---
title: "Traditional drummers in Bengaluru: which drums fit your event, and what a troupe costs"
description: "What chenda melam, Punjabi dhol, dhol tasha and dollu kunitha drummers cost in Bangalore: about ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 for one dhol player and ₹12,000 to ₹25,000 for a small chenda melam welcome (our estimates), and a Punjabi dhol team from ₹25,000 at one Bengaluru baraat company. How many you need, what's extra, the 10pm rule and police permission, and how far ahead to book."
canonical: https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru
last_updated: 2026-10-24
---

# Traditional drummers in Bengaluru

Almost no drum troupe in Bengaluru prints a price, and festival dates fill fast. This answers which drums suit your event, what drummers cost by players and hours, and what the 10pm rule means for you, from troupes' own pages, the police and state rules, and the requests families and shops sent mytribe.

Chenda, dhol, dhol tasha, dollu kunitha · The 10pm rule · Updated 24 Oct 2026

The dhol team prices are BookMyBaraat Bangalore's own, read on 23 October 2026, and the speaker price is TechnoRent's own, read on 24 October 2026. Every other price is our estimate and says so. Check it when you book.

## Q1. Which drums suit my event: chenda, dhol, dhol tasha or dollu kunitha?

**Chenda melam for a Malayali wedding, a welcome or a temple-style procession. A Punjabi dhol for a baraat or a sangeet, where people dance. A dhol tasha group for a Ganesh procession. Dollu kunitha for a Kannada event like a housewarming, Dasara or Rajyotsava. The drummers dance as they play, so people stop to watch.** For a shop or office opening with no family tradition to go by, chenda melam and dollu kunitha both pull people in from the road.

![Chenda melam players in white mundus with yellow sashes, a chenda drum with yellow ropes in front, playing with curved sticks](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/f79f7f86-7cdd-412f-9cff-062be9becccc) A chenda melam: tall drums hung at the waist, played with curved sticks, the players in white mundus and matching sashes. Photo: Team Malayalees.

| Drums | Good for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Chenda melam | A Malayali wedding entry, a welcome at the door, a temple-style or Ganesh procession | Kerala's temple drums, with brass cymbals. Very loud, built for the open air. Singari melam is the faster style most troupes play at weddings and openings |
| Punjabi dhol | A baraat, a mehendi or a sangeet, where people dance | One to a few players with a big two-sided dhol. Easy to add to a DJ night |
| Dhol tasha, or Nashik dhol | A Ganesh procession | Maharashtra's procession drums, played by a big group with small tasha drums and flags. Some pathaks here are volunteer groups |
| Dollu kunitha | A Kannada housewarming, Dasara, Rajyotsava or an opening | Karnataka's drum dance: 10 to 12 drummers who dance as they play. A show a crowd stops to watch, so it needs space |
| Dhaki | A Bengali Durga puja | Usually booked for the five days by the puja committee |
| Kodava valaga, tamate, parai, panchavadyam | A Kodava wedding; Tamil and Kannada street festivals; a Kerala temple festival | Mostly booked through the community. We found no troupe here that prints a price |

**Anyone can book any of them.** If an elder in the family cares which drums come, ask them before you book, because they're the one who decides.

**Source of this answer:** Karnataka Tourism on dollu kunitha, the own pages of a Bengaluru chenda troupe and a baraat company, a Kerala troupe's reels, and how these drums are usually booked.

- [Karnataka Tourism](https://karnatakatourism.org/en/experiences/dollu-kunitha): dollu kunitha is performed by 10 to 12 drummers, at temple festivals, Mysuru Dasara and Bengaluru Habba.
- [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/): a Bengaluru chenda melam troupe for weddings, temple festivals, processions and companies. Its own site, read 23 October 2026.
- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): Punjabi dhol and Nashik dhol and tasha teams for baraats. Its own page, read 23 October 2026.
- [Team Malayalees](https://mytribe.in/team_kerala_events), a Kerala chenda melam troupe on mytribe: its reels show it at Ganesh processions, temple festivals, weddings and shop openings, mostly in Kerala and Hyderabad, none we could place in Bengaluru. The photo is a still from one of its reels, April 2025.
- The rest is how these drums are usually booked, not one troupe's record.

## Q2. How much do traditional drummers cost in Bengaluru?

**One dhol player for an hour or two is about ₹2,000 to ₹4,000, and a chenda melam of 6 to 8 for a welcome about ₹12,000 to ₹25,000. Both are our estimates. For dhol teams, one Bengaluru baraat company charges from ₹25,000 for a Punjabi dhol team and from ₹45,000 for a 15-player Nashik dhol tasha team.** At home, a hired speaker playing a recording is ₹1,400 for 12 hours.

