. This instrument has been associated with ancient Tamil music, and was made of gut strings that run from a curved ebony neck to a boat-shaped resonator. The resonator was covered with skin to create a soundboard. At the resonator the strings were attached to a string-bar or tuning bar with holes. The neck may also have been covered in hide.

The instrument dated back to the 2nd Century A.D. when a woman was sculpted with the instrument in a Buddhist artwork at Bhārut, a village in Madhya Pradesh. It faded into obscurity around the 7th Century A.D., yet the knowledge around it is preserved in artworks. Some luthiers (people who repair or make string instruments) are also trying to recreate the instrument.

Yazh instruments on display at the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Pune.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Pepa

This unique instrument finds its roots in the tea estates of Assam. The pepa is a hornpipe musical instrument that is used in traditional music in Assam. It is a single horn made out of buffalo horn.

It has been used during the celebrations of Bihu since ancient times. The Tibetans, Khmers (Austroasiatic) and ancient Chinese also used similar instruments named Rwa-dun and Sneng for religious rituals. An improved version was developed in the Chutia kingdom which was called Kaali.

The buffalo population is gradually reducing in Assam due to shrinking pastoral lands, and hence, pepas are really difficult to buy. They are also very expensive, costing over 2,500 in recent years.

Mahendra Shikaria is one such name associated with the pepa.

A Bihu dancer playing the pepa.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Alghoza

Just when playing one woodwind instrument is already tough, requiring a lot of breath support, BOOM! There’s people out there playing two flutes at once.

The Alghoza, or the Beenon, is a paired woodwind instrument of Sindhi culture. It is also seen in places like Kutch, Punjab, and Rajasthan, and is popular among baloch folk musicians. Funnily enough, the instrument traces back to Mesopotamia, around 7500 B.C. It then came to Iran and later, the Indian subcontinent.

It consists of two joined beak flutes in which one plays melody, and the other provides drone support. The flutes are either tied together or may be held together loosely with the hands and require a continuous flow of air in order to play them simultaneously. Initially, both flutes were of the same size, but one was made smaller for sound purposes. They are also tuned using beeswax.

In the Alghoza world, the flutes are seen as a couple. The longer one is the male, and the shorter one is seen as the female.

Pakistani musician Khamiso Khan was considered the “King of Alghoza”. Other famous names include his son, Akbar Khamiso Khan, as well as Gurmeet Bawa, Misri Khan Jamali, and Allah Bachayo Khoso.

A man playing his Alghoza.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Chimta

If you have seen a Bhangra performance at any time in your life, chances are you have seen this instrument, not knowing what it is called.

Chimta literally translates to ‘tongs’ in Punjabi, and that just sums up what the instrument is made of. It consists of a pair of tongs made of iron or steel, to which a lot of bronze jingling bells are attached. The sound is produced by holding them in one hand and striking the two sides of the tong single-handedly. The jingles are metal and thus produce a nice, metallic sound when struck.

The late Alam Lohar is famous for playing this instrument and introducing it to global audiences.

The Chimta.
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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

India’s musical heritage is well beyond performances on big stages and festivals. It also resides in villages, storytellers, and instrument craftsmanship passed down from generations. When you listen to these sounds — we discovered the vast voices that make our country’s unique landscape.