The Khol and the Tal play a predominant role in Sattriya Music. The Khol is a skinned instrument of varied shape. Usually it is made of wood, though at the time of Sankardeva it was made of clay. The name of the instrument is derived from the Assamese verb root ‘khol’ which means a hole. A long piece of wood is hollowed up keeping both the ends open to be covered with skin. A standard size of Khol is generally held as 74.53 cm in length. The tuning is done by tightening the braces called barati. For the resonance and malleability of sound, a permanent plaster, called Ghun, is placed at the centre of the skin in a circular manner. The Khol used in Sattriya dance has its own syllabic sounds called bol. In some Sattras, there is a use of Mridanga instead of Khol – both differ in shape and size.
(Sourced from The Sattriya Dance of Assam – an Analytical and Critical Study by Jagannath Mahanta)
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