Pakhawaj
Pakhawaj is the name of the double-headed drum to accompany the ancient classical North Indian dhrupad style of music. It has a deep, powerful and somewhat archaic sound.
The playing technique with differentiated fingering has similarities with that of the tabla and of the South Indian mridangam. The pakhawaj is supposed to be a predecessor of the tabla.
Sound sample Pakhawaj.
Body carved out of one piece of solid wood, layered goat skins, treble skin with shyai, rawhide straps, eight wooden blocks (gattas) for adjusting the tension / pitch, shellac surface.
A freshly prepared dough made of flour and water has to be applied to the bass skin before playing, to get the typical deep bass sound. This procedure is rather complicated and time consuming. An alternative is a bass head with a special special paste permanently or temporarily attached to it. If you are interested in that please ask India Instruments for more information!
Traditionally a dough made of flour and water is applied to the bass skin every time before playing in order to get the typical deep bass sound. However, this procedure is rather complicated and time consuming. Alternatively you can prepare the bass skin permanently with some kind of bathroom sealant. We recommend a sealant called Plastic Fermit for this purpose. It is available for little money in hardware stores and in many online shops.
Any dough residue on the skin must be removed thoroughly before applying the sealant to ensure good adhesion. Apply the sealant in a thin base layer first, pressing it firmly against the skin. Add more sealant onto the base evenly until you get the desired pitch. Plastic Fermit can remain permanently on the skin without causing any damage. It can also be removed at any time. After several months, it usually gets brittle and starts falling off. Then it can be replaced completely.
If the skin has such a high tension that the desired deep sound is not reached even with a very thick application of sealant, the basic tension of the skin should be reduced. This also extends the life of the skin. Plastic Fermit should not be confused with Aqua Fermit - Aqua Fermit is oily and damages the skin with prolonged use.
NARAYAN BADYA BHANDAR is one of the best tabla makers in Calcutta today. The company in its third-generation is managed by Shyamal Das. He carries out all the finishing work himself with utmost care and love of detail in a tiny workshop, together with his father and a handful of employees who all belong to the family circle. The result is, on the one hand, tablas made with much loving care and irresistible tonal quality, and on the other hand, world famous regular customers like Anindo Chatterjee or Swapan Chaudhuri. Apart from tablas, Narayan Badya Bhandar makes also several other percussion instruments, like pakhawaj, mridangam, khol, dholak, kanjira, etc. India Instruments is the exclusive importer for Narayan Badya Bhandar in Europe.
Measure: length 59 cm, diameter 25 cm, weight: ca. 7.5 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.