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Rudra Taal

Also spelled: Rudra

An 11-beat cycle opening with a five-beat stride — heavyweight odd-cycle territory.

Eleven matras in 5+2+2+2 — claps on 1, 6, and 8, wave on 10. The long opening vibhag dominates: five beats of run-up, then three short paired steps to the turn. The theka spans open and closed language ("Dha Thath Dha Tirekite | Dhi Na...").

The tala belongs to the outer repertoire — solo and instrumental settings where uncommon cycles are presented deliberately. Working it up is largely about internalizing the five-then-pairs stride until it stops feeling like arithmetic; the name invokes Shiva's fierce aspect.

Further reading

  • Martin Clayton, Time in Indian Music: Rhythm, Metre, and Form in North Indian Rag Performance (Oxford University Press, 2000).

These works cover this subject in depth. See the sources.

Definitions reviewed July 26, 2026Errors in a definition are corrected on notice. Report an error.