- **A recording on a hired speaker, at home or in a hall:** ₹1,400 for 12 hours. A 100W portable speaker at TechnoRent, a Bengaluru rental firm. Delivery isn't on its page. ![An illustration of one portable speaker on a tripod beside the marigold-decked door of a Bengaluru flat, a family greeting guests at a housewarming](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/speaker-6cc669e08e.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.
- **One dhol player, an hour or two:** About ₹2,000 to ₹4,000. Our estimate, for a player you call yourself. ![An illustration of one Punjabi dhol player in a turban outside a Bengaluru wedding hall in the evening, three guests dancing beside him](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/one-dhol-be4e9909ef.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.
- **A chenda melam welcome, 6 to 8 players:** About ₹12,000 to ₹25,000. Our estimate, for a local troupe, about an hour at an entrance. ![An illustration of six chenda players and a cymbal player in white mundus at the entrance of a Bengaluru hall, guests in sarees walking in](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/chenda-welcome-d1ba813656.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.
- **A dollu kunitha troupe, 10 to 12, a short set:** About ₹20,000 to ₹35,000. Our estimate, and the one we're least sure of. ![An illustration of a dollu kunitha troupe of ten in black and red, big drums hung from the shoulder, dancing in a circle in a Bengaluru apartment courtyard](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/dollu-b669350a76.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.
- **A Punjabi dhol team:** From ₹25,000. At one Bengaluru baraat company, travel in the city included. Its price card says 12 players, its packages show 6, so ask how many come. ![An illustration of twelve Punjabi dhol players in matching kurtas and orange turbans leading a baraat down a Bengaluru road](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/punjabi-team-ac95fabd6e.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.
- **A Nashik dhol tasha team of 15:** From ₹45,000. At the same company, which doesn't say for how many hours. ![An illustration of fifteen dhol tasha players in white and saffron with a flag, leading a Ganesh idol on a cart down a Bengaluru street](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/nashik-c7d19f472d.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.

**Dhol teams are priced by head count.** One Bengaluru baraat company's Punjabi dhol team is from ₹25,000. Its price card says 12 players and its packages show 6, so that's ₹2,100 to ₹4,200 a player. Ask how many will come. Its baraat package of six dhols, a white horse with a chatri, an on-time promise and coordination with your wedding planner is ₹35,000, with the horse in it. On its own, the horse is from ₹15,000.

**The cheapest live drums are one or two players you call yourself.** Two dhols for a short baraat walk is about ₹4,000 to ₹8,000, our estimate. Some dhol tasha pathaks are volunteer groups that ask for a donation towards their drums, food and travel in place of a fee.

**No chenda or dollu kunitha troupe here prints a price.** So we'd put a chenda or dollu player at about what that company's dhol players work out to: ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 for an outing. Treat them as a starting point and get two quotes.

**A troupe from out of town costs more.** A chenda troupe from Kerala or Chennai, or a pathak from Pune, adds train or bus fares, food and a room for every player. Ask for that as a separate line, so you can compare it with a local troupe.

**A dhaki for a Durga puja:** we found no Bengaluru figure. In Delhi, dhakis told a reporter in October 2026 that they earn ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 each for the five days, and the committee gives them food and a place to stay.

**A recording isn't the same thing,** but at home or in a hall it can fill a few minutes at the door. In the 2026 Ganesh processions DJs were banned, and sound systems were allowed only within the legal limits. Whether a recorded track on a speaker counts as a DJ is for the police to say.

**Source of this answer:** one Bengaluru baraat company's and one sound rental firm's own prices, and our estimates built from the dhol team prices.

- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): a Punjabi dhol team from ₹25,000, 12 members on its price card and 6 in its packages; a 15-member Nashik dhol and tasha team from ₹45,000; the Silver package of six dhols, a horse with a chatri, an on-time promise and coordination with your wedding planner ₹35,000; the horse alone from ₹15,000; travel inside Bangalore included; GST if you want an invoice. No hours printed. Its own page, read 23 October 2026.
- [TechnoRent](https://technorent.in/product-category/sound-rentals-bangalore/speakers-for-rent/): a 100W portable active speaker ₹1,400 for 12 hours, ₹1,700 a day; delivery not stated. Its own page, read 24 October 2026.
- [Local Samosa](https://www.localsamosa.com/people-culture/dhakis-into-seasonal-migrant-workers-12675618), 16 October 2026: dhakis in Delhi's Chittaranjan Park earn ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 for the five days of the puja; committees give food and lodging.
- [Deccan Herald](https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-troupe-revives-16th-century-maharashtrian-dhol-tasha-beats-3736552), 2025: a Bengaluru dhol tasha pathak whose members play unpaid, the money raised going on instruments, practice, food and travel. We could read it only through a search summary.
- Our sums: ₹25,000 is about ₹2,100 a player for 12 or ₹4,200 for 6; ₹45,000 for 15 is ₹3,000. Our estimates: one dhol player ₹2,000 to ₹4,000 and two dhols ₹4,000 to ₹8,000, inside that per-player range; a chenda welcome of 6 to 8 at ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 a player (₹12,000 to ₹24,000, rounded to ₹25,000); dollu kunitha 10 to 12 at the same rate. No Bengaluru troupe prints a chenda or dollu kunitha price on its own page.

