--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-fr/gharana/farrukhabad-gharana' title: 'Farrukhabad Gharana' author: name: Anonymous updated: '2026-11-05T00:10:31+00:00' type: website summary: 'The Farrukhabad gharana is one of the six commonly named schools of North Indian tabla, founded by Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, a disciple and son-in-law of Bakhshu of the Lucknow gharana. It is named after the city of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, and the name is also spelt Farukhabad.' tags: - 'Lucknow Gharana (Tabla)' image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:type': image/svg+xml 'image:alt': KalaSudha --- # Farrukhabad Gharana फर्रुखाबाद घराना Tabla that joins Lucknow's open strokes to Delhi's rim, built on the gat Tabla Gharana Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh Early 19th century Founded By Haji Vilayat Ali Khan The **Farrukhabad gharana** is one of the six commonly named schools of North Indian [tabla](/en-fr/instrumental/hindustani-classical/tabla), founded by Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, a disciple and son-in-law of Bakhshu of the Lucknow gharana. It is named after the city of Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, and the name is also spelt Farukhabad. [Sign in to follow](/en-fr/user/login?flag_anon=follow_term-9&destination=/en-fr/markdownify/taxonomy/term/9) [ Share ](/en-fr/share/term/9) ### Quick Facts Type Tabla Gharana Origin Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh Era Early 19th century ## Origins & History Aneesh Pradhan calls **Haji Vilayat Ali Khan** the creator of the Farrukhabad style and Mia Bakhshu, his teacher and father-in-law, the founder of the Lucknow tabla gharana. Tradition holds that Bakhshu gave a large stock of Lucknow gats as dowry when his daughter married Vilayat Ali, and tells of a long contest of gats that Vilayat Ali won on Bakhshu's behalf against Salaali Khan. The founding is not firmly dated. Accounts range from the first half of the 18th century to the 19th, and Nikhil Bhagat, writing in the Naad-Nartan journal in 2022, treats Farrukhabad and Ajrara as contemporary gharanas. Bhagat, citing Yogmaya Shukla, writes that the Lucknow or purab influence shows in early Farrukhabad playing, where gats and gat-todas were struck open-handed. Peshkar, qaida and rela entered the repertoire later. > "Farrukhabad baaj is a pure baaj of the tabla" > > — Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, as quoted in the foreword > > Anup Ghosh, Tabla of Farrukhabad Gharana (2024) ## Historical Timeline 1863 ### Munir Khan is born Birth of Munir Khan of Laliana, later khalifa of the gharana and the teacher whose line became the Laliana gharana. 1936 ### Thirakwa joins the Rampur court Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Munir Khan's pupil, is appointed a court musician at Rampur, a post he holds for about 30 years. 1954 ### Akademi award for Thirakwa Ahmed Jan Thirakwa receives the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award; the Padma Bhushan follows in 1970. 1956 ### Sangit Mahabharati founded Nikhil Ghosh, pupil of Amir Hussain Khan and Thirakwa, founds Sangit Mahabharati in Mumbai. 1976 ### Thirakwa dies Ahmed Jan Thirakwa dies on 13 January 1976, after a career that drew on the Delhi, Ajrara, Lucknow and Farrukhabad styles. 1977 ### Gottlieb's tabla survey Robert Gottlieb publishes his survey of the six tabla traditions, with Karamatullah Khan recorded as the Farrukhabad soloist. ## Lineage & Legacy The guru-shishya tradition passed down through generations From the founder the line ran through the family to **Munir Khan** (1863-1937) of Laliana, who trained under many teachers across gharanas. His nephew Amir Hussain Khan succeeded him as khalifa, the gharana's head, and Ahmed Jan Thirakwa was his pupil. A second line runs through Masit Khan, who taught Gyan Prakash Ghosh and his own son Karamatullah Khan, a direct descendant of the founder. ### Founder #### Haji Vilayat Ali Khan Dates disputed Founder Disciple and son-in-law of Bakhshu of the Lucknow gharana. Nikhil Bhagat and Aneesh Pradhan both name him as the creator of the Farrukhabad style. Guru-Shishya Tradition ### Late 19th