Original Indian Musical Instruments Played in India Today

Sarod, Sitar, Iktara
Soinuenea - Herri Musikaren Txokoa, 
CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

INTRODUCTION

India has a musical heritage that spans millennia. From temple halls and royal courts to folk stages and modern concerts, many traditional instruments continue to play live roles in Indian music. 

Some are central in classical genres, some in folk and devotional settings, and some are being revived or fused into new music. 

This essay explores a wide variety of original Indian instruments—string, wind, percussion, and hybrids—their origins, how they are played today, their regional connections, and how they are adapting to modern times.

Table of Contents

1. Overview of Indian Instrument Families

2. String Instruments: Plucked, Bowed, Hammered

3. Wind Instruments: Reed, Edge, Flute Family

4. Percussion: Membranophones, Idiophones, Ghanas etc.

5. Folk & Tribal Instruments: Diversity Across Regions

6. Hybrid, Rare & Revived Instruments

7. Modern Adaptations & Fusion Use

8. Challenges, Preservation, and the Future

1. Overview of Indian Instrument Families

Sitar, Tabla,  Dholak
Indian Musical Instgruments
Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Indian musical instruments are traditionally categorized by the method of sound production. Classical taxonomy often classifies them into a few broad families:

• Tat (String instruments): plucked, bowed, hammered or sometimes with sympathetic strings.

• Sushir (Wind instruments): flutes, reed instruments, blowing types.

• Avanaddh / Avanaddha (Membranophones): drums and instruments with membranes.

• Ghana / Ghant / Ghan (Idiophones, percussion, resonant solids): cymbals, bells, pots etc.

These families are not strictly separate today; many instruments overlap in usage, technique, and influence. But they help us structure what instruments exist, and how they live in India’s many musical traditions: Hindustani (North), Carnatic (South), folk, devotional, tribal, etc.

2. String Instruments: Plucked, Bowed, Hammered

Anoushka Shankar performing
with her Sitar
Alicelapen, CC BY-SA 4.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

Sitar

• One of the most recognized plucked string instruments in Hindustani classical music.

• It has a long, fretted neck, a resonating gourd, and sympathetic strings (tarab) which vibrate to enrich tone.

• Major players in concerts, recordings; used also in fusion and film music.

Sarod

• A fretless, plucked (or sometimes with sliding techniques) instrument.

• Known for deep, resonant, mellow tone, able to produce meend (gliding between notes).

• Used in Hindustani classical and also recordings, collaborative concerts with other genres.

Saraswati veena
Original: unknownPhotograph: Katharina Common, 
CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Veena (Saraswati Veena, Rudra Veena, etc.)

• Very ancient in the South (Carnatic tradition). Large wooden body, often two resonators, plucked.

• Rudra Veena is also used in some Hindustani Dhrupad traditions.

Santoor

• Hammered string instrument; many strings stretched over a wooden frame, played with light mallets.

• Especially associated with Kashmir and Hindustani classical; now also used in world fusion.

Sarangi

• Bowed string instrument; many sympathetic strings in addition to main playing strings.

• Its tone is considered close to the human voice—much used in folk, classical accompaniment, ghazals, etc.

Dilruba & Esraj

• Bowed string instruments with hybrid features: somewhere between violin, sarangi, and veena family.

• Used in devotional music, Sikh practices, sometimes in classical or semi-classical settings.

Tanpura (Tambura)

• Not a melodic lead instrument, but essential: provides sustained drone.

• Used in almost every form of classical (Hindustani and Carnatic), devotional, semi-classical performance.

• Modern versions include electronic tanpuras for practice/performance.

3. Wind Instruments: Reed, Edge, Flute Family

A bansuri player, Jaspreet
Gavin Mackintosh from South Molton,
United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

Bansuri & Venu (Flutes)

• Bansuri is the bamboo flute used especially in the North, Carnatic flutes (venu in the South).