## Q3. How many drummers do I need for a wedding or a procession?

**The space decides it first, then the crowd. Four to eight players fill a hall entrance or a gate welcome at a housewarming. A road procession needs 10 to 15 to be heard over the crowd. For a baraat, two dhols are enough for a short walk, but one baraat company's packages come with six.** More players in a small hall or a basement is painfully loud, and it costs more.

| Where they play | Players | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A housewarming at the gate, or a hall entrance | 4 to 8 | Enough to fill a door and a lobby. More is too loud in a closed space, and the photos look cramped |
| A small temple or a community prayer hall | 7 to 12 | What one Bengaluru chenda troupe sends for a small temple |
| A baraat | 2 to 6 dhols | Two do a short walk. One baraat company's packages come with six, for a bigger, louder walk |
| A dollu kunitha show | 10 to 12 | The usual troupe size. A smaller one may be possible; ask |
| A road procession, Ganesh or a festival | 10 to 15, or more | To be heard over the crowd. A big festival procession can run to 30, 50 or 100+ |

**For a long procession, ask for one or two spare players.** The drums are heavy and are carried the whole time, so players take turns and the sound holds.

**Source of this answer:** a Bengaluru chenda troupe's and a baraat company's own pages, Karnataka Tourism, and how troupes usually size a job.

- [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/temple-festival-chenda-melam-bangalore/): 7 to 12 artists for smaller temples and community prayer halls; 30, 50 or 100+ for big festival processions. Its home page says its standard group is 10 to 30 artists. Its own site, read 23 October 2026.
- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): six dhols in its baraat packages, 12 in its Punjabi dhol team, 15 in its Nashik team. Its own page, read 23 October 2026.
- [Karnataka Tourism](https://karnatakatourism.org/en/experiences/dollu-kunitha): dollu kunitha by 10 to 12 drummers.
- The gate, hall and procession sizes and the spare players are how troupes usually size a job.

## Q4. Why do chenda melam prices vary so much for the same procession?

**For the same 10 players and two hours, we'd put a typical modest troupe at about ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 and a premium one at ₹40,000 to ₹50,000. The extra pays for seasoned players and a lead who takes your cue, matching costumes, spare players so the beat holds, and a troupe that comes early to tune up.** Get two quotes for your own date and compare them with this.

**A typical modest troupe, About ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 (our estimate)**
- A local troupe, often younger players who learnt at a chenda class and play at weekends
- Clean white mundus, the sashes not always matching
- Comes in its own tempo van and plays the set
- On a festival day, may fit you between other bookings
![An illustration of ten young chenda players in plain white mundus and shirts, sashes in different colours, playing in a Ganesh procession on a Bengaluru street, a tempo van behind](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/pair-modest-3a7e85d135.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.

**A typical premium troupe, About ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 (our estimate)**
- Seasoned players, with a lead who has led temple melams and takes your cue for the aarti or the groom
- Matching gold-bordered mundus, sashes and headbands, kept for shows
- Comes early to tighten the drum skins, brings spare players, puts the start time in writing
- Booked months ahead for festival dates, and charges for the date
![An illustration of ten chenda players in matching gold-bordered mundus with red sashes and headbands, a lead player in front signalling with his stick, in a Ganesh procession on a Bengaluru street](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/site/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru/pair-premium-4c5936bd7b.png) Picture: Illustration by mytribe, not a photograph of any troupe.

The same job, ten chenda players for about two hours in a Bengaluru procession. Both prices are our estimate, and no troupe is named beside either.

**Both play the same drums.** A modest troupe is a fine choice for a housewarming or a short welcome at the door. For a two-hour road procession or the wedding video, the seasoned lead, the spare players and the matching costumes are where the extra money shows.

**Ask any troupe the same four things:** how many players and who leads, what they'll wear, when they'll arrive to tune up, and whether they bring spares.

**Source of this answer:** our estimate, from the per-player figures in question 2, and how chenda troupes usually work.

- Our estimate: ₹20,000 to ₹30,000 is ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 a player for ten, the same as our chenda welcome in question 2. ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 is ₹4,000 to ₹5,000 a player, about the top of what the baraat company's dhol team works out to (₹4,200 if it is 6 players), plus spare players. No Bengaluru troupe prints a chenda price we could check.
- The differences are how chenda troupes usually work, not one troupe's record.
- Our providers: no troupe of ours in Bengaluru works either way yet.
- Pictures: illustrations by mytribe of each side.

## Q5. How long does a drum troupe play for the price, and what costs extra?

**A flat price usually covers one outing of an hour or two, counted from the start time you agreed. So the wait while the idol is lifted or the groom gets ready counts as playing time.** Overtime and travel from outside the city cost extra. So do a horse, dancers or LED dhols, if you add them. Agree the start time, the end time and the overtime rate before you pay the advance.

| What | What it costs | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting | Counted as playing time | The clock starts at the agreed time. A short procession can take two hours with the stops |
| Overtime | Usually by the hour. No troupe here prints a rate | Agree the rate before the day, or you'll be settling it at 9.30pm while everyone's dancing |
| Travel | Inside Bengaluru, often included | BookMyBaraat includes travel inside Bangalore and goes up to 100 km out, at a price it doesn't print. A troupe from outside the city adds fares, food and rooms |
| A horse with a chatri | From ₹15,000 on its own | One baraat company sells it beside the drums, and puts it inside its ₹35,000 six-dhol package |
| A brass band | From ₹30,000 at the same company | A separate band, on top of the dhols |
| Dancers, flags, LED dhols | Ask | Some troupes add them. Say which ones you want and which you don't |
| GST | Added if you want an invoice, at the same company | A small troupe may not have GST at all |

**Pick one person from your side to talk to the troupe leader on the day:** when to start, when to go louder for the aarti or the groom, and when to stop, or they'll just keep playing.

