--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-gb/gharana/maihar-gharana' title: 'Maihar Gharana' author: name: Anonymous updated: '2026-10-17T11:36:49+00:00' type: website summary: "The Maihar gharana is a 20th-century school of Hindustani instrumental music that formed around Allauddin Khan at Maihar, a small princely state of British India now in Madhya Pradesh. On the sitar its line runs through Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, and Allauddin Khan's daughter Annapurna Devi carried it on the surbahar. The same teaching at Maihar produced sarod players and flautists.Allauddin Khan, a sarod player who taught many instruments, founded the school at Maihar. He became court musician there in 1918 by most accounts, though Darbar's artist profile gives 1907. Jameela Siddiqi, writing for Darbar, places a Maihar tradition in the 19th century but names no earlier musician. His training under Wazir Khan of Rampur, a veena player of Tansen's line, and the sarod line of his son Ali Akbar Khan belong to the Senia-Maihar gharana.Nikhil Banerjee told Ira Landgarten in 1986 that his teacher brought the style of the sursringar, surbahar and veena to sitar and sarod. Banglapedia credits Allauddin Khan with changing sitar playing by applying sarod technique to it. In the same interview Banerjee said Allauddin Khan introduced the kharaj, an extra thick string for the bass Sa, the tonic. Gale's Encyclopedia of India credits Ravi Shankar with championing the bass string's use.Ravi Shankar began his studies at Maihar in 1938, stayed about seven years and married Annapurna Devi in 1941. Gale's Encyclopedia of World Biography credits him more than any other individual with introducing Indian musical traditions to the West. Nikhil Banerjee (1931 to 1986) reached Maihar in 1947, aged about 14 or 15, and studied there for about five years. He then learned from Ali Akbar Khan in Bombay for four or five years and went on taking lessons from Annapurna Devi, who had joined her brother's lessons and took up the surbahar. Banglapedia names the sitarist Indranil Bhattacharya among Allauddin Khan's disciples.Key exponentsAllauddin Khan, founder, sarod player and court musician at MaiharRavi Shankar, sitar, at Maihar from 1938Nikhil Banerjee (1931 to 1986), sitar, at Maihar from 1947Annapurna Devi, surbahar, Allauddin Khan's daughter and a teacher of Nikhil BanerjeeAli Akbar Khan, sarod, Allauddin Khan's son, who taught Nikhil Banerjee in BombayIndranil Bhattacharya, sitar, disciple of Allauddin KhanSourcesIra Landgarten, interview with Nikhil Banerjee (1986), booklet for Raga Records (1991)Mobarak Hossain Khan and Reenat Fauzia, entries on Alauddin Khan and Ali Akbar Khan, Banglapedia (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)Encyclopedia of India and Encyclopedia of World Biography (Gale), entries on Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar KhanDarbar, Jameela Siddiqi's feature on Allauddin Khan and the Darbar artist profile of himTanvir A. Khan, feature on Allauddin Khan, The Daily Star, Dhaka (2012)" 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 --- ## [Maihar Gharana ](/en-gb/gharana/maihar-gharana) The **Maihar gharana** is a 20th-century school of Hindustani instrumental music that formed around **Allauddin Khan** at Maihar, a small princely state of British India now in Madhya Pradesh. On the [sitar](/en-gb/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sitar) its line runs through Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee, and Allauddin Khan's daughter Annapurna Devi carried it on the **surbahar**. The same teaching at Maihar produced [sarod](/en-gb/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sarod) players and flautists. Allauddin Khan, a sarod player who taught many instruments, founded the school at Maihar. He became court musician there in 1918 by most accounts, though Darbar's artist profile gives 1907. Jameela Siddiqi, writing for Darbar, places a Maihar tradition in the 19th century but names no earlier musician. His training under Wazir Khan of Rampur, a veena player of Tansen's line, and the sarod line of his son Ali Akbar Khan belong to the [Senia-Maihar gharana](/en-gb/gharana/senia-maihar-gharana). Nikhil Banerjee told Ira Landgarten in 1986 that his teacher brought the style of the sursringar, surbahar and veena to sitar and sarod. Banglapedia credits Allauddin Khan with changing sitar playing by applying **sarod technique** to it. In the same interview Banerjee said Allauddin Khan introduced the **kharaj**, an extra thick string for the bass Sa, the tonic. Gale's Encyclopedia of India credits Ravi Shankar with championing the bass string's use. Ravi Shankar began his studies at Maihar in 1938, stayed about seven years and married Annapurna Devi in 1941. Gale's Encyclopedia of World Biography credits him more than any other individual with introducing Indian musical traditions to the West. Nikhil Banerjee (1931 to 1986) reached Maihar in 1947, aged about 14 or 15, and studied there for about five years. He then learned from Ali Akbar Khan in Bombay for four or five years and went on taking lessons from Annapurna Devi, who had joined her brother's lessons and took up the surbahar. Banglapedia names the sitarist Indranil Bhattacharya among Allauddin Khan's disciples. ### Key exponents - Allauddin Khan, founder, sarod player and court musician at Maihar - Ravi Shankar, sitar, at Maihar from 1938 - Nikhil Banerjee (1931 to 1986), sitar, at Maihar from 1947 - Annapurna Devi, surbahar, Allauddin Khan's daughter and a teacher of Nikhil Banerjee - Ali Akbar Khan, sarod, Allauddin Khan's son, who taught Nikhil Banerjee in Bombay - Indranil Bhattacharya, sitar, disciple of Allauddin Khan ### Sources - Ira Landgarten, interview with Nikhil Banerjee (1986), booklet for Raga Records (1991) - Mobarak Hossain Khan and Reenat Fauzia, entries on Alauddin Khan and Ali Akbar Khan, Banglapedia (Asiatic Society of Bangladesh) - Encyclopedia of India and Encyclopedia of World Biography (Gale), entries on Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan - Darbar, Jameela Siddiqi's feature on Allauddin Khan and the Darbar artist profile of him - Tanvir A. Khan, feature on Allauddin Khan, The Daily Star, Dhaka (2012) [Sign in to follow](/en-gb/user/login?flag_anon=follow_term-341&destination=/en-gb/markdownify/taxonomy/term/341)