Benares gharana was founded by Kirtankars in the 13th century and revived by Siddheshwari Devi, Rasoolan Bai, Badi Moti Bai, Mahadev Mishra, Girija Devi (mid-20th century) and Savita Devi. Instrumental gharanas Tabla gharanas The following are the six widely accepted gharanas (ordered based on chronology of founding): Delhi gharana is the oldest of the tabla gharanas Ajrara gharana is an offshoot of and closely associated with the Delhi Gharana Lucknow gharana has rhythmic development through Kathak Benares gharana Punjab gharana, popularized by Alla Rakha and Zakir Husain, developed through its original Pakhavaj repertoire Farrukhabad gharana is the youngest accepted tabla gharana, and an offshoot of all of the Gharanas, featuring their main concepts Wind and string instruments Bishnupur gharana Sufiana gharana of Kashmir (Santoor) Sitar gharanas Etawah gharana Maihar gharana Senia gharana Indore gharana (Beenkar gharana) Atrauli-Jaipur gharana Mewati gharana Sarod gharanas Senia-Maihar gharana Senia-Shahjahanpur gharana Lucknow-Shahjahanpur gharana Senia-Bangash gharana Dance gharanas In Kathak performers today generally draw their lineage from four major schools of Kathak: the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, the Lucknow gharana, the Benares gharana (born in the courts of the Kachwaha Rajput kings, the Nawab of Oudh, and Varanasi respectively.) and the Raigarh gharana (born in the court of Maharaja Chakradhar Singh of Raigarh.) The Lucknow gharana remains the most popular throughout the country. However, in recent time the Atrauli-Jaipur gharana has caught up and today most performers throughout India perform techniques belonging to both styles. With amalgamation of the techniques and poses from other dance forms, the purity of the movements and gestures may be diluted or modified along with the contemporary trends. Raigarh gharana is famous for its own distinctive composition and thousands of followers. References External links Gharana database at Swarganga Gharanas of Hindustani Music Gharana Tradition, by Prof. R. C. Mehta Hindustani music terminology Kathak