**Source of this answer:** a Bengaluru baraat company's own page, read 23 October 2026, and how troupes usually charge.

- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): travel inside Bangalore included; service up to 100 km outside, price not printed; a horse with a chatri from ₹15,000; a uniformed brass band from ₹30,000; GST if you want an invoice. Its own page, read 23 October 2026.
- Waiting counted as playing time, overtime by the hour, and the extras are how troupes usually charge. No Bengaluru troupe prints an overtime rate.

## Q6. Can drummers play after 10pm in Bengaluru, and do I need police permission?

**Plan to finish by 10pm. A 2022 Karnataka circular says no loudspeakers, PA systems or sound-producing instruments from 10pm to 6am, except inside closed halls, and the minister said it covers weddings too. It doesn't say whether acoustic drums count, so on the night the police decide.** For a Ganesh procession the police also want the date, time and route in advance. For a baraat, ask the local police station and the hall.

**Can you play drums there, and till when?**

- **A Ganesh procession on the road:** **Loudspeakers and sound-producing instruments stop at 10pm under the state circular, and the police set the procession's own hours.** Give them the date, time and route in advance, use only the route they clear, and hand in a volunteer list. In 2026 that meant no DJs, and sound systems only within the legal limits. The pandal's permit doesn't cover the procession. Who says so: The state's 2022 circular, and Bengaluru police's Ganesh rules. How firm: On the night, the police there decide about drums.
- **A wedding baraat on the road:** **We found no permit rule for a baraat itself, but the minister said the 10pm circular covers weddings.** Ask the local police station before it walks on a public road, ask the hall about its driveway, and plan to reach the venue before 10pm. Who says so: The state's 2022 circular; no baraat permit rule we found. How firm: Ask the station.
- **Inside an apartment campus:** **Ask the association first, in writing, with the time and where the troupe will play.** A gate, a podium or the clubhouse may be fine where a corridor or the basement isn't. Who says so: Your association's own rules. How firm: Their call, and it differs from building to building.
- **A wedding or banquet hall:** **Ask the hall before you book the troupe.** The 10pm circular doesn't cover closed halls, but the hall can still say no to drums, or allow them only at the entrance. Who says so: The hall. How firm: The hall's call.
- **An office or a tech park:** **Ask the building's facilities team about the atrium and the road outside,** and send them the names of every player for the security desk. Who says so: The building. How firm: Their call.

From news reports of the state's 2022 circular and the Bengaluru police's Ganesh rules for 2024 and 2026. None of them says whether acoustic drums count.

[Ask us about your place (WhatsApp +91 63600 04054)](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi!%20I'm%20planning%20traditional%20drummers%20in%20Bengaluru%20and%20want%20to%20know%20what's%20allowed%20where%20they'll%20play.%0AWhere%20the%20drums%20play%3A%20)

**10pm to 6am.** A Karnataka circular of 10 May 2022, as reported, covers loudspeakers, public address systems and sound-producing instruments from 10pm to 6am, and the minister said it applies to temples, mosques, churches and marriage ceremonies. Closed rooms such as auditoriums, community halls and banquet halls are exempt.

**Ganesh 2026.** As reported on 6 September 2026, the police commissioner's rules banned DJs at pandals and in immersion processions, allowed only sound systems within the legal limits, asked organisers to give the date, time and route of the immersion in advance and use only the route cleared, and to hand in a volunteer list. Nobody may drink before or during the procession, and organisers are held responsible. Those were the 2026 rules, so ask the station about the year you're planning.

**DJs in processions.** A West Bengaluru police circular of 14 August 2025 banned DJs in festival processions and gatherings, and the Karnataka High Court upheld it on 23 August 2025. The report we read doesn't say whether acoustic drums or a recorded track on a speaker are covered.

**Permission.** In 2024 the police said organisers need the local police station's permission before putting up a Ganesha in a public place, and the civic body's permission for the pandal. In 2026 they asked for every permission from the departments concerned.

**Source of this answer:** news reports of the state and police orders, each dated. None of them says whether acoustic drums count.

- [The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-ban-use-loudspeaker-between-10-pm-and-6-am-amid-row-163812), 11 May 2022: the Karnataka circular of 10 May 2022 on loudspeakers, public address systems and sound-producing instruments from 10pm to 6am; temples, mosques, churches and marriage ceremonies named; closed rooms exempt; action under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- [Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/no-loudspeakers-after-10-pm-permits-from-bbmp-for-constructing-pandals-bengaluru-polices-guidelines-on-gowri-ganesha-festival-444155-2024-09-03), 3 September 2024: Bengaluru police's Gowri-Ganesha guidance, the local police station's permission for idols in public places, the civic body's permission for pandals, loudspeakers from 6am to 10pm.
- [Asianet Newsable](https://newsable.asianetnews.com/karnataka-news/bengaluru-ganesha-festival-2026-police-issue-new-rules-djs-banned-under-supreme-court-order-articleshow-7m6rr93), 6 September 2026: the Bengaluru police commissioner's Ganesh rules for 2026.
- [Lawfinder](https://lawfinder.news/articles/Prohibition-on-of-DJs-and-sound-systems-in-public-gatherings-during-festivals-Police-Circular-upheld): the West Bengaluru police circular of 14 August 2025 on DJs, upheld by the Karnataka High Court on 23 August 2025.
- A wedding baraat's own permit, and any permit fee: we couldn't find either.

