Bani

Bani refers to a certain distinct melodic style of the Dhrupad. There were five kinds of Banis. These were Suddha, Gobarahdra, Khandara, Dagara and Nauhara. There are divergent views as to the origin of these Banis. The first of these is that the five Banis of Dhrupad are derived from the five types of Svarasrita Gitis. There is much ambiguity as regards the issue of which Giti gave birth to which Bani. Some feel that the Suddha Bani is derived from Sadharanigiti, the Gobarahara Bani from Gaudi Giti, the Khandara Bani from Bhinna Giti, the Dagara Bani from Suddha Giti and the Nauhara Bani from Vesara or Vegasvara Giti. However, there are other scholars who are of the opinion that the Gobarahara Bani is derived from Suddha Giti, the Khandara Bani is derived from Vesara Giti, the Dagara Bani is derived from Bhinna Giti and the Nauhara Bani is derived from Gaudi Giti.

The second view as to the origin of the Banis holds that the Banis derived their names from the places where they developed and flourished. According to this view, the Gobarahara Bani, which is said to have been introduced by Tansen, started in Gwalior, the dialect of which was known as Gobarahara. Khandarabani which is said to have been introduced by Sammokhana Singh, originated in Khandara Pradesa, the dialect of which is known as Khandari. The Dagara Bani which is said to have been introduced by Brjachanda, originated in Dagara which was near Delhi. The Nauhar Bani, which is said to have been introduced by Srichanda, originated in a place called Nauha.

Some hold that Banis emerged from the school of music which was formed at Delhi by the descendants of Tansen. This school was named Senia Gharana after the name of Tansen. The school is reported to have flourished between the 16th and 18th centuries and reputedly produced many distinguished Dhrupadiyas (Dhrupad singers).

Tansen`s youngest son, Bilasa Khan, was the pioneer of Gobarahara Bani. The descendants of Tomtaranga , another son of Tansen, settled at Jaipur and pioneered the Dagara Bani. The third Senia line started with Naubata Khan, son-in-law of Tansen and came to be known as Khandara Bani. The musicians of the Khandara Bani were primarily Veena players and sang Dhrupad only secondarily.

The Banis had a short lifespan. In the course of time the different Banis merged with each other and lost much of their distinctive qualities. As a result, when a Dhrupad singer of today performs, it is difficult to say which of the various Banis he is combining in his particular performance. However, since the Suddha and Dagara Banis were less ornamented and offered a better scope for Layakaris, these are the ones which are predominantly reflected in the performance of a modern singer.