Origins & History
Allauddin Khan was born in Shibpur, in Brahmanbaria in eastern Bengal, in 1862 or 1881 by different accounts. His disciple Ravi Shankar wrote that his true age was never recorded. In Calcutta he studied voice with Nulo Gopal for about seven years. He then learned instruments from Amritalal Dutt and the violin from Lobo, a Goan bandmaster. He took up the sarod after hearing Ahmed Ali Khan in concert and studied with him, and Ahmed Ali Khan later sent him on to Rampur. There he became a disciple of Wazir Khan, a been player of the Rampur court and, in Ravi Shankar's words, a direct descendant of Tansen. The name Senia points to that line, whose own history is on the Senia gharana page.
From 1918 by most accounts (Darbar's artist profile gives 1907) Allauddin Khan served Maharaja Brijnath Singh at Maihar as court musician and teacher, and he stayed until his death in 1972. At Maihar he formed the Maihar Band, an orchestra of Indian instruments, and in 1955 he founded the Maihar College of Music. His brother Ayet Ali Khan also trained under Wazir Khan and served at Maihar, and Banglapedia credits him with improving the sarod and the surbahar. Allauddin Khan received the Padma Bhushan in 1958 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1971.
"His true age is not known, because records have not been kept"
Chronologie historique
Court musician at Maihar
Ali Akbar Khan in the United States
Ali Akbar College of Music in California
Death of Allauddin Khan
Lineage & Legacy
The guru-shishya tradition passed down through generations
The sarod line passed through Allauddin Khan's family and his disciples. He taught his son Ali Akbar Khan from the age of three, and his nephew Bahadur Khan learned first from his own father, Ayet Ali Khan, then from his uncle at Maihar. Ali Akbar Khan's sons Aashish Khan, Alam Khan and Manik Khan all play the sarod.
The founder and his brother
Allauddin Khan
1862 or 1881 to 1972
Founder, sarod player and teacher
Ayet Ali Khan
1884-1967
Sarod and surbahar player
Sons, nephews and disciples
Ali Akbar Khan
1922-2009
Sarod player
Bahadur Khan
Born 1931
Sarod player
Sharan Rani
Disciple of Allauddin Khan
The founder's grandsons
Aashish Khan
Sarod player
Alam Khan
Sarod player and teacher
Manik Khan
Sarod player and teacher
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
- Allauddin Khan, founder, sarod player and teacher at Maihar, died 1972
- Ayet Ali Khan, 1884-1967, the founder's brother, sarod and surbahar
- Ali Akbar Khan, 1922-2009, sarod, son of the founder
- Bahadur Khan, sarod, nephew of the founder, born 1931
- Sharan Rani, sarod, disciple of Allauddin Khan
- Aashish Khan, sarod, grandson and disciple of the founder
- Alam Khan, sarod, son of Ali Akbar Khan and college teacher
Legendary Masters of Senia-Maihar Gharana
Explore the lives and contributions of the great masters who shaped this gharana's legacy
Caractéristiques musicales
Distinctive style, techniques, and aesthetic philosophy
Overall Style
Darbar writes that Allauddin Khan leaned towards dhrupad and brought a dhrupad approach to the sarod and to the other instruments he taught. On the sarod, Banglapedia credits him with the right-hand stroke pattern diri diri in place of dara dara. The Ali Akbar College of Music, which calls its tradition the Seni Baba Allauddin gharana, tunes every instrument to C.
A dhrupad approach
Diri diri strokes
Tuned to C
Signature Repertoire
Allauddin Khan created new ragas. The Daily Star names Hemanta, Durgeshwari, Meghbahar and Prabhatkeli among them, and Manj Khamaj is the best known. His son Ali Akbar Khan played them on the sarod and taught them at his college, where the tradition goes by the name Seni Baba Allauddin gharana.
