- published: 05 Mar 2013
- views: 9128
The khol (Bengali: খোল, Assamese: খোল) also known as a mrdanga in the Odia language (lit. "mrit+anga" = "clay limb") or mridôngo (Bengali: মৃদঙ্গ) (not to be confused with mridangam) is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music (bhakti). It originates from the Indian states of West Bengal, Assam and Manipur. The drum is played with palms and fingers of both hands.
The khol is a drum with a hollow earthen body, with drumheads at both ends, one far smaller than the other. The drumheads are made of cow skin, and are three-layered and treated with a circle of rice paste, glue, and iron known as syahi. Some modern instruments are made with a fibreglass body and synthetic drumheads.
The khol was used by the Assamese saint Sankardev.
The drum is used to accompany Bengali, Oriya kirtans by medieval poets like Chandidas, Govindadasa and Gyanadas. It is also used to accompany Gaudiya Nritya, one of the nine Indian classical dances.
ke - kene dha ge dha ge dha dhei - ta - tetetete ta
You can download the mantras @ http://issuu.com/ggd_chavez/docs/gaudiya_kirtan_mrdanga_essentials/1
The Mayapuris performed their Mrdanga Drum presentation at the Los Angeles Rathayatra festival. Los Angeles, CA 2009-08-02
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The clay patch, also called gob, gaba or siahi by some, is used to tune the low pitch head. It is very important that the clay powder is very fine, otherwise the procedure won't work and the clay will fall off. Might have to try two or three times before success but it is definitely worth it. Your drum will be adjustable to any kind of environment by using this technique. Some say the amount of layers has to be odd, but I haven't found any scriptural injuction.
You can download the mantras @ http://issuu.com/ggd_chavez/docs/gaudiya_kirtan_mrdanga_essentials/1