Indian woman playing a bongo-like instrument, traditional bright green and red dress

The Dholak is a side drum, cylindrical in shape, bored out of solid wood. Its pitch is variable and is an essential accompaniment for folk music of North India. Indian classical music is intimately associated with temple rituals. Devdasis (women dedicated to the temples) were the developers and the keepers of Indian classical music who performed in temples during religious celebrations. They could read and write; they knew poetry; they taught yoga to the community, and unlike other women, they could buy and sell property.