The Dagar Archives

A first of its kind, The Dagar Archives is specifically dedicated to the Dhrupad gharana  i.e. the Dagar Gharana of music with support from govt. of Rajasthan - art and culture department, India. 

The Dagar Archives exhibits a collated history of the Dagar Gharana which dates back to 400-500 years. The ancestors of the Dagar Gharana were Brahmins. Surendra Nath Pandey, one of the forefathers, learnt Indian Classical Music from Pandit Mohan Das Jogi and was the first to start the practice of music in the family.  

The Dagar Gharana is known for the Dagur Vani style of Dhrupad, which elders in the family learnt from Swami Haridas Dagur. 

The museum is located on the second floor of Ravindra Manch, the cultural center of Jaipur. The two galleries of the museum house artifacts such as musical instruments, turbans, personal belongings, rare photographs and photos of doyens of Dagar Gharana such as Ustad Allabande Khan Dagar, Ustad Bande Ali Khan, Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, Ustad Zakiruddin Khan Dagar, Ustad Allabande Khan Dagar, Ustad Allabande Nasiruddin Khan Dagar and Ustad Allabande Imamuddin Khan Dagar. The family tree of the Dagar Gharana is also on display.

The archive visited by renowned personalities from the field of music and art also houses a music corner which has a library of rare recordings for students and researchers. So far, The Dagar Archives has supported two PhDs. The archive hosts a number of rare manuscripts, artifacts and audio recordings which are not available elsewhere. One such rare recording presents the system of taleem under Guru-Shishya parampara of Dagar Gharana. In Jaipur and Delhi, the Archive organizes regular cultural activities associated with music, art and rare aspects of Indian Culture.