Engineering:List of Indian musical instruments

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Woman playing pulluvan veena

Musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent can be broadly classified according to the Hornbostel–Sachs system into four categories: chordophones (string instruments), aerophones (wind instruments), membranophones (drums) and idiophones (non-drum percussion instruments).[1]

Chordophones

Plucked strings

  • Ancient Veena
  • Bulbul Tarang
  • Dilruba
  • Dotar, Dotora, or Dotara
  • Ektara
  • Getchu Vadyam or Jhallari
  • Gopichand, Gopiyantra or Khamak
  • Gottuvadhyam or Chitravina
  • Katho
  • Sarod
  • Sitar
  • Surbahar
  • Surshringar
  • Swarabat
  • Swarmandal
  • Tambura
  • Tritantri Veena
  • Tumbi
  • Tuntuna
  • Hansa Veena
  • Mohan Veena
  • Nakula Veena
  • Nanduni
  • Pamiri rubab
  • Rudra Veena, also called Bīn in North India
  • Sagar Veena
  • Saraswati Veena
  • Vichitra Veena
  • Yazh
  • Ranjan Veena
  • Mayuri Veena
  • Rubab (instrument)
  • Triveni Veena

Bowed strings

Other string instruments

  • Gethu or Jhallari – struck tanpura
  • Gubguba or Jamuku (khamak)
  • Pulluvan kutam
  • Santoor – Hammered dulcimer

Aerophones

Single reed

Snake charmer playing pungi
Bansuri player at Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur.
Indian Harmonium

Double reed

  • Kuzhal
  • Mukhavina
  • Nadaswaram
  • Shehnai
  • Sundari
  • Tangmuri

Flute

  • Alghoza – double flute
  • Bansuri
  • Venu (Carnatic flute) Pullanguzhal

Bagpipes

  • Mashak
  • Titti
  • Sruti upanga

Free reed

  • Gogona
  • Morsing

Free reed and bellows

  • Shruti box
  • Harmonium (hand-pumped)

Brass

  • Bigul – see Bugle
  • Ekkalam
  • Karnal
  • Kombu (instrument)
  • Ramsinga
  • Kahal
  • Nagfani
  • Turi
  • Tutari

Membranophones

Hand drums

Learning to play tabla
Tumbaknaer, drum from Jammu and Kashmir for accompanying devotionals
Chenda (top) and Chande (below) are different drums
Chande of Yakshagana
  • Dhad
  • Damru
  • Dimadi
  • Dhol
  • Dholak
  • Dholki
  • Duggi
  • Ghat singhari or Gada Singari
  • Ghumot
  • Gummeta
  • Kanjira
  • Khol
  • Kinpar and Dhopar (Tribal Drums)
  • Madal
  • Mardala
  • Maddale
  • Maram
  • Mizhavu
  • Mridangam
  • Naal
  • Pakhavaj
  • Pakhavaj Jori – Sikh instrument similar to Tabla
  • Panchamukha vadyam
  • Pung cholom
  • Shuddha Madalam or Maddalam
  • Tabala / Tabl / Chameli – goblet drum
  • Tabla
  • Tabla Tarang – set of Tablas
  • Tamate
  • Thanthi Panai
  • Thimila
  • Tumbak, Tumbaknari, Tumbaknaer
  • Tumdak'
  • Udukku

Hand frame drums

  • Daf, duf, or dafli – medium or large frame drum without jingles, of Persian origin
  • Dubki, dimdi or dimri – small frame drum without jingles
  • Kanjira – small frame drum with one jingle
  • Kansi – small drum without jingles
  • Patayani thappu – medium frame drum played with hands

Stick and hand drums

Stick drums

Chennakeshava Temple, 12th century A.D. Goddess playing an hourglass drum, possibly an udukai.
  • Chande
  • Davul
  • Kachhi Dhol
  • Nagara – pair of kettledrums
  • Pambai – unit of two cylindrical drums
  • Parai thappu, halgi – frame drum played with two sticks
  • Sambal
  • Stick daff or stick duff – daff in a stand played with sticks
  • Tamak'
  • Tasha – type of kettledrum
  • Thavanadai, Davandai
  • Timki
  • Urumee

Idiophones

A medieval instrument, labeled nagaveena (snake veena), is a type of musical scraper.
  • Chimta – fire tong with brass jingles
  • Chengila – metal disc
  • Elathalam
  • Geger – brass vessel
  • Ghanti – Northern Indian bell
  • Ghatam and Matkam (Earthenware pot drum)
  • Ghungroo
  • Khartal or Chiplya
  • Manjira or jhanj or taal
  • Nut – clay pot
  • Sankarjang – lithophone
  • Thali – metal plate
  • Thattukazhi mannai
  • Yakshagana bells

Melodic

Jaltarang
  • Jal tarang, ceramic bowls with water
  • Kanch tarang, a type of glass harp
  • Loh tarang (लोह तरंग), a set of tuned gongs
  • Kashtha tarang, a type of xylophone

Hand harmonium

Dwarkanath Ghose (Dwarkin) modified the French pedal harmonium.

Electronic

  • Musical instrument of Tamil nadu
  • List of Indian dance

References

  1. ↑ "Musical Instruments of India | Ministry of Culture". https://culture.gov.in/musical-instruments-india. 
  2. ↑ "7 unique musical instruments of India". The Times of India. 2026-01-29. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/the-arts/7-unique-musical-instruments-of-india/photostory/127706594.cms?picid=127706634#:~:text=Chikara%20(Uttar%20Pradesh%20and%20Rajasthan). 
  3. ↑ "7 unique musical instruments of India". The Times of India. 2026-01-29. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/the-arts/7-unique-musical-instruments-of-india/photostory/127706594.cms?picid=127706630#:~:text=/8-,Pepa%20(Assam),-The%20Pepa%20is. 
  4. ↑ "7 unique musical instruments of India". The Times of India. 2026-01-29. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/the-arts/7-unique-musical-instruments-of-india/photostory/127706594.cms?picid=127706635#:~:text=/8-,Thavil%20(Tamil%20Nadu),-The%20Thavil%20is. 

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