## Q7. How early should I book drummers, and how much advance do they take?

**One Bengaluru chenda troupe asks you to book at least 2 to 4 weeks ahead, more for a weekend or a November-to-February wedding. A Bengaluru baraat company wants 2 to 6 months' notice in its peak seasons, and 30% to confirm. For Ganesh week or Dasara, ask as early as you can.** Ask what happens to the advance if it rains or you cancel before you pay.

- **The chenda troupe** recommends at least 2 to 4 weeks, earlier for weekends and the November-to-February wedding season.
- **The baraat company** recommends 2 to 6 months for its peak seasons, and takes 30% to confirm and 70% on the event day.
- **Neither names Ganesh week or Dasara.** Every committee in the city wants music the same few days, so ask as soon as you have the date.
- **A troupe may have another booking the same day.** Ask, and write the start and end time into the message where you agree the price.
- **Rain:** drum skins go slack in the wet, and a downpour can stop the playing. Ask what happens to your money if it pours, before you pay.

**Source of this answer:** a Bengaluru chenda troupe's and a baraat company's own pages, read 23 October 2026.

- [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/): book at least 2 to 4 weeks ahead, earlier for weekends; peak wedding season November to February.
- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): book 2 to 6 months ahead in peak season; 30% advance, 70% on the event day.
- Asking early for Ganesh week and Dasara is our advice, since both pages leave them out. Rain and same-day bookings are how troupes usually work.

## Q8. Where do I find a chenda or dollu kunitha troupe in Bengaluru, and how do I check it's good?

**Ask at a temple near you that holds a melam, a Kerala or Kannada cultural association, or a chenda class. You can also look up a troupe's own website. Then ask for a recent video of the same team that will come, in the costume they'll wear. Good drumming stays together, builds from slow to fast when the lead signals, and has the crowd moving.**

**Where people usually find one.** Kerala temples and Malayali associations in Bengaluru often know the chenda troupes that play their festivals, and chenda classes often have a troupe of their own. For dollu kunitha, ask a Kannada cultural association or the organisers of a local Rajyotsava. Some troupes have their own website, such as [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/) for chenda melam, though it prints no price.

- **A welcome at a hall door:** Matching mundus and sashes. ![A chenda troupe in white mundus with blue borders playing at the lit entrance of a hall, a man walking in past them](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/688bb8dc-d108-475d-8766-db6706ff0de0)
- **A crowd round the drums:** The same costume on every player. ![Chenda players in white mundus with blue sashes playing under a covered entrance, a crowd standing round them](https://assets.mytribe.in/insecure/rs:fit:1200:0/f:webp/plain/s3://mytribe-assets-production/4603e61f-a578-47d0-9c11-d889ddf7ad79)
What a full chenda troupe in matching costumes looks like. Stills from Team Malayalees' own reels, 2023. Photos: Team Malayalees.

**What to look and listen for in a video.** This is how people who know these drums usually judge one:

- **They stay together.** Every stick comes down at once, and nobody drifts off the beat.
- **It builds.** A chenda melam starts slow and gets faster and louder in steps, and the lead signals each change.
- **The drums sound sharp.** A tight skin cracks and a slack one thuds.
- **The crowd moves.** People dancing or pressing in close is the best sign there is.

**Then ask:** is this the same team, how many will come, who leads, and what will they wear. A troupe's best reel may be its full team on its best day. Ask for photos of the costume, and a name and number for the leader on the day.

**Source of this answer:** a Bengaluru chenda troupe's own site, a Kerala troupe's reels, and how people usually find and judge a troupe.

- [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/): a Bengaluru chenda melam troupe with its own site and no price.
- [Team Malayalees](https://mytribe.in/team_kerala_events): the photos are stills from its own reels, November and December 2023.
- Where to ask and what to listen for are how people usually find and judge a troupe, not one troupe's record.

## Q9. Do I tip the drummers or give them food, and what if they drink on the job?

**The fee is the whole fee. In a baraat, notes waved over the groom usually go to the dhol players by custom, and you don't owe more. Give water and a snack, and a meal on a long or early-morning booking.** At a Ganesh immersion procession nobody may drink, under the 2026 police rules. At a wedding or a housewarming, agree with the leader when you book that nobody drinks before or while they play.

- **Agree that the price covers the full time,** so nobody stops at the lake or the gate and asks for more to go on. If you want to give something at the end, decide the amount yourself.
- **Bargaining:** ask each troupe for its price for your hours and your number of players, and compare two quotes for the same thing, which is fair to both sides.
- **A corner to change and keep the drums,** near where they start, and water through the set.
- **Cash:** fine for most troupes. Ask for a simple receipt if your society treasurer needs one.
- **Keep the balance for the day,** as one baraat company does (70% on the event day), and agree when in the day you pay it.

**Source of this answer:** the Bengaluru police's Ganesh rules for 2026, as reported, a baraat company's terms, and how troupes are usually paid and looked after.

