--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/hi-int/gharana/lucknow-gharana-thumri' title: 'लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी)' author: name: Anonymous updated: '2026-11-05T00:27:35+00:00' type: website summary: 'लखनऊ घराना ठुमरी की वह हिंदुस्तानी गायन परंपरा है जो बंदिश ठुमरी पर टिकी है, यानी कथक नृत्य से जुड़ा रचना-बद्ध गीत। पीटर मैनुअल के अनुसार बंदिश ठुमरी का संबंध 19वीं सदी के मध्य के लखनऊ से है। अमृता सरखेल के अनुसार ठुमरी की क्षेत्रीय शैलियाँ अंग कहलाती हैं, और उनमें बनारस और पटियाला के साथ एक लखनऊ अंग भी है।' tags: - 'Patiala Gharana (Thumri)' - 'Benares Gharana (Thumri)' 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 --- # लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी) लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी) Vocal Gharana Lucknow Late 19th century **लखनऊ घराना** [ठुमरी](/hi-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/thumri) की वह हिंदुस्तानी गायन परंपरा है जो **बंदिश ठुमरी** पर टिकी है, यानी कथक नृत्य से जुड़ा रचना-बद्ध गीत। पीटर मैनुअल के अनुसार बंदिश ठुमरी का संबंध 19वीं सदी के मध्य के लखनऊ से है। अमृता सरखेल के अनुसार ठुमरी की क्षेत्रीय शैलियाँ अंग कहलाती हैं, और उनमें बनारस और पटियाला के साथ एक लखनऊ अंग भी है। [Sign in to follow](/hi-int/user/login?flag_anon=follow_term-340&destination=/hi-int/markdownify/taxonomy/term/340) [ साझा करें ](/hi-int/share/term/340) ### मुख्य तथ्य प्रकार Vocal Gharana उत्पत्ति Lucknow Era Late 19th century ## Origins & History Most musicians, Gordon Thompson writes, associate the origins of thumri with the court of **Wajid Ali Shah**, ruler of Awadh in the mid-19th century. Manu S. Pillai dates his accession to 1847, and the East India Company annexed his kingdom in 1856. According to Kumud Diwan and Amrita Sarkhel, he wrote thumris under the pen name Akhtar Piya. Thumri is older than his court: Thompson notes earlier stylistic predecessors, and Manuel begins his history of the genre in 1770. Margaret Walker writes that in 19th-century courts and kothas, courtesans performed songs illustrated with gesture, and hereditary Kathak men taught and accompanied them. The Kathaks were Hindus, she notes, unlike most other hereditary professional musicians of North India. In the Lucknow Observer's account, **Bindadin Maharaj**, of a hereditary Kathak family, danced at Wajid Ali Shah's court as a boy. His family's history is told on the [Lucknow gharana of Kathak](/hi-int/gharana/lucknow-gharana-kathak) page. After the annexation Wajid Ali Shah spent his last 30 years on the outskirts of Calcutta, and musicians and courtesans such as Malka Jan joined his exiled court. Manuel dates the passage from bandish thumri to the slower bol banao thumri to the years 1870 to 1920. Amrita Sarkhel quotes Peter Manuel as dating the end of the traditional Lucknow style to 1944, when its last great exponent, Baba Nasir Khan of the Delhi gharana, died. > "Most musicians associate the origins of the thumri with the court of Wajid Ali Shah" > > — Gordon Thompson > > Thumri, in Encyclopedia of India, ed. Stanley Wolpert (Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006) ## ऐतिहासिक समयरेखा 1847 ### Wajid Ali Shah takes the throne Wajid Ali Shah succeeds to the throne of Awadh. Most musicians later link the origins of thumri to his court in Lucknow. 1856 ### Awadh is annexed The East India Company annexes Awadh. Wajid Ali Shah spends his last 30 years on the outskirts of Calcutta, where musicians and courtesans join his exiled court. 1870 to 1920 ### Thumri in transition Peter Manuel dates to these years the passage from the dance-linked bandish thumri of Lucknow to the slower bol banao thumri. 1902 ### Gauhar Jaan's first records Gauhar Jaan, tutored by Bindadin Maharaj, records for the gramophone and goes on to popularise thumri and dadra on more than 600 sides. 1944 ### Death of Baba Nasir Khan Baba Nasir Khan of the Delhi gharana dies. Amrita Sarkhel quotes Peter Manuel as dating the end of the traditional Lucknow style to his death. 