Top 10 Indian Classical Music Forms and Traditions

The kriti — a structured composition featuring a pallavi (refrain), anupallavi (sub-refrain), and charanam (verse) — is the foundational unit of Carnatic classical music performance and the primary compositional form through which this South Indian tradition is transmitted. The Trinity of Carnatic music — Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri, all active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries — composed thousands of kritis that remain the living repertoire of every Carnatic musician today. The Margazhi music season in Chennai each December, featuring over 1,000 concerts across 10 days, is the world's largest annual classical music festival.

The oldest surviving form of North Indian classical music, Dhrupad predates Khayal by several centuries and is characterised by its austere, meditative quality, the use of Sanskrit texts, and the centrality of the alap — an unaccompanied vocal exploration of a raga that can last over an hour. Dhrupad flourished under the patronage of the Mughal emperors, particularly Akbar, whose court musician Mian Tansen is considered a defining figure of the tradition. Today the Dagar family and the Gundecha Brothers are among the foremost exponents keeping this ancient form alive globally.

A semi-classical vocal form that blends classical rigor with folk elements and romantic devotional poetry, thumri is primarily associated with the Varanasi and Lucknow gharanas and features more textual and emotional expressiveness than formal Khayal. Traditionally performed at the conclusion of classical concerts as a lighter, more accessible piece, thumri lyrics typically explore the themes of Radha-Krishna devotion and the pain of separation (viraha). Legendary vocalist Girija Devi, who passed away in 2017, is credited with elevating thumri from a courtesan tradition to a respected concert art form.

One of India's eight classical dance forms, Odissi from the state of Odisha integrates vocal music, rhythmic percussion, and highly expressive body movement to narrate stories from Hindu mythology, particularly the Gita Govinda, a 12th-century poem by Jayadeva. UNESCO recognised the Gita Govinda's musical traditions in 2013, and the Odissi dance form itself was revived and codified in the 20th century by pioneers including Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi. The form is distinguished by its tribhangi (three-body-bend) posture and the deeply sculptural quality of its movements, inspired by the temple carvings of Konark and Puri.

Bharatanatyam, originating from the devadasi temple dance traditions of Tamil Nadu, is the most widely practised Indian classical dance form globally, with an estimated 1 million active practitioners worldwide, and is inseparable from Carnatic music, which provides its rhythmic and melodic framework. The form was systematised in the early 20th century by the Thanjavur Quartet and later revived as a concert art form by Rukmini Devi Arundale, who founded Kalakshetra in Chennai in 1936. Today Bharatanatyam is taught in over 150 countries and has been incorporated into contemporary choreography and fusion performances on global stages.

The devotional musical form of South Asian Sufism, Qawwali uses call-and-response vocal patterns, harmonium, tabla, and sarangi to build ecstatic states of spiritual experience (sama) in listeners, with performances at Sufi shrines (dargahs) across India sometimes lasting all night. The tradition traces to the 13th-century Sufi mystic Amir Khusrau, who synthesised Persian, Arabic, and Indian musical elements at the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi, which remains one of the most important Qawwali centres in the world. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who died in 1997, brought Qawwali to global audiences and inspired musicians from Peter Gabriel to Massive Attack.

The classical performing arts tradition of Manipur in Northeast India revolve around Vaishnavite devotional practice and the Raas Leela — ritual dance dramas enacting episodes from Krishna's life — set to a distinctive musical system featuring the pung (barrel drum) and kartal cymbals. UNESCO inscribed the Sankirtana tradition of Manipur, which encompasses this ritual music and dance, on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. The Manipuri tradition is particularly notable for its unique system of rhythm and its extraordinary emphasis on graceful, flowing movement rather than the percussive footwork central to other Indian classical forms.

The plucked string instruments of the Hindustani classical tradition — particularly the sitar and sarod — are among India's most globally recognised cultural exports, largely due to Pandit Ravi Shankar's collaborations with The Beatles' George Harrison in the 1960s that brought the sitar to Western popular consciousness. Ravi Shankar performed at Woodstock in 1969 and won three Grammy Awards, while his daughter Anoushka Shankar has continued the tradition with seven Grammy nominations of her own. The sarod tradition was established by the Senia and Maihar gharanas, with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan being its most celebrated modern exponents.

The Langa and Manganiar communities of Rajasthan have preserved a centuries-old hereditary tradition of folk-classical music that blends elements of Sufi devotional music, Rajput court music, and desert folk traditions into a distinctive sound that has captivated global audiences. Their instruments include the kamayacha (bowed instrument), morchang (jaw harp), khartal (clappers), and dholak, creating layered rhythmic textures unique in Indian music. The Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur and the Jaisalmer Desert Festival bring these musicians to international audiences, and Manganiar children's choirs have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

The kriti — a structured composition featuring a pallavi (refrain), anupallavi (sub-refrain), and charanam (verse) — is the foundational unit of Carnatic classical music performance and the primary compositional form through which this South Indian tradition is transmitted. The Trinity of Carnatic music — Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri, all active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries — composed thousands of kritis that remain the living repertoire of every Carnatic musician today. The Margazhi music season in Chennai each December, featuring over 1,000 concerts across 10 days, is the world's largest annual classical music festival.

