Pakhawaj
Pakhawaj in sheesham wood, the barrel drum of dhrupad, made in our own workshop and tuned before dispatch.
Choosing yours
The pakhawaj is the Hindustani barrel drum, older than the tabla and the accompaniment for dhrupad and for temple music. It is played horizontally with both hands.
Deep bass on one head, sharper treble on the other. It is more demanding than a dholak and less versatile than a tabla, but nothing else sounds like it.
Care and climate
Skins move with humidity within hours. Slacken the tuning for storage longer than a few weeks and keep the drum out of direct heat.
Questions we get asked
What music uses the pakhawaj?
Dhrupad, the oldest surviving form of Hindustani classical music, and temple and devotional music.
How does it differ from a mridangam?
They are related but distinct: the pakhawaj is Hindustani, the mridangam Carnatic, with different shell profiles, tuning and repertoire.
Is it harder than tabla?
Different rather than harder. The technique is more about weight and full hand strokes than the finger detail of tabla.