- [Asianet Newsable](https://newsable.asianetnews.com/karnataka-news/bengaluru-ganesha-festival-2026-police-issue-new-rules-djs-banned-under-supreme-court-order-articleshow-7m6rr93), 6 September 2026: no alcohol before or during the immersion procession.
- [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/): 30% advance, 70% on the event day. Its own page, read 23 October 2026.
- Money waved in a baraat, food and water, and cash are how these jobs usually go.

## Before you pay, settle these eight

1. The start time and the end time, in writing
2. The overtime rate, and whether waiting counts
3. How many players come, and who leads
4. What they'll wear: photos of the same team
5. Travel, food and rooms, if they come from outside the city
6. The advance, and what happens if it rains or you cancel
7. The police, the association or the hall: who has said yes
8. One person from your side to give the cues on the day

[Ask us to look for a troupe (WhatsApp +91 63600 04054)](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi!%20I'm%20looking%20for%20traditional%20drummers%20in%20Bengaluru.%20When%20you%20find%20troupes%2C%20please%20ask%20them%3A%20the%20start%20and%20end%20time%2C%20the%20overtime%20rate%20and%20whether%20waiting%20counts%2C%20how%20many%20players%20and%20who%20leads%2C%20what%20they'll%20wear%2C%20travel%20and%20food%20if%20they're%20from%20outside%20the%20city%2C%20and%20the%20advance%20if%20it%20rains%20or%20we%20cancel.)

## What Bengaluru families and shops asked us for

Requests to mytribe, in our words.

- **A salon in JP Nagar, Jul 2026:** A grand opening on 2 August, outdoors, about 60 guests: **a Kerala chenda melam with four players**. No budget in mind. (Shop opening, 4 players, Outdoors)

- **A company in JP Nagar, Channasandra, Magadi Road, Attibele, May 2026:** Launches for four new stores: flowers on the glass door, a balloon arch, a diya lighting and a ribbon cutting, with **a dollu kunitha troupe to draw a crowd from the road**. (Store launches, Dollu kunitha)

- **A family in Bhoopasandra, Aug 2025:** Dholak players for a puja, **on a budget of ₹1,000 to ₹2,500**, and the best options for it. A dhol was fine too. (Puja, ₹1,000 to ₹2,500)

## Want help finding a troupe?

**Drummers get booked fast on festival days, and almost no troupe prints a price.** Tell us the date, the place, the drums and how long, and we'll look for a troupe that can do it. We'll tell you what we know about each one, and whether it's been through our checks. It's free for you.

**No troupe of ours in Bengaluru supplies drummers yet.** So for drums we look beyond our own list, and tell you which troupes we have and haven't checked. [How we check providers](https://mytribe.in/how-we-verify)

**How you pay.** You pay the troupe directly, at the same price as going to them yourself.

The same chat answers questions about the job itself, like whether a quote is fair. This guide is about Bengaluru. For another city, ask on the same number.

**Decide these before you ask**

Each one changes the price or who fits.

- **The event** ([Q1](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#which-drums-for-my-event)): A Ganesh procession / A wedding welcome or baraat / A housewarming / A shop or office opening / A temple or festival event
- **The drums** ([Q1](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#which-drums-for-my-event)): Chenda melam / Punjabi dhol / Dhol tasha / Dollu kunitha / Something else / Not sure yet
- **How long they play** ([Q5](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#how-long-drummers-play)): Under 30 minutes / About an hour / About two hours / Longer
- **Where they play** ([Q6](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#drums-after-10pm-and-police-permission)): On the road / Inside an apartment campus / In a hall / At an office or shop
- **Date and area**

[Ask us to look for a troupe (WhatsApp +91 63600 04054)](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi!%20I'm%20looking%20for%20traditional%20drummers%20in%20Bengaluru.%0AThe%20event%3A%20%0AThe%20drums%3A%20%0AHow%20long%20they%20play%3A%20%0AWhere%20they%20play%3A%20%0ADate%20and%20area%3A%20)

## The troupe in this guide

No troupe of ours based in Bengaluru supplies drummers yet. Team Malayalees is on mytribe and based in Chennai and Hyderabad. We haven't spoken to them about Bengaluru, so ask them for the price.

- [Team Malayalees](https://mytribe.in/team_kerala_events), Based in Chennai and Hyderabad: A Kerala chenda melam troupe on mytribe. Their posts say they take Bengaluru bookings, but we haven't spoken to them about Bengaluru. Ask for the price. Pick id: `provider:team_kerala_events`.

## More questions

### What's the difference between chenda melam and singari melam?

Singari melam is a style of chenda melam: faster and lighter, played at weddings, openings and processions. The long, slow-building chenda melams are temple forms. Panchavadyam is a different Kerala temple ensemble, with other instruments besides drums. For a wedding welcome or a Ganesh procession, most troupes here play singari melam.

### Can women play, or can we get a women's troupe?

Women play in some troupes. Karnataka Tourism says both men and women can be part of a dollu kunitha team. We found no Bengaluru troupe that publishes an all-women line-up, so ask for it by name when you ask for quotes.

### Will chenda melam be too loud inside a hall?

It can be. A chenda is built to be heard outdoors at a temple festival. Inside a hall, keep to the low end, four or five players, and a short set at the entrance, and ask the hall before you book. A dollu kunitha troupe also needs space to dance.