• Simple in structure (holes along bamboo) but demands great breath control, embouchure precision for classical ragas.

Shehnai & Nadaswaram

• Double-reed wind instruments.

• Shehnai (North) is traditionally used in weddings, temples, auspicious events; also concert performances.

• Nadaswaram (South) is louder, ceremonial, used in temples, processions, marriage ceremonies.

Sringa / Tutari / Blow Horns

• Horn-type wind instruments: historically used for signalling, ritual, in some folk contexts, or as part of classical ensembles in certain regions.

4. Percussion Instruments: Membranophones, Idiophones & Resonators

Tabla, Indian Musical Instgruments
Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tabla

• Perhaps the most prominent membranophone in Hindustani music today. Two drums: the smaller “dayan” and larger “bayan.”

• Used in classical, semi-classical, ghazal, popular music, film, fusion. Also for solo performances.

Mridangam

• Main percussion drum in Carnatic tradition (South India).

• Double-headed; different sizes; used also in dance performances, religious ceremonies.

Pakhawaj

• An older form of drum (membranophone) used primarily with Dhrupad style (North-Indian classical). Heavier, deeper tones than tabla.

Ghatam

• A clay pot (with mouth at top), played by striking the outer surface with fingers/palms. Used in South; sometimes in fusion.

Kanjira

• Small frame drum (like a tambourine but without many jingles) used in Carnatic contexts, especially in percussion ensembles with mridangam and ghatam.

Others: Drums & Folk Percussion

• Dhol, dholak, tabla-variants, drums used in folk traditions (e.g. in Punjab, Assam, Rajasthan, Odisha).

• Tribal and regional drums often with one head or two, varied construction and rhythm patterns.

5. Folk & Tribal Instruments: Regional Diversity

Folk and tribal instruments are among the most varied, often localized and tied to specific communities, festivals or practices.

Examples:

• Gogona (Assam): A bamboo instrument which is held against the teeth and plucked/flicked to produce vibration; used during Bihu and folk singing. 

• Mashak (Uttarakhand, also parts of North): A kind of bag-pipe or wind sack used in folk music. 

• Pungi / Been: The instrument often associated with snake-charmers; simple, dual-reed, or pipe type, used in folk performances. 

• Ravanhatta: A bowed string instrument traditionally in Rajasthan; used by folk singers and balladeers. 

• MorChang (Jew’s Harp): Small metal/wood instrument used in Rajasthani and other folk settings for rhythmic and tonal effects. 

6. Hybrid, Rare & Revived Instruments

Some instruments are less common, partially lost, or have hybrid/modern versions. Some have been revived or adapted.

• Rudra Veena: A large veena form used in Dhrupad. Its playing tradition is rarer but still active among specialist musicians.

• Sarinda / Sarangi variants: Some regions maintain older versions; folk-singing traditions sometimes still use them.

• Electronic or modified versions: e-tanpuras, electrically amplified versions of veena, or hybrid string instruments which combine western design and Indian tonal requirements.

• Rare Instruments: Some tribal or folk instruments that were almost disappearing are being revived via craft revival or cultural preservation efforts.

7. Modern Adaptations & Fusion Use

Modern Indian music (including film, popular, fusion, world music) uses many of these traditional instruments, sometimes in pure form, often modified, amplified, or blended with non-Indian instruments.

• Use of tabla & bansuri in pop and fusion: Many bands or fusion ensembles use bansuri solos, tabla rhythms, sometimes even in electronic contexts.

• Veena and sarod in recordings where their sound is mixed, effects used, mics amplify traditional tone.

• Folk instruments like ghatam, kanjira, etc., appearing in cross-genre concerts, fusion albums.

• Amplification and electronics: pick-ups, microphones, effect pedals are being incorporated into sitar/veena/other stringed instruments.

• Film music often features combinations: e.g., shehnai for particular atmospheres; santoor or sarangi for sad or devotional scenes; drums from folk traditions for regional songs.

