Thaara: traditional devotional music of the Maldives

In Dhivehi, *thaara* is the name of the drum: a wide, shallow frame drum with a skin stretched over one side, close to a large tambourine. The performance is usually called *thaara jehun*, which means “playing thaara”. The National Centre for Cultural Heritage records it as a celebratory form of tambourine playing performed mostly by men.

What makes thaara different from most Maldivian music is that it is done kneeling or sitting. The performers form long rows facing each other. They beat the drums, sing and move their upper bodies from side to side together. Their movements start steady and build as the rhythm grows. Researchers describe the shared swaying as having an almost hypnotic effect.

Visit Maldives, the state tourism body, describes a group of about 22 men, with some singing and drumming while others move to the music. A heritage study of one island’s tradition describes a bigger layout: 12 performers on each side and six at the head of the rows. Group sizes clearly differ from island to island, so take any single number as a guide only.

A devotional character

Thaara is not party music. A performance opens with a prayer, and the songs carry a religious feeling. On the island studied by heritage researchers, it was held in the afternoon after the Asr prayer. People there judged a good performance by its togetherness, patience and discipline rather than by speed or showmanship.

For more on faith in daily life, see our guide to religion in the Maldives.

The honest answer is that nobody knows for certain. Visit Maldives says the form “is said to have originated from the Middle East”, and the frame drum and devotional singing fit that idea. Frame drums are used for religious singing across much of the Islamic world, and the Maldives has traded with Arab and Persian sailors for many centuries.

You will read more precise origin stories online, with exact dates and named groups of visitors. We have not found an official or academic source that confirms them, so we have left them out. If you want to dig deeper, the Maldives’ own heritage researchers are the best guide. Our history of the Maldives gives the wider picture of the islands’ contacts across the Indian Ocean.

The most detailed record we found comes from a study by Hussain Saeed, published in 2009 in *Faithoora*, the journal of the National Center for Linguistic and Historical Research. It describes the thaara of Ukulhas, a local island in Alif Alif Atoll (North Ari), whose people were famous for it in the 20th century. It gives a sense of how much ritual can surround a performance.

The setting

• A special structure, the *haruge*, was built for the performance.
• Before it began, the leader raised a large white flag at the haruge. The flag carried verses from the Quran and prayers, and it was raised with a chant and incense.
• Islanders believed the flag kept the rain away while the performance went on.

The dress

• Red knee-length trousers
• A white lungi (wrap) reaching the thigh
• A white long-sleeved shirt
• A handkerchief tied around the head

For more on island clothing, see traditional dress of the Maldives.

Royal recognition

According to the same study, Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi, who reigned from 1954 to 1968, invited the Ukulhas performers to his palace in Malé to play and gave them a special honour. It shows how highly a good thaara group could be regarded.

Ukulhas is just one island’s tradition. Other islands had their own groups, songs and customs, and details will differ. If you are travelling in the area, our Ari Atoll guide covers the wider atoll.

Thaara is tied to celebration. The heritage record lists Eid and other special occasions. Visit Maldives says it is kept for national events and celebrations. In practice, the places you are most likely to see it are:

• Eid celebrations. Islands often hold several days of games, music and food after Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. See Eid in the Maldives.
• National days and official events. Cultural troupes sometimes perform at state ceremonies and festivals. Our festivals and public holidays guide has the main dates.
• Cultural shows and school events. Schools and youth groups help keep traditional forms alive, and a show may include several of them.

There is no regular thaara season, and performances are not staged on a timetable for visitors. If seeing one matters to you, ask your guesthouse or the island council before you travel whether anything is planned for your dates.

Many visitors hear “Maldivian drumming” and think only of boduberu. The two are related in spirit but feel very different.

Read our full boduberu guide for the beat, the songs and the dance.

Like many old island arts, thaara faded during the late 20th century. On Ukulhas, the heritage study links the decline to the death of the island’s best-known lead performer. When one gifted leader is gone, a whole group can lose its centre, because the songs and rhythms are passed on by ear rather than written down.

The same record notes a national effort to revive endangered performing arts, with growing interest among young islanders. The government heritage body, renamed the National Centre for Cultural Heritage in September 2019, works to document and protect Maldivian heritage, including living traditions such as music and dance.

Thaara sits alongside other spoken and sung traditions, such as the poetry covered in our guide to raivaru and Dhivehi literature.

If you are lucky enough to see thaara, remember it is a devotional performance first and an entertainment second.

• Dress modestly. Cover your shoulders and knees, as you would anywhere on a local island. See our local island etiquette guide.
• Keep quiet during the prayer. Wait for the opening prayer to finish before talking or moving around.
• Ask before filming. Photos of a public event are usually fine, but ask an organiser first, keep your flash off and don’t walk between the rows. Our photography guide has more tips.
• Don’t join in uninvited. Unlike some boduberu evenings, thaara is not a dance where guests are pulled in. Watch from the side.
• Mind prayer times. If people leave for the mosque, let them pass and wait quietly.
• Show your thanks. A smile and a word of thanks to the performers afterwards goes a long way.

On a resort, traditional music is usually a short show. On a local island, it is part of community life, and the best moments come when you are simply there at the right time. Holidays such as Eid bring the whole island out, with music, games and food.

On Dhiffushi, our nearest local example, the island’s Eid celebrations are listed on our Eid al-Adha events page. Thaara is not performed on a fixed schedule here, so treat any performance as a bonus rather than a promise.