Tabla

Tabla, pair of small drums fundamental (since the 18th century) to Hindustani music of northern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The higher-pitched of the two drums, which is played with the right hand, is also referred to individually as the tabla or as the daya (dahina or dayan, meaning “right”). It is a single-headed drum usually of wood and having the profile of two truncated cones bulging at the centre, the lower portion shorter. It is about 25 cm (10 inches) in height and 15 cm (6 inches) across. Skin tension is maintained by thong lacings and wooden dowels that are tapped with a hammer in retuning. It is usually tuned to the tonic, or ground note, of the raga(melodic framework).

The roots for tabla invention are found in India.The carvings in Bhaja Caves in the state of Maharashtra in India shows a woman playing Tabla and another woman performing a dance, dating back to 200 BC.^[4] Taals has developed since the Vedicor Upanishad eras in India.^[5] as a result Pushkar was in existence long before even the Pakhawaj. It is quite likely that an instrument resembling the tabla was in existence much before. It was popular during the Yadava rule (1210 to 1247) in the south, at the time when Sangeeta Ratnakara was written by Sharngadeva. The myth is also extended that tabla is invented by the Indian Sufi poet and musicianAmir Khusro in the 13th century, originating from the need to have a drum that could be played from the top in the sitting position to enable the more complex rhythm structures that were required for the new Indian Sufi vocal style of chanting and Zikr. Its invention would also have complemented the complex early Sitar melodies that Amir Khusro was composing. However none of his writings on music mention the drum, A temple known as Eklingaji in Jaipur, Rajasthan shows the carvings of Tabla being played.There is recent iconography of the tabla dating back to 1799.^[11] This theory is now obsolete with iconography carvings found in Bhaje caves providing a stable proof that Tabla was used in ancient India. There are Hindu temple carvings of double hand drums resemblingtabla that date back to 500 BC.Tabla was widely spread across ancient India.