Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
{{infobox indian jurisdiction | native name	Maihar | type city | latd 24.27 | longd 80.75| locator_position right | state_name Madhya Pradesh | district Satna | leader_title | leader_name | altitude 367| population_as_of 2001 | population_total 34,347| population_density | area_magnitude sq. km | area_total | area_telephone | postal_code | vehicle_code_range | sex_ratio | unlocode | website |http://www.maiharsharda.com footnotes | }}

Maihar () is a city and a municipality in Satna district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Maihar is known for the temple of revered mother goddess Sharda situated on Trikuta hill of Maihar.

Origin

There is a mythological story that explains the origin of Maihar. In later Hindu tales, Daksha is said to be a Prajapati or one of the Brahma's sons. One of his daughters (often said to be the youngest) was Shakti or Dakshayani, who had always wished to marry Shiva. Daksha forbade it, but she disobeyed him and did so anyway, finding in Shiva a doting and loving husband. Daksha disliked Shiva intensely, calling him a dirty, roaming ascetic and reviling the great yogi's cohort of goblins and ghouls. From then on, he distanced himself from his daughter, Dakshayani/Shakti, and his son-in-law, Shiva. This enmity culminated in a great sacrifice he had been hosting, one to which he invited all and sundry, family and allies, gods and rishis, courtiers and subjects. However, on seeing the shameless insult to her husband in his absence, and the repeated slights King Daksha and his courtiers railed at Shiva, she committed suicide in grief for her beloved. Hearing the news, Shiva's attendants rushed inside the ceremony hall and started attacking all the guests present there, however, the demons invoked by Bhrigu defeated Shivas attendants and they retreated back to his abode. Upon hearing the news of his beloved wife's death, Shiva was infuriated that Daksha could so callously cause the harm of his (Daksha's) own daughter in so ignoble a manner. Shiva grabbed a lock of his matted hair and dashed it to the ground. From the two pieces rose the ferocious Virabhadra and the terrible Mahakali. Upon Shiva's orders they stormed the ceremony and killed Daksha as well as many of the guests. Terrified and with remorse the others propitiated Lord Shiva and begged his mercy to restore Daksha's life and to allow the sacrifice to be completed. Shiva, the all-merciful One, restored Daksha's life, with the head of a goat.

Traces of something still more ancient are to be seen in the next act of this sacred drama, when Shiva, drunk with sorrow, strides about the earth, all destroying, bearing the form of dead Sati on his back. Then Vishnu, to save mankind, comes up behind Shiva and, hurling his discus time after time, cuts the body of Sati to pieces till the great god , conscious that the weight is gone, retires alone to Kailash to lose himself once more in his eternal meditation. But the body of sati has been hewn into fifty-two dices, and wherever a fragment touches earth a shrine of mother-worship is Shakti Peethas established. It is said that when Shiva was carrying the body of dead mother goddess (''Mai'' in Hindi) Sati, her necklace(''har'' in Hindi) fell at this place and hence the name Maihar (Maihar = Mai+Har, meaning the necklace of mother).

History

Maihar's history can be traced since the Paleolithic Age. The town was formerly the capital of the princely state of Maihar. The state was founded in 1778 by Rajputs of the Kachwaha clan, who were granted land by the ruler of the nearby state of Orchha. The state became a princely state of British India in the early 19th century, and was administered as part of Bundelkhand Agency in the Central India Agency. In 1871 the eastern states of Bundelkhand Agency, including Maihar, were separated to form the new agency of Bagelkhand in Central India. In 1933 Maihar, along with ten other states in western Bagelkhand, were transferred back to the Bundelkhand Agency. The state had an area of , and a population of 63,702 in 1901. The state, which was watered by the Tons River, consists mainly of alluvial soil covering sandstone, and is fertile except in the hilly district of the south. A large area was under forest, the produce of which provided a small export trade. The title of the ruler was maharaja. The state suffered severely from famine in 1896–1897. Maihar became a station on the East Indian Railway (now the West Central Railway) line between Satna and Jabalpur, north of Jabalpur. Extensive ruins of shrines and other buildings surround the town.

Sharda Devi Temple

Apart from above there is a very famous temple by the name of Sharda Devi temple situated on the top of the a Trikuta hill around 5 km from the heart of the town. This temple is known for the 1063 steps to the top. Millions of devotees throng the temple all round the year. The introduction of Ropeway system from September 2009 has been a great boon to the pilgrims (particularly the old and the handicapped) to fulfill their wish to have the audience of Mother Goddess Sharda.

