Maarg Manthan · Topic 4.2

Hindustani Music (Gharanas – Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala)

Art & Culture › Music · Topic 4.2

Hindustani music is the classical music of North India, built on raga and tala, with a long tradition of vocal and instrumental performance and a lineage system called gharana. A gharana is a school of music linked by family or discipleship that has its own style of voice use, raga elaboration and compositions. The best known vocal gharanas are Gwalior (the oldest, with Nathan Pir Baksh and Nathu Khan), Kirana (Abdul Karim Khan), Agra (Faiyaz Khan), Jaipur-Atrauli (Alladiya Khan) and Patiala (Ali Baksh and Fateh Ali). Tansen of Akbar's court is the best known musician of the medieval period.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Art & Culture · Music

At a Glance

Oldest gharana Gwalior
Kirana founder Abdul Karim Khan
Agra style Dhrupad-based, bold voice
Jaipur-Atrauli Alladiya Khan, complex ragas
Patiala Ali Baksh, Fateh Ali, tappa
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Music

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the overview of classical music and deals with the north Indian stream in detail. It supplies the names, styles and exponents that Prelims often turns into match-the-list questions. Previous topic: Natya Shastra, Brihaddeshi, Sangita…">Classical Indian Music. Next topic: Carnatic Music (Trinity – Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri).

Which Are the Main Hindustani Gharanas?

Gharana	Founder or origin	Style	Well-known exponents
Gwalior	Nathan Pir Baksh and Nathu Khan, Gwalior court of Madhya Pradesh. Oldest khayal gharana	Simple, clear, direct presentation. Strong base in dhrupad, with open voice and stress on bandish	Vishnu Digambar Paluskar, Omkarnath Thakur, Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, Rajabhaiya Poochwale
Kirana	Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan, from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh	Slow, sweet, swara-focused elaboration with stress on pure notes and emotion	Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Prabha Atre, Sawai Gandharva, Roshan Ara Begum
Agra	Haji Sujan Khan, popularised by Faiyaz Khan, Agra in Uttar Pradesh	Dhrupad-based, bold nom-tom alap, powerful voice, rhythmic play	Faiyaz Khan, Vilayat Hussain Khan, Latafat Hussain Khan
Jaipur-Atrauli	Alladiya Khan, Atrauli in Uttar Pradesh and the Jaipur court in Rajasthan	Complex and rare ragas, intricate melodic and rhythmic patterns, vigorous presentation	Kesarbai Kerkar, Mogubai Kurdikar, Kishori Amonkar, Ashwini Bhide Deshpande
Patiala	Ali Baksh Khan and Fateh Ali Khan, Patiala in Punjab, supported by Maharaja of Patiala	Tappa-influenced fast taans, ornamentation and lighter forms such as thumri and ghazal	Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ajoy Chakraborty, Parveen Sultana

Which Other Traditions and Persons Matter?

Person or tradition	Role and key facts
Tansen	Ramtanu Pande of Gwalior, one of the Navaratnas of Akbar, said to have created ragas such as Miyan ki Todi, Miyan ki Malhar and Darbari Kanada. He was a dhrupad singer
Swami Haridas	saint-musician of Vrindavan and said to be the teacher of Tansen
Baiju Bawra	a legendary dhrupad singer connected with the court of Gwalior
Dhrupad	the oldest living vocal form, linked with the Dagar family, Gundecha Brothers and the Bettiah gharana
Rampur-Sahaswan and Bhendibazaar	other khayal gharanas. Rampur-Sahaswan is linked with Inayat Hussain Khan, and Bhendibazaar with Aman Ali Khan and Anjanibai Malpekar
Instrumental gharanas	Senia-Bangash school for the sarod, Maihar for the sitar and sarod through Allauddin Khan, Imdadkhani for the sitar, and the Delhi, Ajrada, Farrukhabad, Lucknow, Benares and Punjab gharanas for the tabla
Hindustani music	is also practised in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, and its modern concert form took shape in the 19th and 20th centuries
Revival leaders	Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande created the thaat classification and notation, while Vishnu Digambar Paluskar founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya in Lahore in 1901

What Else Should You Remember?

Alternate names: Hindustani music is also called North Indian classical music or Hindustani Shastriya Sangeet. Gharana, meaning house or family, is sometimes written gharanaa. Kirana is also spelt Kairana, khayal as khyal, and Jaipur-Atrauli as Atrauli-Jaipur. Tansen is often called Miyan Tansen
Khayal: meaning imagination, is the dominant vocal form. It has two parts, bada khayal (slow) and chhota khayal (fast), and is traced to Amir Islam Khan from 1608; Dacca made capital Mewar Settlement with…">Khusrau by tradition, though the form matured under Sadarang and Adarang at the court of Muhammad Shah in the 18th century
Gharana features: a gharana is known for voice culture, ways of developing the raga, treatment of rhythm, and choice of repertoire
Gharana and Banaras: the Banaras gharana is strong in thumri, dadra and tabla
Court role: gharanas grew under court patronage in Gwalior, Jaipur, Patiala, Rampur and Indore. After 1947 the loss of princely patronage moved music to All India Radio, concerts and schools
Rasikpiya: Sadarang (Niyamat Khan) and Adarang (Firoz Khan) are known as khayal composers, and their compositions are still sung in many gharanas
Mewati gharana: a khayal school of Rajasthan and Haryana linked with Ghagge Nazir Khan and Pandit Jasraj
Ragas and time: Hindustani ragas are linked to a time of day, such as Bhairav in the morning, Yaman in the evening, Malkauns at night
Hindustani music scales: Bhatkhande grouped ragas into ten thaats, namely Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Poorvi and Todi
Padma honours: many exponents such as Bhimsen Joshi (Bharat Ratna, 2009) have received national honours
Modern media: the radio from the 1930s and the gramophone made music reach beyond the court and created star performers
Gharana as heritage: the system faces strain from weaker patronage and changing audience taste, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi documents it, as in Institutions Related to Music in India (Sangeet Natak Akademi)

