Anandalahari

Anandalahari (Khulna)

Anandalahari stringed folk musical instrument, also known as khamak. It is made of an earthen or wooden bowl covered with leather. A number of strings are brought out through the middle of the leather covering and tied to a small piece of clay or wood. The bowl is held under the left arm and the strings, stretched with the left hand, are struck with a pin or stick to produce a gub-gub sound. The sound can be varied by manipulating the tension of the string.  

Because of the nature of sound that the instrument produces, it is locally called gab gubagub or gubgubi. Its classical name, however, is anandalahari. Usually, the instrument is played as an accompaniment to baul and other devotional songs. The name khamak is used in mangalkavyas such as bipradas pipilai's Manasavijay, mukundaram's Chandimangal and Manik Ganguly's Dharmamangal. [Wakil Ahmed]