Guru Purushottam Das was the doyen of the Nathdvara gharana of pakhavaj, and was closely associated with the haveli sangit tradition that graced the Shri Nathji temple in Nathdvara. (One can read about him in Anne Marie Gaston's book, Krishna's Musicians: Musicians and Music Making in the Temples of Nathdvara, Rajasthan, (Delhi: Manohar, 1997). He was an impressive man whose stately manner was reflected in his stately and measured playing. His sound was grand and formidable. I heard him live many times, and I admired in particular the way he often took very simple material and shaped it into extended sequences that gradually built towards a denouement. The clip here, from Vindavan in 1982, is in adital (16 counts), a tal he played in more than most pakhavajis of his time. His style is quite different from the others represented here.

Purushottam Das received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1978.