century #### Munir Khan 1863-1937 Khalifa Of Laliana, he belonged to the gharana by lineage but is believed to have trained in four gharanas under 24 teachers. His pupils became known as the Laliana gharana. #### Masit Khan Teacher Master who taught Gyan Prakash Ghosh and his own son Karamatullah Khan. Guru-Shishya Tradition ### Pupils and heirs #### Amir Hussain Khan Khalifa after Munir Khan Nephew and disciple of Munir Khan, a performer, prolific composer and teacher. He came from Hyderabad to settle in Mumbai and spread the style in Maharashtra. #### Ahmed Jan Thirakwa 1891 or 1892 to 1976 Soloist Born in Moradabad, Munir Khan's pupil from the age of 12 and a Rampur court musician from 1936 for about 30 years. #### Karamatullah Khan Tabla player Son of Masit Khan and a direct descendant of the founder. He recorded the Farrukhabad solo in Robert Gottlieb's 1977 survey of six tabla traditions. #### Gyan Prakash Ghosh Teacher Trained under Masit Khan of the Farrukhabad gharana and with Feroze Khan of the Punjab gharana, and taught in Kolkata. Guru-Shishya Tradition ### Later 20th century #### Nikhil Ghosh 1918-1995 Tabla player and teacher Trained under Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Amir Hussain Khan and Gyan Prakash Ghosh, and founded Sangit Mahabharati in Mumbai in 1956. #### Arvind Mulgaonkar Tabla player A disciple of Amir Hussain Khan, named by Nikhil Bhagat among the pupils who carried the style on in Maharashtra. #### Anindo Chatterjee Tabla player Studied with Gyan Prakash Ghosh for three decades and learned from him the grammar of the Farrukhabad gharana. The gharana system is rooted in the guru-shishya (teacher-disciple) tradition, where musical knowledge and style are passed down through direct apprenticeship over three or more generations. ## Key exponents - Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, founder, dates disputed - Munir Khan, 1863-1937, khalifa, source of the Laliana branch - Amir Hussain Khan, khalifa after Munir Khan, composer and teacher - Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, 1891 or 1892 to 1976, Rampur court musician - Masit Khan, teacher of Gyan Prakash Ghosh - Karamatullah Khan, direct descendant of the founder - Gyan Prakash Ghosh, teacher of Nikhil Ghosh and Anindo Chatterjee - Nikhil Ghosh, 1918-1995, founder of Sangit Mahabharati ## Musical Characteristics Distinctive style, techniques, and aesthetic philosophy ### Overall Style Farrukhabad tabla joins two ways of striking the drum. Players use both the **kinar**, the rim, and the sur, the middle of the right drumhead, so the resonant strokes of Lucknow's open style meet the closed finger strokes of Delhi. Aneesh Pradhan calls it the second khula, or open, baaj. The **gat**, a fixed composition, stands at the centre of the repertoire. #### Rim and middle Strokes fall on both the kinar, the rim, and the sur, the middle of the drumhead. Nikhil Bhagat calls this a combination of the Delhi and purab styles. #### A bridge of styles Aneesh Pradhan calls Farrukhabad the second khula, or open, baaj, with compositions that bridge the closed and the open styles of tabla. #### The gat The gat, a fixed composition, is the gharana's defining form, and Farrukhabad players have composed many types of it. #### Pure tabla Ahmed Jan Thirakwa called Farrukhabad playing pure tabla, free of the sounds of tasha, nakkara, dhol and khanjari. ## Signature Repertoire Beside its many gats the repertoire stresses gat-todas, chakradars, **parans**, compositions in the pakhawaj manner, and the chalan and rau, a rela-like form. Peshkar, qaida and rela came in later. Aneesh Pradhan writes that Farrukhabad players have composed for virtually every form in the traditional tabla solo. ## Compare with Similar Gharanas Understand how Farrukhabad Gharana differs from other traditions Select a Gharana to Compare: Lucknow Gharana (Tabla) | | Farrukhabad Gharana (Current) | Lucknow Gharana (Tabla) (Comparing) | |---|---|---| | Type | Tabla | Tabla | | Origin | Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | | Era | Early 19th century | Late 18th century | | Style | Farrukhabad tabla joins two ways of striking the drum. Players use both the kinar, the rim, and the sur, the middle of