Khol
Encyclopedia
- This article is about khol, Indian drum. See also mridangam drum.
- For other terms, see kohlKohlKohl is a German word meaning cabbage.Kohl may stand for*Kohl , a traditional Middle Eastern cosmetic*Kohl's, a company that operates department stores located in the United States*KOHL, a radio station in Fremont, California...
.
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
,খোল) also known as a mrdanga (lit. "mrit+anga" = "clay body") or mridanga (not to be confused with mridangam) is a terracotta two-sided drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
used in northern and eastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for accompaniment with devotional music (bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
). It originates from the Indian state West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
and Manipur
Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
.
Introduction
One of the sides of the khol is much smaller than the other. Both sides are covered with naturally dead cow or goat skin. The smaller head (the dayan) and the bigger bass head (the baya) are usually three-layered heads in addition to a special central region of rice paste, glue, and iron known as the syahiSyahi
Syahi is the tuning paste applied to the head of many South Asian percussion instruments like the dholki, tabla, mridangam, and pakhavaj.-Overview:...
. The drum is played with palms and fingers of both hands. It was created by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal more than 500 years ago.
Gaudiya Nritya
It is used to accompany Bengali Kirtons by medieval poets like ChandidasChandidas
Chandidas refers to medieval poet of Bengal. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, , Dvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also...
, Govindadasa
Govindadasa
Govindadasa College is presently affiliated to Mangalore University in Mangalore, India. It offers bachelors degree courses in Science , Commerce , Arts and Management . The college is also offering PGDCA...
and Gyanadas. It is also used to accompany Gaudiya Nritya
Gaudiya Nritya
Gaudiya Nritya is a Bengali school of Indian classical dance. Originating in Gaur, West Bengal, the ancient capital of the region, it is an all-pervasive form which eventually gave rise to present-day Odissi, Manipuri and Kuchipudi and contributed to the development of many classical dance forms.-...
, one of the nine Indian Classical Dances.
Gaudiya Vaishnava
In ISKCON and in Gaudiya Vaishnava societies, the khol is the primary drum for bhajanBhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
,
it is very dear to Lord Krishna & his devotees.
Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva
Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva also used Khol, Mridanga for Gayan-Bayan, Borgeet and Sattriya Nritya in addition it is also used in DihanaamDihanaam
Dihanaam is a type of congregational prayer sung by women in Assam in praise of the Assamese saint Sankardev. Instruments like the Negera, taal, khol and also hand-clapping is used in it. The songs are derived from Vaishnava religious scriptures like Kirtan-ghosa. The songs are sung in call and...
.
Balarama mridanga
See also
- MrdangaMrdangaA mrdanga is a double ended East Indian drum similar to the South Indian mridangam. It is used predominantly in Gaudiya, or Bengali Vaishnava devotional music, and especially in kirtan....
- Mridangam
- TablaTablaThe tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
- ThavilThavilThe thavil or tavil is a barrel shaped drum from South India. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential ingredients of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell...
- KaratalasKaratalasKaratalas , pronounced "kartels", are a percussion instrument played by striking two discs attached by a tether together, often used within the traditions of Hinduism to accompany kirtana or sankirtan...
- maddaleMaddaleThe maddale is a percussion instrument from Karnataka, India. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Yakshagana ensemble along with Chande. Maddale used in Yakshagana looks similar to Mridangam but is markedly different in structure, acustics, playing techniques and the rhythm system ....
-- an instrument used in YakshaganaYakshaganaYakshagana is a musical theater popular in the coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yakshagana is the recent scholastic name for what are known as kēḷike, āṭa, bayalāṭa, bayalāṭa, daśāvatāra . It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theatre during Bhakti movement...