2022 ### Death of Birju Maharaj Birju Maharaj of the Kalka-Bindadin family, who gathered Bindadin Maharaj's thumris and bandishes as Ras Gunjan, dies in January 2022. ## Lineage & Legacy The guru-shishya tradition passed down through generations The Lucknow style passed through two kinds of performer rather than one family. Courtesans sang thumri for the dance, and hereditary Kathak men taught and accompanied them. **Bindadin Maharaj** tutored Gauhar Jaan, who carried thumri onto gramophone records. In the Kathak family the compositions passed down to Birju Maharaj, who gathered Bindadin's work in a book. ### The court of Wajid Ali Shah #### Wajid Ali Shah Died 1887 King of Awadh, patron and composer Ruled Awadh from 1847 until the annexation of 1856. Most musicians link thumri's origins to his court, and Kumud Diwan and Amrita Sarkhel credit him with thumris signed Akhtar Piya. #### Bindadin Maharaj 19th to 20th century Kathak master and composer Danced at Wajid Ali Shah's court as a boy, in the Lucknow Observer's account, and composed many thumris and bandishes for Kathak, signed Binda. Birju Maharaj later compiled them as Ras Gunjan. #### Kalka Prasad 19th century Kathak dancer Brother of Bindadin Maharaj, of the same hereditary Kathak family of Lucknow, whose history the Lucknow Kathak page tells. Guru-Shishya Tradition ### The exiled court and the first records #### Malka Jan 19th century Courtesan singer and dancer A courtesan said to have joined the exiled court of Wajid Ali Shah at Calcutta, among the musicians and courtesans who gathered there after 1856. #### Gauhar Jaan 1873-1930 Singer Tutored by Bindadin Maharaj among other teachers, she popularised thumri and dadra on gramophone records from 1902, with more than 600 songs recorded by 1920. Guru-Shishya Tradition ### The end of the line #### Baba Nasir Khan Died 1944 Singer of the Delhi gharana A singer of the Delhi gharana whom Peter Manuel, as Amrita Sarkhel quotes him, calls the last great exponent of the traditional Lucknow style. #### Birju Maharaj Died 2022 Kathak dancer Son and pupil of Achhan Maharaj, of the Kalka-Bindadin family. He gathered Bindadin Maharaj's compositions in the book Ras Gunjan. 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 - Wajid Ali Shah, king of Awadh 1847-1856, thumri composer as Akhtar Piya by two accounts - Bindadin Maharaj, Kathak master and composer of thumris and bandishes for Kathak - Malka Jan, courtesan dancer at Wajid Ali Shah's exiled court - Gauhar Jaan, 1873-1930, carried thumri and dadra onto gramophone records - Baba Nasir Khan, died 1944, last great exponent of the Lucknow style for Manuel - Birju Maharaj, died 2022, compiler of Bindadin Maharaj's compositions as Ras Gunjan ## संगीतात्मक विशेषताएँ Distinctive style, techniques, and aesthetic philosophy ### Overall Style The Lucknow tradition centres on the **bandish thumri**, a composition-based type that Manuel analyses as a distinct style. It was designed to accompany Kathak, though it was also sung on its own, usually in **teentaal**, a cycle of 16 beats, or ektaal, of 12, at medium or fast tempo. Dancers mime their movements to the words, and the texts draw on the Krishna legends of Vraj. #### The bandish A Lucknow thumri is a composed song, the bandish thumri, which Peter Manuel analyses as a stylistic type of its own. #### Made for the dance The bandish thumri was composed to accompany Kathak. Dancers mime their movements to its words, and courtesans sang it with gesture. #### Medium and fast tempo It is usually sung at medium and fast tempo, mostly in teentaal or ektaal, and so moves at a different pace from the slower bol banao thumri. #### Krishna texts Thumri texts draw on the Krishna legends of Vraj, with erotic love and pathos as their leading moods, in Braj Bhasha and Awadhi. ## Signature Repertoire The repertoire is the body of bandish thumris composed for Kathak at Lucknow. Bindadin Maharaj composed many, signed Binda, and Birju Maharaj later gathered them as Ras Gunjan. According to Kumud Diwan and Amrita Sarkhel, Wajid Ali Shah wrote thumris as Akhtar Piya. Gauhar Jaan put thumri and dadra on gramophone records from 1902. The tabla's fast laggi, Aneesh Pradhan writes, first complemented the dance of women performers trained in Kathak. ## Compare with Similar Gharanas Understand how लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी) differs from other traditions Select a Gharana to Compare: पटियाला घराना (ठुमरी) बनारस घराना (ठुमरी) | | लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी) (Current) | पटियाला घराना (ठुमरी) (Comparing) | |---|---|---| | प्रकार | Vocal | Vocal | | उत्पत्ति | Lucknow | Patiala, Punjab | | Era | Late 19th century | Late 19th century | | अंदाज | The Lucknow tradition centres on the bandish thumri, a composition-based type that Manuel analyses as a distinct style. It was designed to accompany Kathak, though it was also sung on its own, usually in teentaal, a cycle of 16 beats, or ektaal, of 12, at medium or fast tempo. Dancers mime their movements to the words, and the texts draw on the Krishna legends of Vraj. | Punjabi folk song, above all the tappa, gave the gharana its fast, compressed taans, rapid runs of notes, and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan carried that taan structure into his thumri. Amit Chaudhuri hears virtuosic taankari in his thumris