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title: 'Is the ghatam an ancient instrument?'
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date: '2026-10-19T14:54:39+00:00'
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summary: "The ghatam's age is disputed; Palani Krishna Iyer (1876 to 1908) brought it to the Carnatic stage, and before that it was mainly a folk instrument."
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  FAQ · Instruments & artforms

# Is the ghatam an ancient instrument?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 The age of the **[ghatam](/instrument/ghatam)** is disputed. P. Sambamoorthy wrote that the Ramayana mentions the mud pot as a time-keeping instrument, but a 1984 Sruti writer found no ghatam reference in classical Tamil literature. Concert use is better documented: Palani Krishna Iyer (1876 to 1908) brought it to the Carnatic stage, and before that the pot served mainly as a folk instrument.



 

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