---
url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-is-the-etawah-gharana'
title: 'What is the Etawah gharana?'
author:
  name: rajeevk
  url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/user/fce96177fd193d3a'
date: '2026-10-18T23:30:04+00:00'
type: website
summary: 'The Etawah gharana is a 19th-century school of sitar and surbahar formed around Imdad Khan, known for the gayaki ang.'
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---
 

 FAQ · Instruments & artforms

# What is the Etawah gharana?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 

The [**Etawah gharana**](/en-int/gharana/etawah-gharana), also called the Imdadkhani gharana, is a school of [sitar](/en-int/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sitar) and surbahar playing that formed in the 19th century around Imdad Khan. It takes its name from Etawah, a town near Agra. Family accounts begin with his father, Sahabdad Khan. Imdad Khan based his style on khayal singing, which grew into the **gayaki ang**, a way of playing that follows the voice. Vilayat Khan and Shahid Parvez carried it on, and Shahid Parvez trained his son [Shakir Khan](/en-int/artist/shakir-khan).



 

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## Related pages

 3 pages mention this question

 

 

###  Artists (1) 

- [   Shakir Khan Son of Padma Shri Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, Shakir Khan is the eighth generation of the Etawah Gharana, performing at India's premier festivals and…     ](/en-int/artist/shakir-khan)
 
  

###  Events (2) 

- [   Sitar Workshop in London with Maestro Shakir Khan Two-day in-person sitar workshop with maestro Shakir Khan in London, open to all levels and instruments, with flexible session options.     ](/en-int/event/sitar-workshop-in-london-with-maestro-shakir-khan)
- [   London Ragas: Shakir Khan & Shahbaz Hussain Shakir Khan, the most talented young Sitar player, along with Tabla virtuoso Shahbaz Hussain, from Manchester, at the London Ragas Darbar.     ](/en-int/event/london-ragas-shakir-khan-shahbaz-hussain)
 
  

 

 

   [     Previous question What is the difference between the violin and the sarangi?  ](/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-is-the-difference-between-the-violin-and-the-sarangi) [  Next question What is the Farrukhabad gharana?     ](/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-is-the-farrukhabad-gharana)