and fast khayals alike. Meenakshi Vashisth notes complex layakari and fluid taans beside the tappa-derived ornament. Writers on thumri set this Punjabi style beside the purbi, or eastern, style of Benares. | [View पटियाला घराना (ठुमरी) Details ](/hi-int/gharana/patiala-gharana-thumri) | | लखनऊ घराना (ठुमरी) (Current) | बनारस घराना (ठुमरी) (Comparing) | |---|---|---| | प्रकार | Vocal | Vocal | | उत्पत्ति | Lucknow | Varanasi | | Era | Late 19th century | Late 19th century | | अंदाज | The Lucknow tradition centres on the bandish thumri, a composition-based type that Manuel analyses as a distinct style. It was designed to accompany Kathak, though it was also sung on its own, usually in teentaal, a cycle of 16 beats, or ektaal, of 12, at medium or fast tempo. Dancers mime their movements to the words, and the texts draw on the Krishna legends of Vraj. | Banaras thumri puts the text first: the singer works one short line until its feeling comes through. Susheela Misra lists pure notes, meend, a glide between notes, and voice modulation among the marks of the Banaras style. Aneesh Pradhan heard poise and dignity in Girija Devi's melodic elaboration. A performance often ends with a fast tabla passage, the laggi. | [View बनारस घराना (ठुमरी) Details ](/hi-int/gharana/benares-gharana-thumri) ## Influence & Legacy The bandish thumri gave way to the bol banao thumri, which Amrita Sarkhel ties to Varanasi and the [Benares](/hi-int/gharana/benares-gharana-thumri) tradition. Its dance roots stayed in the tabla's laggi and in Kathak, where dancers mime to thumri texts. Thumri also moved onto gramophone records, first through singers such as Gauhar Jaan. The Lucknow Kathak line kept Bindadin Maharaj's thumris through Ras Gunjan. ## अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले प्रश्न What is the Lucknow gharana of thumri? The Lucknow gharana of [thumri](/hi-int/vocal/hindustani-classical/thumri) is the tradition of the bandish thumri, a composed song sung for Kathak dance, which Peter Manuel places in mid-19th-century Lucknow. Amrita Sarkhel calls it the Lucknow ang, one of thumri's regional styles with Banaras and Patiala. Who founded the Lucknow gharana of thumri? The Lucknow thumri tradition has no single founder. Most musicians link its origins to the court of Wajid Ali Shah, king of Awadh from 1847 to 1856, who wrote thumris as Akhtar Piya in Kumud Diwan's account. Thumri itself is older, and the Kathak family of Bindadin Maharaj composed much of the repertoire. Which musicians belong to the Lucknow gharana of thumri today? Amrita Sarkhel quotes Peter Manuel as dating the end of the traditional Lucknow style to 1944, with the death of Baba Nasir Khan. Its compositions survive in Kathak: Birju Maharaj, of Bindadin Maharaj's family, gathered them as Ras Gunjan before his death in 2022. How does Lucknow thumri differ from Patiala thumri? Lucknow thumri is a composed song made for Kathak dance, usually sung at medium or fast tempo in teentaal or ektaal, while [Patiala](/hi-int/gharana/patiala-gharana-thumri) thumri carries the fast, compressed taans of the Punjabi tappa. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan kept that tappa taan structure in his thumri. What is bandish thumri, and how does it differ from bol banao thumri? A bandish thumri is a composed thumri, usually sung at medium or fast tempo and tied to Kathak dance. The bol banao thumri is slower and develops the meaning of the words at length. Peter Manuel dates the shift from the first to the second to the years 1870 to 1920. Did Wajid Ali Shah create thumri? Thumri is older than Wajid Ali Shah's court, though most musicians associate its origins with it. Gordon Thompson notes earlier stylistic predecessors, and Peter Manuel begins his history of the genre in 1770. Wajid Ali Shah was a patron and, by Kumud Diwan's and Amrita Sarkhel's accounts, a composer of thumris. How was thumri linked to Kathak in Lucknow? The bandish thumri was composed to accompany Kathak, and dancers mime their movements to its words. In 19th-century courts and kothas, Margaret Walker writes, courtesans sang songs illustrated with gesture, and hereditary Kathak men taught and accompanied them. Bindadin Maharaj composed many thumris for the dance. Is the Lucknow gharana a Kathak, tabla or vocal tradition? The name covers three traditions. This page is the vocal thumri tradition. The [Lucknow gharana of Kathak](/hi-int/gharana/lucknow-gharana-kathak) is the dance school of Bindadin Maharaj's family, and the [Lucknow tabla gharana](/hi-int/gharana/lucknow-gharana-tabla) was founded by Bakshu Khan and shaped by Kathak. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!