gharana · Dhrupad and khayal vocal, Instrumental
Vishnupur gharana
Also written Bishnupur gharana
Bengal's own classical school, dhrupad-rooted and central to the music of nineteenth-century Calcutta.
At a glance
- Type
- gharana
- Voice or instrument
- Dhrupad and khayal vocal, Instrumental
- Where it grew
- Bishnupur, West Bengal
- Earliest documented figures
- Bahadur Khan of Bishnupur
- Musicians documented
- 6
Origins and development
Traced to Bahadur Khan, a musician said to have settled at the Malla court of Bishnupur in the eighteenth century.
Musicians across generations
Ordered oldest first, so the list reads down the generations: the earliest documented musicians of the tradition, then the players who carried it on, then those active today. The second view shows only the teacher-to-student links the archive can source.
- Ramshankar Bhattacharya1761–1853Dhrupad vocalNo page yet
The first widely documented Vishnupur musician.
Taught by Bahadur Khan of Bishnupur
Relationship checking is complete against the source text read for this musician; wider biographical research is still outstanding.
Sources: Bishnupur gharana — Wikipedia · The Bishnupur Gharana · Vishnupur Gharana – A World,s Heritage Of Native Music · Bishnupur gharana
- Gopeswar Bandyopadhyay1880–1963Dhrupad and khayal vocalNo page yet
Scholar-singer who wrote down much of the gharana's repertoire.
No continuous-text source was read for this musician in the research run, only search result listings, so both the teacher checks and the wider biography remain unchecked.
Sources: Gopeshwar Banerjee · Gopeshwar Banerjee : Chakravarti, Suresh C.
- Radhika Prasad Goswami1860–1923Dhrupad and khayal vocalNo page yet
A leading Vishnupur singer in Calcutta.
No continuous-text source was read for this musician in the research run, only search result listings, so both the teacher checks and the wider biography remain unchecked.
Sources: Radhika Prasad Goswami Dhrupad Exponent Vishnupur Betiah
Bishnupur musician; father and teacher of Manilal Nag.
Sources: Manilal Nag — Wikipedia (training under his father Gokul Nag; Mita Nag as sixth-generation player)
Leading Bishnupur sitarist of his generation.
- Mita NagSitar
Daughter and disciple of Manilal Nag.
Sources: Manilal Nag — Wikipedia (training under his father Gokul Nag; Mita Nag as sixth-generation player)
Related instruments and places
Sources
Sources for this tradition
Researched entry · 6 musicians documented · Last reviewed 14 September 2026
Continue exploring
- Sangeetacharya Gokul NagDocumented in Vishnupur gharana. Their profile, with sources.
- Pandit Manilal NagDocumented in Vishnupur gharana. Their profile, with sources.
- Mita NagDocumented in Vishnupur gharana. Their profile, with sources.
- All teaching traditionsThe directory this tradition belongs to.
- Gharanas in the archiveTraditions with a full page of their own here.
Help this tradition grow
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