Dhol damau or dhol damaun is the term used to collectively refer to two folk instruments of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

and

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

, the

dhol Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such ...

and damau, which are almost always played together on special occasions; though they may be played separately. The two instruments play a vital role in the lives of villagers, who often live in remote valleys of the region, and every important event is accompanied by their playing, which is considered auspicious. They are played according to the ancient oral treatise of '' Dhol Sagar'' that lists specific rhythmic patterns for every occasion, from celebrating birth and christening to religious ceremonies, folk dramas like '' Pandav Lila'', and death rituals. Traditionally, they have been played by specific caste groups like ''auji'', ''bajgi'', ''das'' or ''dholi'' .

Notes

{{reflist Indian musical instruments Culture of Uttarakhand Folk music instruments Indian folk music