This document summarizes several traditional Indian musical instruments organized by type: aerophones (wind instruments), idiophones (instruments producing sound through vibration without strings or membranes), membranophones (instruments with membranes that produce sound through vibration), and chordophones (stringed instruments). Some of the instruments described include the bansuri flute, shehnai oboe, ghatam clay pot, tabla hand drums, tanpura long-necked lute, and sarod plucked lute. Many Indian instruments have religious and cultural significance and are used in both classical and folk music traditions.

1. Indian Musical Instruments

2. AEROPHONES

3. ~ An ancient musical
instrument associated
with cowherds and the
pastoral tradition, it is
intimately linked to the
love story of Krishna and
Radha. The Bansuri is
revered as Lord Krishna's
divine instrument.

4. ~ The pungi, also called the been, or
bin is a wind instruments played by
snake charmers in India and
Pakistan. The instrument consists of
a mouth-blown air reservoir made
from a gourd, which channels air
into two reedpipes. The pungi is
played with no pauses, with the
player employing circular breathing.
The pungi originated in India and is
still played by snake charmers in
street performances. Indian musical
practices often coincide with
religious ideals.

5. SRUTI
UPANGA
~ is a type of bagpipe
played in Tamil Nadu,
southern India. The
instrument was often
used to supply a drone to
accompany mukha vina
(Tamil oboe) music.

6. ~ The shehnai, shahnai, shenai
or mangal vadya is a double
reed oboe, common in India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh and
Iran, made out of wood, with a
metal flare bell at the end. Its
sound is thought to create and
maintain a sense of
auspiciousness and sanctity
and, as a result, is widely used
during marriages, processions,
and in temples, although it is
also played in concerts.
Shenai is similar to South
India's nadaswaram.

7. IDIOPHONES

8. ~ is a percussion instrument used
in the Carnatic music of South
India. The ghatam is one of the
most ancient percussion
instruments of South India. It is a
clay pot with narrow mouth.
From the mouth, it slants
outwards to form a ridge. Made
mainly of clay backed with brass
or copper filings with a small
amount of iron filings, the size of
the ghatam varies according to
its pitch. The pitch can be
slightly altered by the application
of plasticize clay or water.

9. ~ also known as Ghunghroo or
Ghunghru or Ghungur (Bengali) or
Salangai (Tamil) is one of many small
metallic bells strung together to form
Ghungroos, a musical anklet tied to
the feet of classical Indian dancers,
and also Pakistani dancers. They are
worn immediately above the ankle,
resting on the lateral malleolus and
medial malleolus. A string of
ghungroos can range from 50 to
greater than 200 bells knotted
together. Ghungroos or Salangais are
worn in traditional performances of
the classical Indian dance forms:
Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi,
and Odissi etc.

10. ~ A khartal or kartal is a percussion
instrument of India. Khartal is an
ancient instrument mainly used in
devotional / folk songs. It has
derived its name from Hindi words
‘kara’ means hand and ‘tala’ means
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.

11. ~ Jaltarang, jal-tarang, jal-yantra,
jalatarangam or jalatharangam is
an Indian melodic percussion
instrument. It consists of a set of
ceramic or metal bowls tuned
with water. The bowls are played
by striking the edge with beaters,
one in each hand.

12. MEMBRANOPHONE
S

13. ~ is a membranophone percussion
instrument (similar to their Latin-
American/Afro-Cuban relatives bongos),
which are often 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. The term tabla is
derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which
simply means "drum." The tabla is used
in some other Asian musical traditions
outside of India, such as in the
Indonesian dangdut genre.

14. ~ is a percussion instrument from India
of ancient origin. It is the primary
rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic
music and Newa music ensemble.
Alternate spellings include
"mrudangam", "mrdangam",
"mritangam" and "miruthangam in
Tamil". Mridangam is used as an
accompanying instrument in
Yakshagana Himmela (orchestra).
However, Mridangam used in
Yakshagana is markedly different in
structure and acoustics from the ones
used in Carnatic music.

15. ~or damru is a small two-headed drum,
used in Hinduism and Tibetan
Buddhism. The drum is typically made
of wood, with leather drum heads at
both ends; the damaru might also be
made entirely out of human skulls. The
resonator is made of brass.
• In Hinduism - The damaru is known as
a power drum, and when played, it is
believed to generate spiritual energy.
• In Buddhism - the damaru is part of a
collection of sacred implements and
musical instrument was adopted from
the tantric practices of ancient India.

16. ~ 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,
acoustics, playing techniques and the
rhythm system (Yakshagana
Tala). Unlike Mridangam or Tabla,
Maddale produces tonic (shruti swara)
when played either on rim or on ink.
Maddale produces loud sound. Maddale
is available in more than three different
variations.

17. CHORDOPHONES

18. ~ is a long-necked plucked lute (a stringed
instrument) found in different forms in Indian
music culture. Hindustani musicians speak
of 'tanpura' whereas Carnatic musicians say
'tambura'; 'tamburi' is a smaller instrument
used for accompanying instrumental
soloists. For practical use, all these types
are called 'tanpura' in the text.
• Miraj style: the favourite form of tanpura for
Hindustani performers.
• Tanjore style: this is a south Indian style of
tambura, used widely by Carnatic music
performers.
• Tamburi: small-scale instruments, used for
accompanying instrumental soloists.

19. ~ The Seni rebab is a plucked string
instrument said to have been developed
by, and to have taken its name from, the
notable musician Tansen in the time of
the emperor Akbar the Great. Today it is
most associated with Sikh music.
Three types of Sikh musician - rababis,
ragis and dhadhis - flourished during the
period of the Sikh gurus.

20. ~ is a plucked stringed instrument used
mainly in Hindustani music and Indian
classical music. The instrument
descended from long-necked lutes
taken to North India from Central Asia
and is also believed to be influenced by
the Veena.

21. ~ literally "one-string", also called iktar,
ektar, yaktaro gopichand) is a one-string
instrument most often used in traditional
music from Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and
Pakistan.
In origin the ektara was a regular string
instrument of wandering bards and
minstrels from India and is plucked with
one finger. The ektara usually has a
stretched single string, an animal skin
over a head (made of dried
pumpkin/gourd, wood or coconut) and
pole neck or split bamboo cane neck.
Nowadays the ektara is widely used by
folk singers especially by Sufi singers in
Punjab and Sindh.