- This article is about khol, the Indian musical instrument.
- See also kohl.
The khol also known as a mrdanga (lit. "mrit+anga" = "clay body") is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music (bhakti). It originates from the Indian state West Bengal. In addition, it has uses in Bengali folk and semi-classical music.
One of the sides of the khol is much smaller than the other. Both sides are covered with naturally dead cow or goat skin. The smaller head (the dayan) and the bigger bass head (the baya) are usually three-layered heads in addition to a special central region of rice paste, glue, and iron known as the syahi. The drum is played with palms and fingers of both hands.
In ISKCON and in Gaudiya Vaishnava societies, the khol is the primary drum for kirtan and bhajan.
As khols became popular in the West, many varieties of khols resulted. The traditional clay khol gave rise to a fiberglass skinned khol (same as clay with only a fiberglass body), a brass khol (same as clay with only a brass body), and Balarama mridanga (a mridanga with a fiberglass body and plastic heads).
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