There is one ancient inscription near the feet of stone sculpture of Sharda Devi situated in Sharda Devi temple. There is another statue of Lord Narsingh along with Sharda Devi. These statues were installed by Nupula Deva on Shake 424 chaitra krishna paksha 14 Tuesday, vikram samvat 559 i.e. 502 AD. This stone inscription Sharda Devi in four lines is of size 15" by 3.5" in Devanagari script. Another stone inscription at the temple is of size 34" by 31" inscribed by a shaiva saint Shamba who had knowledge of Buddhism and Jainism also. This inscription bears a scene of Nāgadeva and reveals that it was about Damodara, son of Saraswati, was considered the Vyasa of Kaliyuga. And that there prevailed system of goat sacrifice at that time during worship. People can wath live darshan of Maa Sharda on http://www.maiharsharda.com which is hosted by anantworld satna.

Local tradition reveals that the warriors Alha and Udal, who had war with Prithvi Raj Chauhan, are associated with this place. Both the brothers were very strong followers of Sharda Devi. It is said that Alha penanced for 12 years and got the ''amaratva'' with the blessings of Sharda Devi. Alha and Udal are said to be the first to visit the goddess in this remote forest. Alha used to call the mother goddess by the name 'Sharda Mai' and henceforth she became popular as 'Mata Sharda Mai'. One can see down hill behind the temple, the pond known as 'Alha Pond'. Recently this pond and the surrounding areas has been cleaned / renovated for the benefit of pilgrims. At a distance of 2 km from this pond is situated the ''akhara'' of Alha and Udal where they did practice of ''kusti''. One more famous fact about MAihar is that people of maihar believe that ALHA is still alive and every morning at 4 AM he comes to the temple and perform puja. Several people tried to watch him coming and doing puja but nobody till now has been succeeded.

Geography

Maihar is located at . It has an average elevation of 367 metres (1204 ft).

Demographics

India census, Maihar had a population of 34,347. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Maiharreported an average literacy rate of 64%,male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 56%. In Maihar, 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.and

Transport

Maihar is placed quite well as far as connectivity is concerned . It is connected via both major rail routes & NH 7 ( a national highway). The Mahakoshal Express provides a daily direct connection from Delhi's Hazrat Nizammudin station. Mahakoshal Train runs between Hazrat Nizamuddin station and Jabalpur stations situated about 162 KM away from Maihar. Maihar Railway Station is situated in between Katni and Satna stations of West Central Railway. During Nav Ratra festivals there is heavy rush of pilgims. Therefore during thse days all UP and DOWN trains stop at Maihar for convenience of passengers. The nearest Airports are Jabalpur and Khajuraho.

Industry

There is a 3.1 mn tn cement factory also near maihar (Maihar Cement Factory) which provides an industrial touch to the holy place. The factory complex and the township is situated at Sarlanagar about 8 KM away from Maihar town on the Maihar-Dhanwahi Road.Two new cement factories KGS cement and Reliance cement are also setting up their cement factories here NTPC the power giant of india is also setting up a thermal plant at Barethi in Mahiyar district in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.

Culture

Senia Maihar Gharana

Maihar has a prominent place in Indian classical music as the birthplace of the Maihar Gharana, a ''gharana'' (school or style) of Hindustani music. The greatest doyen of Indian Classical Music Ustad Allauddin Khan (died 1972) lived here for long time and was the court Musician of Maihar Maharaja's Palace; his students Shrimati Annapurna Devi (Alauddin Khan's daughter), Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (Alauddin Khan's son), Pandit Ravi Shankar (musician), [[Ustad Aashish Khan (Alauddin Khan's grandson), Ustad Dhyanesh Khan (Alauddin Khan's 2nd grandson), Ustad Pranesh Khan (Alauddin Khan's 3rd grandson), Ustad Bahadur Khan (Alauddin Khan's nephew), Timir Baran Bhattacharya (first student of of Allauddin Khan), Pt. Indranil Bhattacharya ( son of Timir Baran Bhattacharya), Vasant Rai (Last student of Alauddin Khan) Pandit Pannalal Ghosh, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee (Alauddin Khan's students) popularized the style in the 20th century.The First Ustad Allauddin Khan music conference was held by Shri Deep Chand Jain in 1962 In this conference the artists was ustad ali akbar,pt ravi shankar,pt ram narayan,pt shantaprasad,pt nikhil banerjee,ms saran rani,pt V.G jog etc.