The oldest surviving form of North Indian classical music, Dhrupad predates Khayal by several centuries and is characterised by its austere, meditative quality, the use of Sanskrit texts, and the centrality of the alap — an unaccompanied vocal exploration of a raga that can last over an hour. Dhrupad flourished under the patronage of the Mughal emperors, particularly Akbar, whose court musician Mian Tansen is considered a defining figure of the tradition. Today the Dagar family and the Gundecha Brothers are among the foremost exponents keeping this ancient form alive globally.

A semi-classical vocal form that blends classical rigor with folk elements and romantic devotional poetry, thumri is primarily associated with the Varanasi and Lucknow gharanas and features more textual and emotional expressiveness than formal Khayal. Traditionally performed at the conclusion of classical concerts as a lighter, more accessible piece, thumri lyrics typically explore the themes of Radha-Krishna devotion and the pain of separation (viraha). Legendary vocalist Girija Devi, who passed away in 2017, is credited with elevating thumri from a courtesan tradition to a respected concert art form.

One of India's eight classical dance forms, Odissi from the state of Odisha integrates vocal music, rhythmic percussion, and highly expressive body movement to narrate stories from Hindu mythology, particularly the Gita Govinda, a 12th-century poem by Jayadeva. UNESCO recognised the Gita Govinda's musical traditions in 2013, and the Odissi dance form itself was revived and codified in the 20th century by pioneers including Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and dancer Sanjukta Panigrahi. The form is distinguished by its tribhangi (three-body-bend) posture and the deeply sculptural quality of its movements, inspired by the temple carvings of Konark and Puri.

Bharatanatyam, originating from the devadasi temple dance traditions of Tamil Nadu, is the most widely practised Indian classical dance form globally, with an estimated 1 million active practitioners worldwide, and is inseparable from Carnatic music, which provides its rhythmic and melodic framework. The form was systematised in the early 20th century by the Thanjavur Quartet and later revived as a concert art form by Rukmini Devi Arundale, who founded Kalakshetra in Chennai in 1936. Today Bharatanatyam is taught in over 150 countries and has been incorporated into contemporary choreography and fusion performances on global stages.

The devotional musical form of South Asian Sufism, Qawwali uses call-and-response vocal patterns, harmonium, tabla, and sarangi to build ecstatic states of spiritual experience (sama) in listeners, with performances at Sufi shrines (dargahs) across India sometimes lasting all night. The tradition traces to the 13th-century Sufi mystic Amir Khusrau, who synthesised Persian, Arabic, and Indian musical elements at the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi, which remains one of the most important Qawwali centres in the world. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who died in 1997, brought Qawwali to global audiences and inspired musicians from Peter Gabriel to Massive Attack.

The classical performing arts tradition of Manipur in Northeast India revolve around Vaishnavite devotional practice and the Raas Leela — ritual dance dramas enacting episodes from Krishna's life — set to a distinctive musical system featuring the pung (barrel drum) and kartal cymbals. UNESCO inscribed the Sankirtana tradition of Manipur, which encompasses this ritual music and dance, on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. The Manipuri tradition is particularly notable for its unique system of rhythm and its extraordinary emphasis on graceful, flowing movement rather than the percussive footwork central to other Indian classical forms.

The plucked string instruments of the Hindustani classical tradition — particularly the sitar and sarod — are among India's most globally recognised cultural exports, largely due to Pandit Ravi Shankar's collaborations with The Beatles' George Harrison in the 1960s that brought the sitar to Western popular consciousness. Ravi Shankar performed at Woodstock in 1969 and won three Grammy Awards, while his daughter Anoushka Shankar has continued the tradition with seven Grammy nominations of her own. The sarod tradition was established by the Senia and Maihar gharanas, with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan being its most celebrated modern exponents.

The Langa and Manganiar communities of Rajasthan have preserved a centuries-old hereditary tradition of folk-classical music that blends elements of Sufi devotional music, Rajput court music, and desert folk traditions into a distinctive sound that has captivated global audiences. Their instruments include the kamayacha (bowed instrument), morchang (jaw harp), khartal (clappers), and dholak, creating layered rhythmic textures unique in Indian music. The Rajasthan International Folk Festival in Jodhpur and the Jaisalmer Desert Festival bring these musicians to international audiences, and Manganiar children's choirs have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.