A cadential design of nine statements of a phrase separated by eight equal gaps, the ninth landing on sam — in effect a tihai of tihais compressed into one span. The name carries "nau," nine. The proportions must be solved exactly; the gaps are counted silence, not breath.
Nine attacks give an unmistakable hammering symmetry that audiences feel even without counting. Nauhakkas appear as climax material in solo work and as set pieces in Kathak. Tabla Focus's Tabla Math tool includes the nine-phrase, eight-gap layout for exploring the form's arithmetic.