References

Category:Cities and towns in Satna district Category:Satna

bn:মাইহার de:Maihar hi:मैहर bpy:মাইহার it:Maihar new:मैहार pt:Maihar vi:Maihar

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
name	Allauddin Khan
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
born	ca. 1881
origin	Bengal, British Raj
died	6 September 1972
instrument	Shahnai
genre	Hindustani classical music
occupation	composer, Sarodiya
signature	AlauddinKhan.jpg
notable instruments	}}

Allauddin Khan (urdu: علا الدین خان Bangla: ওস্তাদ আলাউদ্দীন খ়ান, also known as Baba Allauddin Khan) (ca. 1881 – 6 September 1972), was a Bengali sarodiya and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most renowned music teachers of the 20th Century in Indian classical music.

In 1935, he toured Europe, along with Uday Shankar's ballet troupe, and later also worked at his institute, 'Uday Shankar India Culture Centre' at Almora for a while. During his lifetime, he composed several ragas and laid the foundation of a modern Maihar gharana. Amongst his recording which are rare, the most important ones are those he recorded with the All India Radio in 1959-60.

He was the father of sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi, and the uncle of Raja Hossain Khan, as well as the guru of Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Vasant Rai, Pannalal Ghosh, Bahadur Khan, Sharan Rani and other influential musicians. He himself was a disciple of many great musicians, including Gopal Chandra Banerjee, Lobo, Munne Khan, and most importantly after a lot of struggle managed to become a ''shagird'' of the legendary Veena player, Wazir Khan of Rampur.

He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour in 1971, and prior to that in 1954, the Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded him with its highest honour, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution to Indian music.

Early life and background

Allauddin Khan was born in Shibpur village in Brahmanbaria (now in Bangladesh), the son of Sabdar Hossain Khan, also known as Sadhu Khan. Allauddin's elder brother, Fakir Aftabuddin, first taught him some music in the home.

At the age of ten, Allauddin ran away from home to join a jatra band, a traditional Bengali form of theater. This experience exposed him to the rich folk tradition of Bengal. After some time, he went to Kolkata, and was accepted as a student by singer Gopal Krishna Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal. Allauddin committed to a 12-year practice program; However, Nulo Gopal died of plague after the seventh year. Khan then became a disciple of Amritalal Dutt, a close relative of Swami Vivekananda and music director at Kolkata's Star Theatre, with the goal of becoming an instrumentalist. At this time, he also took lessons in European classical violin from Lobo, a bandmaster from Goa.

Sarod career

Khan got interested in sarod after a concert at Jagat Kishore Acharya's, zamindar of Muktagachha, where he listened to Ahmed Ali Khan, a student of Asghar Ali Khan (Amjad Ali Khan's granduncle). Alauddin became his student, and studied the sarod under him for five years. His next step was to go to Rampur for lessons from Wazir Khan Beenkar, court musician of the Nawab there, and one of the last direct descendants of the legendary Tansen. Through him, Alauddin was given access to the ''Senia gharana'' (Tansen school of music). He later became the court musician of Brijnath Singh Maharaja of Maihar Estate in Central Province.

Maihar Gharana

During his time as a court musician, Khan completely reshaped the Maihar gharana of Indian classical music. The Maihar gharana was established in the 19th Century, but Khan's contribution was so fundamental that he is often thought to be its creator. This was a period of rapid change for Hindustani instrumental music, thanks not least to Khan, who infused the ''beenbaj'' and ''dhrupad ang'', previously known from the been, surbahar (bass sitar) and sur-sringar (bass sarod), into the playing of many classical instruments.

For though he gave concerts on the sarod, Allauddin played many instruments, something that shaped his pedagogy. He put together an orchestra with Indian instruments, the String Band now known as Maihar Band, and while his son, Ali Akbar Khan, was taught the sarod, his daughter Annapurna Devi (Roshanara Khan) learned the surbahar, students such as Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee played the sitar, Rabin Ghosh played on violin and Baijnath Singh and Pannalal Ghosh the bansuri bamboo flute. Baijnath Singh was first and Vasant Rai was Allauddin Khans last student. Of course Ravi and Ali Akbar Khan were to be very famous and spread this gharana over the world – something that Allauddin himself had started when, in 1935–1936, he went on an international tour with Uday Shankar's dance troupe.

