Shahjahanpur

The Shahjahanpur gharana, also known as the Senia-Shahjahanpur gharana, is one of the most important traditions in Instrumental performance, with roots dating approximately to the 16th century. This gharana played a pivotal role in the development of the modern Instrumental instrument and its distinctive playing style. The tradition emerged when Afghan-born musicians who were originally horse traders and soldiers in the Mughal cavalry, and also amateur musicians playing the Afghan rabab, settled in Shahjahanpur, approximately 100 miles from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. In India, they learned the music of Miyan Tansen from ustads of the Senia rabab tradition, descendants of Tansen through his son Miyan Bilas Khan.

The gharana's development is closely linked to the evolution of the Instrumental from the Afghan rabab. Since this gharana evolved primarily from the rabab, the playing style initially developed with the heavy right-handed strumming of the strings characteristic of the rababiya technique. The Lucknow-Shahjahanpur narrative traces the rabab-Instrumental story back to two cousins, Madar Khan and Khan Sahib Gul Khan, who traveled to India from Ghazni and Jalalabad in the early 18th century carrying their rababs. The creation of the dhrupad rabab and its school, Senia (derived from Tansen's title "Miyan"), established the foundation upon which the Shahjahanpur Instrumental tradition would flourish.

In the 20th century, Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra (1917–1984) created a unique synthesis by fusing the traditional rababiya style of Shahjahanpur with the gayaki (vocal) style of the Senia gharana. Trained initially by Ustad Mohammed Ameer Khan (1877–) of Shahjahanpur, one of the greatest contributors to the gharana's development, Radhika Mohan's innovations enriched the tradition immensely. The larant is a unique movement where the rababiya style of Instrumental playing is best demonstrated, allowing the artist to combine the melody of the alap with a rhythmic, fast-paced movement to paint a more complete picture of the raga.

The gharana has produced numerous eminent Instrumental players over the generations. Ustad Bahadur Khan was a master of the Senia-Shahjahanpur gharana and one of the most renowned Instrumental players of the 20th century, credited with popularizing the instrument in India and helping establish it as a major force in classical music. Other luminaries include Enayat Ali (1883–1915), Ustad Murad Ali Khan, and Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, who combined the rabab style beautifully with the gayaki (vocal) style. In 1976, Radhika Mohan founded the Mohammed Ameer Khan School of Instrumental Music, dedicated to developing young talent in Instrumental and sitar to carry forward the banner of the Shahjahanpur gharana, ensuring the tradition's continued vitality.