the right drumhead, so the resonant strokes of Lucknow's open style meet the closed finger strokes of Delhi. Aneesh Pradhan calls it the second khula, or open, baaj. The gat, a fixed composition, stands at the centre of the repertoire. | The Lucknow manner is khula baj, the open style: bolder, more resonant strokes that use the palm with the fingers, set against Delhi's two-finger playing at the rim. Open and closed are not always clearly defined, and khula baj also plays closed strokes with force. The style draws on pakhawaj technique and on kathak, whose dancers shaped its fixed compositions. The dance school itself has its own page, the Lucknow gharana of Kathak. | [View Lucknow Gharana (Tabla) Details ](/en-fr/gharana/lucknow-gharana-tabla) ## Influence & Legacy Munir Khan's pupils became known as the **Laliana gharana**, also called the Bambai gharana after his years teaching in Bombay. Amir Hussain Khan took the style across Maharashtra from Mumbai, and Nikhil Ghosh's Sangit Mahabharati taught it there from 1956. In Bengal the line ran through Masit Khan's pupil Gyan Prakash Ghosh to Anindo Chatterjee. Ahmed Jan Thirakwa named Delhi and Farrukhabad his favourite styles. ### Offshoots & Related Styles Laliana gharana ## Sources 1. Nikhil Bhagat, paper on Amir Hussain Khan, Naad-Nartan Journal of Dance and Music (2022) 2. Aneesh Pradhan, columns on the Farrukhabad gharana and on Munir Khan, Scroll.in (2016) 3. Robert S. Gottlieb, The Major Traditions of North Indian Tabla Drumming (1977) 4. Susheela Mishra, memoir of Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (n.d.) 5. Sangit Mahabharati, biography of Nikhil Ghosh (n.d.) 6. Anup Ghosh, Tabla of Farrukhabad Gharana (2024) ## Frequently Asked Questions What is the Farrukhabad gharana of tabla? The Farrukhabad gharana is one of the six commonly named schools of [tabla](/en-fr/instrumental/hindustani-classical/tabla), founded by Haji Vilayat Ali Khan and named after the city of Farrukhabad. Its playing joins Lucknow's open strokes to Delhi's rim strokes, and the gat is its defining composition. Who founded the Farrukhabad gharana of tabla? Haji Vilayat Ali Khan founded the Farrukhabad gharana. He was a disciple and son-in-law of Bakhshu of the Lucknow tabla gharana, and tradition says he received a stock of Lucknow gats as dowry. Which musicians belong to the Farrukhabad gharana of tabla today? The KalaSudha artist [Durjay Bhaumik](/en-fr/artist/durjay-bhaumik) plays in the Farrukhabad gharana. Anindo Chatterjee learned the gharana's grammar from Gyan Prakash Ghosh over three decades. How does the Farrukhabad gharana of tabla differ from the Lucknow gharana? Farrukhabad grew out of Lucknow but adds Delhi's closed finger strokes at the rim to Lucknow's open, resonant playing, while Lucknow's own style is open, played with the palm and shaped by kathak. Aneesh Pradhan hears Farrukhabad compositions as a bridge between the closed and open styles. Read more on the [Lucknow gharana](/en-fr/gharana/lucknow-gharana-tabla) page. Why is Farrukhabad tabla called a composite style? Farrukhabad tabla is called composite because it combines the open, resonant strokes of the Lucknow or purab style with the closed finger strokes of Delhi, using both the rim and the middle of the right drum. Nikhil Bhagat's phrase for it is a combination of Delhi and purab. What is a gat, and why is it central to Farrukhabad tabla? A gat is a fixed tabla composition, and it is the defining form of the Farrukhabad repertoire. The gharana is known for many types of gat, and early players struck its gats and gat-todas open-handed, a trace of its Lucknow roots. When did the Farrukhabad gharana begin? The Farrukhabad gharana has no firm founding date. Accounts range from the first half of the 18th century to the 19th, and Nikhil Bhagat treats it as contemporary with the Ajrara gharana. What is the Laliana gharana, and how does it relate to Farrukhabad? The Laliana gharana is the line of Munir Khan's pupils, a branch of the Farrukhabad gharana. Munir Khan (1863-1937) belonged to Farrukhabad by lineage but trained across gharanas, and his line is also called the Bambai gharana after his years teaching in Bombay. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!