Allauddin stayed at Maihar from 1918 to his death. In 1955, he established a Maihar College of Music. He was given the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1952, and the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan – India's third and second highest civilian decorations – in 1958 and 1971, respectively.

Personal life

Anecdotes about Khan range from throwing a tabla tuning hammer at the Maharaja himself to taking care of disabled beggars. (Nikhil Banerjee said that the tough image was "deliberately projected in order not to allow any liberty to the disciple. He always had the tension that soft treatment on his part would only spoil them".)

A few years before the turn of the century, he married Madanmanjari Devi (1888–?). He had one son and sarod heir, Ali Akbar Khan, and three daughters, Sharija, Jehanara and Annapurna who grew up as Roshanara Khan. Sharija died an early death suffering from diseases in her childhood and when Jahanara got married and a jealous mother-in-law burnt her tanpura, a shocked Alauddin Khan decided not to train his only remaining daughter. One day, however, he came home to discover Annapurna teaching her brother Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent made the emotional father change his mind. Annapurna learned classical vocal music, Sitar, and Surbahar from her father. She later married and divorced Ravi Shankar.

Ragas created by Allauddin Khan

Khan was fond of ''sankeerna'' (compound) ragas, and created many ragas of his own, including Arjun, Bhagabati, Bhim, Bhuvaneshvari, Chandika, Dhabalashri, Dhankosh, Dipika, Durgeshvari, Gandhi, Gandhi Bilawal, Haimanti, Hem-Behag, Hemant, Hemant Bhairav, Imni Manjh, Jaunpuri Todi, Kedar Manjh, Komal Bhimpalasi, Komal Marwa, Madanmanjari, Madhabsri, Madhavgiri, Malaya, Manjh Khamaj, Meghbahar, Muhammed, Nat-Khamaj, Prabhakali, Raj Bijoy, Rajeshri, Shobhavati, Subhabati, Sugandha and Surasati. Many of these have not become common Maihar repertoire; Manjh Khamaj is perhaps the best known. Some of Allauddin's recordings have been released on CD, on the ''Great Garanas: Maihar'' compilation in RPG/EMI's ''Chairman's Choice'' series.

Films

''Raga'' (1971). Directed by Howard Worth.

Further reading

''Ustad Allauddin Khan and his music'', by Jotin Bhattacharya. Published by B. S. Shah Prakashan, 1979.

''Ustad Allauddin Khan: the legend of music'', by Anuradha Ghosh. Published by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1990.

''Baba Allauddin Khan'', by Ashish Khokar. Published by Roli Books, 1996. ISBN 81-7436-021-2.

''Ustad Allauddin Khan'', by Rajendra Shankar. Published by Kinnara School of Music (in Association with Bharat Sangeet Sabha).

References

External links

Ustad Baba Allaudin Khan, Detailed Biography and images at California Institute of the Arts

Category:1880s births Category:1972 deaths Category:Bangladeshi musicians Category:Hindustani instrumentalists Category:Indian composers Category:Maihar Gharana Category:People from Chittagong Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship

bn:আলাউদ্দিন খাঁ fr:Allauddin Khan hi:उस्ताद अलाउद्दीन खान kn:ಅಲ್ಲಾವುದ್ದೀನ್ ಖಾನ್ ml:ഉസ്താദ് അലാവുദ്ദീൻ ഖാൻ fi:Allauddin Khan

Coordinates	21°58′30″N96°5′0″N
name	Shahid Parvez Khan
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Shahid Parvez Khan
born	October 14, 1955Mumbai, India
instrument	sitar
gharana	Etawah Gharana
genre	Hindustani Classical Music
years active	1980–present
website	Official site }}

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan (born 14 October 1955) is a sitar player of Hindustani classical music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back several generations in his family. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage. He is one of India’s most celebrated younger musicians, prized especially for the vocalistic phrasing of his raga improvisations.