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match the list: gharana with founder or exponent, for example Kirana with Abdul Karim Khan
Oldest: Gwalior is the oldest khayal gharana
Persons: Tansen and his court, and Bhatkhande and Paluskar as reformers
Style statements: Agra with dhrupad base, Patiala with tappa-like taans
Common errors: giving Kirana to Rajasthan instead of Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, or attributing Gwalior to Tansen alone

As an analytical point, gharanas preserved quality but also encouraged closed teaching. Today the challenge is to keep their depth while opening training to wider groups through institutions and recordings.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Gharanas Match-the-list favourites
Founders Names and places
Tansen Court music

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the Carnatic stream and its Trinity of composers. Next topic: Carnatic Music (Trinity – Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri).

Key People and Terms

Gharana Lineage school of music
Khayal Dominant vocal form
Dhrupad Oldest vocal form
Bandish Fixed composition
Thaat Parent scale
Taan Fast melodic run

Study this topic together with these linked topics from other subjects.

Amir Khusrau’s Contribution to Literature and Music (Medieval History)

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Oldest: Gwalior.
Kirana: Abdul Karim Khan, Bhimsen Joshi.
Jaipur-Atrauli: Alladiya Khan.
Patiala: Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
Thaat system: Bhatkhande, 10 thaats.

Do Not Confuse With

Kirana and Kairana The gharana is named after a town in Uttar Pradesh
Dhrupad and khayal Older austere form versus later ornamented form
Gharana and thaat School of singing versus scale grouping

Memory Hook

Gwalior first, Kirana sweet, Agra bold, Jaipur complex, Patiala fast.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the survival of traditional music systems. These points give a frame.

Decline of patronage End of princely states
New patrons Radio, concerts, festivals
Preservation Archives, scholarships, guru-shishya support

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“The gharana system shaped Hindustani music but is under strain today. Examine.”

How to Answer

Role Preserved style and training.
Strain Weaker patronage, changed tastes.
Support SNA, ITC SRA, scholarships.
Way Blend tradition with open access.

GS Relevance

Prelims: gharanas, founders, exponents, styles, Tansen and court music. GS Paper 1: Indian heritage and culture, music traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a gharana in Hindustani music?

A gharana is a lineage-based school of Hindustani music in which a distinctive style is passed down through family or discipleship. It has its own way of using the voice, developing a raga and treating rhythm. Well-known examples are Gwalior, Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli and Patiala.

Which is the oldest gharana of khayal?

Gwalior is regarded as the oldest khayal gharana. It was established by Nathan Pir Baksh and his grandson Nathu Khan at the Gwalior court in present-day Madhya Pradesh. Many later gharanas drew from it, and its style is clear, open-voiced and based on dhrupad.

Who founded the Kirana gharana?

The Kirana gharana is associated with Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan, and is named after the town of Kairana in Uttar Pradesh. It is known for slow, sweet and note-centred raga presentation, and its famous exponents include Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal.

Who was Tansen?

Tansen, born Ramtanu Pande near Gwalior, was a dhrupad singer and one of the Navaratnas at the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He is credited with ragas such as Miyan ki Malhar and Miyan ki Todi, and is regarded as a founding figure of Hindustani classical music.

How many thaats did Bhatkhande propose?

Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande classified Hindustani ragas under ten thaats, or parent scales. They are Bilawal, Khamaj, Kafi, Asavari, Bhairavi, Bhairav, Kalyan, Marwa, Poorvi and Todi. He also devised a system of notation and wrote the Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati.

Why is Hindustani music important for UPSC?

Prelims regularly asks to match gharanas with founders and regions, such as Kirana with Abdul Karim Khan and Agra with Faiyaz Khan, and to identify Tansen, Bhatkhande and Paluskar. Mains uses gharanas to discuss patronage shifts, guru-shishya continuity and the role of radio and institutions.

What is the difference between the Gwalior and Kirana gharanas?

Gwalior, the oldest khayal gharana of Madhya Pradesh, favours a simple, direct, open-voiced presentation with a strong dhrupad base. Kirana, named after Kairana in Uttar Pradesh and shaped by Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan, favours slow, sweet, swara-focused elaboration and emotion.

What is the difference between Hindustani and Carnatic music?

Hindustani music of North India stresses the slow elaboration of a raga, groups ragas under ten thaats and absorbed Persian influence from the medieval period. Carnatic music of South India stresses composed kritis, uses 72 melakartas and grew mainly in temples and courts. Both share raga and tala.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The Kirana gharana is associated with Abdul Karim Khan.

True

It is named after Kairana in Uttar Pradesh.

2 Tansen was a courtier of Shah Jahan.

False

He was at the court of Akbar.

3 Bhatkhande classified ragas into ten thaats.