DRUMMING AUSPICIOUSNESS
THE PAKHĀVAJ OF NATHDWARA AND THE CULT OF THE KING-GOD

Abstract

The pakhāvaj occupies a unique position in the classical music scene of contemporary India. Identified with the ancient mṛdaṅga and associated with kings and gods, played in the Hindustani tradition of the court dhrupad and in the temple music of various sects, it is the most respected of the Indian drums by musicians as well as the most authoritative, according to textual sources; it is an auspicious drum and multiple origin myths explain its creation; its repertoire includes compositions which musicians connect to literature in Sanskrit or vernacular languages and to prayer.
Notwithstanding its relevance in Indian music, there are no specific studies on the pakhāvaj and above all about its language, repertoire, and its unique position connecting sacred and secular music.
This dissertation fills the gap with a study of the pakhāvaj of Nathdwara, its history, aesthetics and repertoire. Furthermore, joining ethnographic, historical, religious and iconographic perspectives, it provides a multifaceted interpretation of the role and function of the pakhāvaj in royal courts, temples and contemporary stages, and the first analysis of the visual and narrative contents of its repertoire. It also contributes to the understanding of the language, idea and role of drums and drumming in Indian court and temple music, and their relationship over the last two millennia.