Pakhawaj is essentially a north Indian version of the Mrindangam and the most common north Indian representative of the class of barrel-shaped drums. It has a right head which is identical to Tabla except somewhat larger. The left head is similar to the Tabla bayan (left).
It is laced with rawhide and has tuning blocks placed between the straps and shell. The Indian Pakhawaj is a standard instrument in the dhrupad style.