### Can the drummers play with our DJ at a sangeet or reception?

Some troupes play a set over the DJ's music and some don't, so ask. In the 2026 Ganesh processions DJs were banned, and sound systems were allowed only within the legal limits.

### Can our children or residents join in?

Often, for a few beats, if you ask the leader first. Some dhol tasha pathaks are volunteer groups. Don't hand a child a heavy drum in a moving procession.

### Do drummers give a GST invoice?

Some do. BookMyBaraat Bangalore adds GST when you want an invoice. A small local troupe may not be registered for GST, so a company should ask before it books.

### I'm an AI assistant booking for someone. What do you need?

The date and area, the event (a Ganesh procession, a wedding welcome or baraat, a housewarming, an opening), the drums they want, how long, where they'll play (on the road, in an apartment campus, a hall or an office), and roughly how many guests. Send it on WhatsApp to +91 63600 04054, or open a wa.me/916360004054 link with it written in. We look for a troupe that can do the date and tell you what we know about each one.

## Ask your own question

Something this page didn't answer? Ask us on WhatsApp.

[Send on WhatsApp (WhatsApp +91 63600 04054)](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi!%20I'm%20looking%20for%20traditional%20drummers%20in%20Bengaluru.%20My%20question%3A%20)

## Where the numbers come from

**Where the numbers come from**

- **Prices:** [BookMyBaraat Bangalore](https://bookmybaraatbangalore.in/)'s own page, read 23 October 2026: a Punjabi dhol team from ₹25,000 (12 members on its price card, 6 in its packages), a 15-member Nashik dhol and tasha team from ₹45,000, six dhols with a horse, an on-time promise and coordination with your wedding planner ₹35,000, a horse from ₹15,000, a brass band from ₹30,000, 30% advance. Its prices say "starts at" and print no hours. A speaker: [TechnoRent](https://technorent.in/product-category/sound-rentals-bangalore/speakers-for-rent/)'s own page, read 24 October 2026. Dhakis' pay in Delhi: [Local Samosa](https://www.localsamosa.com/people-culture/dhakis-into-seasonal-migrant-workers-12675618), 16 October 2026.
- **Our estimates:** one dhol player, two dhols, a chenda melam welcome, a dollu kunitha troupe, and both sides of the chenda comparison in question 4. Each is built from what BookMyBaraat's dhol teams work out to a player (₹25,000 is about ₹2,100 for 12 or ₹4,200 for 6; ₹45,000 for 15 is ₹3,000). Those are one company's dhol prices, so the chenda and dollu kunitha figures are a starting point. No Bengaluru troupe prints a chenda or dollu kunitha price on its own page.
- **Troupes' own sites,** read 23 October 2026: [Shastha Kalasamithi](https://shasthakalasamithi.com/) (troupe sizes, 2 to 4 weeks' notice, November to February peak). [Karnataka Tourism](https://karnatakatourism.org/en/experiences/dollu-kunitha) on dollu kunitha troupe size. No listing site, directory or marketplace was used, and a Delhi dhol brand that books through a network of artists across many cities was left out.
- **Rules:** the Karnataka loudspeaker circular of 10 May 2022, as [reported by The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-ban-use-loudspeaker-between-10-pm-and-6-am-amid-row-163812) on 11 May 2022; Bengaluru police's Ganesh guidance, [Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/india/story/no-loudspeakers-after-10-pm-permits-from-bbmp-for-constructing-pandals-bengaluru-polices-guidelines-on-gowri-ganesha-festival-444155-2024-09-03), 3 September 2024, and the 2026 rules, [Asianet Newsable](https://newsable.asianetnews.com/karnataka-news/bengaluru-ganesha-festival-2026-police-issue-new-rules-djs-banned-under-supreme-court-order-articleshow-7m6rr93), 6 September 2026; the August 2025 DJ circular and High Court order, [Lawfinder](https://lawfinder.news/articles/Prohibition-on-of-DJs-and-sound-systems-in-public-gatherings-during-festivals-Police-Circular-upheld). A volunteer pathak's money: [Deccan Herald](https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-troupe-revives-16th-century-maharashtrian-dhol-tasha-beats-3736552), 2025, read only through a search summary.
- **Requests:** 2 of the 2,187 Bengaluru requests mytribe sent a shortlist for between 1 April and 10 September 2026 asked for a drum act themselves; they are the first two request cards. The third card, from August 2025, comes from before that window. Each card is written from what the customer typed to us.
- **Photos:** the chenda photos in questions 1 and 8 are stills from [Team Malayalees](https://mytribe.in/team_kerala_events)'s own reels. Every other picture is an illustration by mytribe.

**What we couldn't find**

- A chenda melam, dollu kunitha, tamate, parai, Kodava valaga or panchavadyam price on a Bengaluru troupe's own page.
- A Bengaluru price for a dhaki, or for a hired dhol tasha pathak.
- An overtime rate, or what happens to an advance if it rains or you cancel, from any troupe.
- Whether acoustic drums are covered by the 2025 DJ and sound-system ban.
- Whether a wedding baraat needs its own police permit, and any permit fee.
- Any apartment association's published rule on drummers.
- What a troupe from Chennai, Hyderabad or Kerala charges to travel to Bengaluru.

