Jori, Jodi, Dhamma, or Jorhi (sometimes Jori-Pakhawaj) is a

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

n percussion instrument made up of two individual drums. The Jori originates from the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

region of South Asia. Historically, the Jori has accompanied Gurbani Kirtan. Prominent exponents of the Jori include Ustad Sukhvinder Singh 'Pinky", ,Bhai Baldeep Singh, Bhai Jasdeep Singh, Bhai Surdarshan Singh and Bhai Gian Singh Naamdhari. In its construction, the Jori is similar to the

Tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

. The key differences being the use of a larger ''dayaan/chathoo (also known as Poorra)'' (treble drum), and a wooden barrel-shaped ''bayaan/dagga'' (bass drum) with ''atta'' (dough) instead of the ''

syahi Syahi (also known as gaab, ank, satham or karanai) is the tuning paste applied to the head of many South Asian percussion instruments like the dholki, jori, tabla, madal, mridangam, khol and pakhavaj. Overview Syahi is usually black in col ...

/gub'', which is called a "Dhamma" .

History and origin

The Jori, Jodi, or Jorhi was first created by the 5th Sikh guru, Guru Arjun Dev Ji when his followers wanted to separate the much older & venerable

Pakhavaj The pakhavaj is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, originating from the Indian subcontinent, the oldest version of double sided drums and its descendants are mridangam of Southern India and kendang of Maritime Southeast Asia and other South Asia ...

into two instruments, similar to the tabla. Due to this, in modern times we notice the Tabla & Jori being confused as the same instrument, although these two instruments make completely different sounds, and the Jori is almost always much lower than the Tabla and does not produce a sharp sound. Visually the ''dayaan/chathoo (also known as Poorra)'' drum is quite similar to the tabla's dayaan/chathoo, but has a wider circumference. The way the instrument is played also differs, as with the Tabla a striking motion is used to produce a sharp sound, but an open hand, soft motion is used to produce sound on a Jori.

Former use in Gurbani & Kirtaan

As a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

instrument, the Jori, also known as Punjab's

Pakhawaj The pakhavaj is a barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, originating from the Indian subcontinent, the oldest version of double sided drums and its descendants are mridangam of Southern India and kendang of Maritime Southeast Asia and other South As ...

, was used alongside the rubab or rabab in

Gurbani Gurbani ( pa, ਗੁਰਬਾਣੀ) is a Sikh term, very commonly used by Sikhs to refer to various compositions by the Sikh Gurus and other writers of Guru Granth Sahib. In general, hymns in the central text of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib, ...

Kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts ...

, which is a form of devotional prayer & singing in the

Sikh religion Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

. Over a gradual period of time, and especially after the

Partition of Punjab The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

in 1947, most rubab players (which have historically been Muslim since the times of the first Sikh Gurus) emigrated to

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

. This took a way a key part of the Jori playing symphony, and the rebab was replaced with more canonically Indian instruments, such as the

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

to replace missing melody. In the Darbar Sahib, which is seen as a spiritual center for Sikhs, the Rubab has been expelled as an instrument that can be played, thus diminishing the Jori's presence as an instrument used specifically in kirtan. It has since been replaced in most of these setting by the Tabla, but the similar appearance between these two instruments confuses many to this day, especially with comparison to

Qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...

& Pakistani/Afghan Tablas, which use as larger Bayan/Dhamma for producing bass sounds (and also have a missing

/gub).

References

{{reflist Asian percussion instruments Punjabi music Indian musical instruments Membranophones