His family has produced the many of the most revered and influential instrumentalists in Hindusthani Classical Music including the likes of Ustad Sahabdad Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan (his great grandfather), Ustad Enayat Khan , Ustad Wahid Khan (his grandfather) and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Early life

Born in Mumbai, India. He was initiated into the rich music of the Gharana by his illustrious father and Guru Ustad Aziz Khan, a famous musician and a noted composer and the son of the legendary Sitar and Surbahar virtuoso Ustad Wahid Khansahab. As is the custom, Ustad Aziz Khan first initiated his son into vocal music and tabla before training him on the Sitar over many years with all the intensity and rigor that has made this Gharana famous. Incidentally, he got his vocal training from his own uncle Ustad Hafeez Khan a famous singer and a surbahar and sitar exponent and received taleem in tabla for many years from Ustad Munnu Khan of the Delhi Gharana.

Performing career

Shahid Parvez was recognized as a child prodigy and had started performing in public by the time he was only eight years of age. Tremendous perseverance and hard work over the years have been rewarded with an outstanding technical prowess and a mastery over Layakari.

He is a Top Grade artist of All India Radio and a recipient of numerous national and international awards including the Sur Shringaar, the Kumar Gandharva Samman, the M.L. Koser Award, etc. He is also a recipient of the prestigious "Sangeet Natak Akademi Award". He has performed in all major musical festivals in India and abroad including the ''Festival of India'' held in the US, Europe, USSR, Canada, Africa, Middle-East and Australia, enthralling the audience everywhere. With numerous LP records, audio and video cassettes, CDs and DVDs, numerous awards and accolades, and a distinguished performance career in India and around the world, he is widely recognized as one of the finest living sitar players.

Discography

Synergy

Jog and Piloo

Saptak Festival Gujarat 2003

Bageshree

Sitar - II

Bihag

A Tribute to Dulal Babu

Darbari & Sahana

Sensational- Live in May 2000 Vol. 1

Puriya Kalyan

Sensational- Live in May 2000 Vol. 2

Jhinjhoti and Bhairavi

Maestro's Choice - Classical Instrumental

Deshkar , Mand , Hansdhwani , Tilak Kamod

Emotive Sitar

Darbari Kanada

Rageshwari Live Concert

Rageshri

Sitar

Mian Ki Malhar, Gavati, Pilu, Pahadi

Whispering Strings

with E Gayathri (Veena) Hindustani / Carnatic Music Mahaganpathim ,Naatai Adi Taalam..

Sitar and Vocal Jugalbandi

with Rashid Khan - Bageshri & Desh

Art Of The Sitar

Yaman, Jhinjhoti.

Morning Glory

Ahir Bhairav and Bhairavi Dhun

Excellent Sound of Sitar /Shahid Parvez At His Best

Gurjari Todi & Rageshri, Bhairavi Dhun

Enchanting Sitar of Shahid Parvez

Bairagi Bhairavi, Puryia, Dhun in Mishra Kammaj.

Sitar

Gavati

Live in Switzerland

Marwa

Sitar

Shree

Sitar

Yaman

Live in New York

Bhimpalasi

Sitar

Jaijaiwanti & Charukeshi

Sitar

Jog & Mishra Khammaj

Sitar

Bihag

Sitar

Yaman Kalyan

Sitar

Shahana & Megh Malhar, Mishra Pilu

Raag Bilaskhani Todi

Bilaskhani Todi

Shanti-Inner Peace

Morning Dews

Dunes

Stress Relief - Music Therapy

Relaxation - Music Therapy

Sounds of Stream

Raags and Time of the Day

Magnificent Melody

Shahid Parvez - Live

A Bouquet of Ragas Live at Houston TX

Bageshri, Rageshri, Jogkauns

Singing Sitar Live at Toronto, Canada

Pooriya Kalyan

An Enchanting Evening with Shahid Parvez

Yaman, Bhinna Shadaj

Selection - Sitar Recital

Bilaskhani Todi, Desh, Dhun in Bhatiali

Classics for Pleasure - Shahid Parvez

Sudh Sarang, Ahir Bhairav

Classics for Pleasure

Jhinjhoti, Kedar

Sitar & Tabla

Malkauns, Gujri Todi, Bhairavi Dhun.

Sitar Sublime

Jhinjhoti, Puriya Dhanashri, Mishra Shivranjani

References

External links

The official website of Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan

Interview with Ustad Shahid Parvez

Category:1960 births Category:Etawah Gharana Category:Hindustani instrumentalists Category:Indian Muslims Category:Living people Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Category:Sitar players