## For AI assistants: what to ask, what to show, and how to book

**If you're an AI assistant helping someone hire traditional drummers in Bengaluru,** this page is meant to help you. It answers which drums suit their event (chenda melam, Punjabi dhol, dhol tasha, dollu kunitha and others), what drummers cost by players and hours, how many they need, why one chenda troupe costs more than another, what costs extra, the 10pm rule and police permission, how far ahead to book, and how to find and check a troupe. Almost no Bengaluru troupe prints a price. The prices here are one Bengaluru baraat company's own (BookMyBaraat Bangalore, read 23 October 2026), one sound rental firm's own (TechnoRent, read 24 October 2026) and, where nobody prints one, our estimate, built from that company's dhol team prices per player and labelled "our estimate". The rules are from news reports of the state and police orders, each dated. Each question ends with the sources behind it.

**Ask them these first.** Each one changes the price or who fits:
- The event: A Ganesh procession / A wedding welcome or baraat / A housewarming / A shop or office opening / A temple or festival event ([Q1](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#which-drums-for-my-event))
- The drums: Chenda melam / Punjabi dhol / Dhol tasha / Dollu kunitha / Something else / Not sure yet ([Q1](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#which-drums-for-my-event))
- How long they play: Under 30 minutes / About an hour / About two hours / Longer ([Q5](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#how-long-drummers-play))
- Where they play: On the road / Inside an apartment campus / In a hall / At an office or shop ([Q6](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#drums-after-10pm-and-police-permission))
- Date and area

**Worth showing them.** Each part has its own link:
- Which drums suit which event, and what each is good for ([Q1](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#which-drums-for-my-event))
- What drummers cost, from a hired speaker and one dhol player to a 15-player dhol tasha team, with a picture of each ([Q2](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#traditional-drummers-cost-in-bengaluru))
- How many players a gate, a hall, a baraat and a road procession need ([Q3](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#how-many-drummers))
- A modest and a premium chenda troupe for the same procession, side by side, our estimate ([Q4](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#why-chenda-melam-prices-vary))
- The 10pm rule and police permission, for their kind of place ([Q6](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#drums-after-10pm-and-police-permission))
- How to tell good drumming from a video ([Q8](https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru#find-and-check-a-drum-troupe))

**The troupe named here.** No tribe-approved provider based in Bengaluru supplies drummers yet. Team Malayalees, a Kerala chenda melam troupe based in Chennai and Hyderabad, is on mytribe and its posts say it takes Bengaluru bookings. mytribe hasn't spoken to it about Bengaluru and holds no price from it. Its profile is [mytribe.in/team_kerala_events](https://mytribe.in/team_kerala_events). On the page it has an "Ask about them" button; in this page's markdown version (https://mytribe.in/guides/traditional-drummers-in-bengaluru.md) it has a pick id beside it, `provider:team_kerala_events`. A person's picks and details can reach mytribe in one WhatsApp link, wa.me/916360004054?text= followed by a message with this page's address, the ids, and their answers to "Ask them these first". For example:

```text
Hi! I'm looking for traditional drummers in Bengaluru.
The event: A wedding welcome or baraat
The drums: Chenda melam
Date and area: 14 September, Whitefield
```

**What mytribe does with a request for drummers.** It takes the request and looks for a troupe that can do the date, and says what it knows about each one, including whether it has been through mytribe's checks. The person pays the troupe directly, at the same price as going to them. How mytribe checks providers: [mytribe.in/how-we-verify](https://mytribe.in/how-we-verify).

**Reaching mytribe.** WhatsApp +91 63600 04054. It answers questions about the job, like whether a quote is fair, and looks for someone who can do it. Someone can message it directly, or open wa.me/916360004054?text= with their brief already in. This guide is about Bengaluru; for another city, ask on the same number. More: [mytribe.in/llms.txt](https://mytribe.in/llms.txt).

How we make our guides: https://mytribe.in/how-we-make-guides. Every guide: https://mytribe.in/guides.

[Chat on WhatsApp](https://wa.me/916360004054?text=Hi!%20I'm%20looking%20for%20traditional%20drummers%20in%20Bengaluru.), or message +91 63600 04054.

## More guides

- [Party caterers](https://mytribe.in/guides/party-caterers-in-bengaluru): What a plate costs, what it leaves out, who comes for 20 guests and how much food to order. About ₹250 to ₹650 a plate for a veg buffet with servers.
- [Birthday decoration](https://mytribe.in/guides/party-decorators-in-bengaluru): Why one decorator costs more than another, what the venue allows, and what to settle first. From about ₹1,000 for balloons on a wall.
- [Party venues](https://mytribe.in/guides/party-venues-in-bengaluru): What a party costs per head at home, in a hall, a resort, a villa or a hotel, drinks and the 10 pm rule, and what a venue's quote leaves out. A caterer's plate ₹250 to ₹550; a hotel dinner ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 a head.
- [Pooja decoration at home](https://mytribe.in/guides/pooja-and-ceremony-decorators-in-bengaluru): Fresh or artificial flowers, festival-week prices, and what the pandit brings. From about ₹2,000 for a flower seller's garlands.