8. Challenges, Preservation, and the Future

Harmonium A instrument of India
Ishaan Gupta555505, CC BY-SA 4.0,
 via Wikimedia Commons

Challenges

• Loss of craftsmanship: Makers of traditional instruments, especially rare ones, are aging; younger generations may prefer easier-to-sell or more modern instruments.

• Cost and materials: High-quality wood, skin, etc., may be expensive; legal restrictions on materials (skins, ivory etc) affect instrument making.

• Audience & usage: Some instruments are used primarily for ceremonial/festival contexts and less in everyday music, so their usage is niche.

Efforts for Preservation

• Music schools, academies teaching Dhrupad, Carnatic, folk instruments.

• Workshops and cultural festivals showcasing folk and tribal instruments.

• Recording projects, archival audio/video, digital media for teaching.

The Future

• Hybrid instruments and fusion will likely grow more, bringing traditional sounds to new audiences.

• Technology (recording, spread via internet, sampling) helps rare instruments reach global ears.

• Revival of regional and tribal musical traditions may bring back lesser-known instruments into mainstream or niche popularity.

• Eco-friendly materials, sustainable instrument-making, and artisan support are increasingly important.

Illustrative Instruments: Origins, Regions, and Usage Today

To make this more concrete, here is a list of some major instruments, with their origin/region and how they are used today:

Instrument	Region / Tradition	Type (String / Wind / Percussion)	Modern Usage
Sitar	Hindustani/North India	Plucked string with sympathetic strings	Classical concerts, recordings, fusion, film soundtracks
Sarod	North India	Plucked, fretless string	Classical solo/performance; collaborations
Veena	South India (Carnatic), also Dhrupad via Rudra Veena	Plucked string	Temple concerts, classical recitals, some fusion
Bansuri / Venu	Both Hindustani & Carnatic; folk regions too	Wind (flute)	Solo, accompaniment, fusion, film
Shehnai / Nadaswaram	Shehnai – North; Nadaswaram – South	Wind (double reed)	Weddings, temple rituals, processions, sometimes classical concerts
Tabla	North India (Hindustani), but used in many contexts	Percussion, membranophone	Accompaniment, solo, recordings, fusion
Mridangam	Carnatic / South India	Percussion, membranophone	Concerts, dance accompaniment, devotional music
Ghatam / Kanjira etc.	South Indian percussion ensembles	Percussion, idiophone / frame drum	Classical, fusion, solos in percussion concerts
Folk instruments like Ravanhatta, Gogona, Pungi etc.	Rajasthan, Assam, tribal belts	String, wind, folk percussion	Folk festivals, devotional songs, sometimes fusion
Rare / revived like Rudra Veena, etc.	Specialist classical and revivalists	String	Scholarly, classical niche concerts; recordings

• Primary Keywords: Indian musical instruments, traditional Indian instruments, classical instruments of India, folk instruments India.

Conclusion

India’s musical instrument heritage is rich, diverse, and living. Instruments like sitar, veena, bansuri, tabla, mridangam remain central to classical music; others from folk and tribal traditions continue to be played, sometimes quietly, sometimes vibrantly, in many corners of the country. 

The landscape is dynamic: rare instruments are being revived, hybrids are spreading, and traditional instrument makers and performers are finding both challenges and opportunity in modernity. For anyone interested in Indian music—classical, folk, fusion—understanding these instruments offers a way to connect with history, culture, and evolving musical forms.

Sources

• “Musical Instruments of India” (list and descriptions) from cultural heritage/foundation‐type articles. ilikafoundation.com+2Superprof+2

• Lists of folk and rare instruments (Gogona, Ravanhatta, Pungi etc.) from regional musical instruments surveys. Superprof+3FlyingPepper+3Prepp+3

• Detailed instrument histories (tabla, bansuri, sarod, veena etc.) via classical music treatises and modern summaries. Superprof+3ilikafoundation.com+3The Metropolitan Museum of Art+3