Compare with Similar Gharanas
Understand how Senia-Maihar Gharana differs from other traditions
Select a Gharana to Compare:
| Senia-Maihar Gharana (Current) |
Senia-Bangash Gharana (Comparing) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Type | Sarod | Sarod |
| Origine | Maihar, Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior |
| Era | Early 20th century | |
| Style | Darbar writes that Allauddin Khan leaned towards dhrupad and brought a dhrupad approach to the sarod and to the other instruments he taught. On the sarod, Banglapedia credits him with the right-hand stroke pattern diri diri in place of dara dara. The Ali Akbar College of Music, which calls its tradition the Seni Baba Allauddin gharana, tunes every instrument to C. | Simon Broughton of Songlines writes that Amjad Ali Khan learned from his father to carry the vocal traditions of dhrupad and khayal onto the sarod. Amjad Ali Khan stops the strings with the nails of the first two fingers of his left hand, and Broughton credits nails on steel with the sarod's clear, muscular sound. Broughton also notes his fast staccato passages up and down the instrument. |
| Senia-Maihar Gharana (Current) |
Maihar Gharana (Comparing) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Type | Sarod | Sitar |
| Origine | Maihar, Madhya Pradesh | Maihar, Madhya Pradesh |
| Era | Early 20th century | Early 20th century |
| Style | Darbar writes that Allauddin Khan leaned towards dhrupad and brought a dhrupad approach to the sarod and to the other instruments he taught. On the sarod, Banglapedia credits him with the right-hand stroke pattern diri diri in place of dara dara. The Ali Akbar College of Music, which calls its tradition the Seni Baba Allauddin gharana, tunes every instrument to C. | Allauddin Khan leaned towards dhrupad and brought a dhrupad-based approach into sitar, sarod, violin and flute. Nikhil Banerjee said his teacher brought the style of the sursringar, surbahar and veena to the sitar, and credited him with introducing the kharaj, an extra thick string for the bass Sa, the tonic. Mobarak Hossain Khan, in Banglapedia, credits him with changing sitar playing by applying sarod technique to it. |
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Foundation to Advanced · Indian Slide Guitar
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Influence & Legacy
Ali Akbar Khan took the line abroad. He first performed in the United States in 1955, at Yehudi Menuhin's request, and his college in California teaches the Seni Baba Allauddin tradition. The National Endowment for the Arts made him a National Heritage Fellow. Ayet Ali Khan carried the teaching east, founding music colleges in Comilla in 1948 and Brahmanbaria in 1954.
Sources
- Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, entries on Alauddin Khan, Ayet Ali Khan, Bahadur Hossain Khan and Ali Akbar Khan
- Ravi Shankar, My Music, My Life (1968)
- Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust, article and artist profile on Allauddin Khan
- Tanvir A. Khan, The Daily Star, Dhaka, on Allauddin Khan (2012)
- Gale, Contemporary Musicians and Encyclopedia of India, entries on Ali Akbar Khan
- Ali Akbar College of Music, San Rafael, About, Our Lineage and Faculty pages
Questions fréquentes
What is the Senia-Maihar gharana of sarod?
The Senia-Maihar gharana is the sarod line of the school Allauddin Khan founded at Maihar in the early 20th century. The school spans several instruments, and the Maihar gharana is another name for it. Senia refers to Tansen's line, which Allauddin Khan joined as a disciple of Wazir Khan of Rampur.
Who founded the Senia-Maihar gharana of sarod?
Allauddin Khan founded it at Maihar, where he served as court musician from 1918 by most accounts until his death in 1972. He learned the sarod from Ahmed Ali Khan and became a disciple of Wazir Khan of Rampur, a been player of Tansen's line. His brother Ayet Ali Khan also trained under Wazir Khan.
Which musicians belong to the Senia-Maihar gharana of sarod today?
Ali Akbar Khan's sons Alam Khan and Manik Khan teach sarod at his college. KalaSudha artists in the gharana include Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, Dr Lovely Sharma, Satwinder Pal Singh and Debaditya Chakraborty. Pandit Debasis Chakroborty is the senior-most disciple of Brij Bhushan Kabra, and his playing reflects Kabra's style. He also learned from Barun Kumar Pal. Another of his teachers, Jotin Bhattacharya, studied with Allauddin Khan himself.
How does the Senia-Maihar gharana of sarod differ from the Senia-Bangash gharana?
The Senia-Maihar line began with Allauddin Khan, a teacher of many instruments who came to the sarod as a pupil and joined Tansen's line through Wazir Khan. The Senia-Bangash gharana is the hereditary line of the Bangash family of Gwalior, which credits its own forefathers with shaping the sarod.
What does 'Senia' mean in the name?
Senia names the line of Tansen, the 16th-century court singer. Allauddin Khan joined it as a disciple of Wazir Khan of Rampur, a been player whom Ravi Shankar called a direct descendant of Tansen. The Ali Akbar College of Music calls its tradition the Seni Baba Allauddin gharana.
Is the Senia-Maihar gharana the same school as the Maihar gharana?
Yes, most sources treat them as one school. Allauddin Khan taught sarod, sitar, flute, violin and other instruments at Maihar. This page follows the sarod line through Ali Akbar Khan, and the Maihar gharana page follows the sitar line.
When did the Senia-Maihar gharana begin?
It began in the early 20th century, when Allauddin Khan settled at Maihar as court musician to Maharaja Brijnath Singh, in 1918 by most accounts. Darbar's artist profile gives 1907. Darbar's article also places a Maihar tradition in the 19th century, before him, without naming an earlier musician.
Which sarod players belong to the Senia-Maihar gharana?
Allauddin Khan and his son Ali Akbar Khan head the line. Other sarod players include his nephew Bahadur Khan, his disciple Sharan Rani, and Ali Akbar Khan's sons Aashish Khan, Alam Khan and Manik Khan. Ayet Ali Khan, the founder's brother, played sarod and surbahar.
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