Vertically-suspended bronze gong with a shallow turned-back rim and a raised central boss that is struck with a thickly-padded beater. Similar to but smaller in size than the kempul, the vibrating surface of a bendhé is thicker and produces a penetrating middle-register pitch. The two palace gamelan sekati and the pélog gamelan K.K. Guntursari include a pair of bendhé hung from a shared rack, each gong of the pair producing a distinct pitch. Other palace gamelans share a single bendhé used as a signaling instrument to mark the beginning of a performance of dance. Several palace prajurit corps include one or two handheld bendhé as part of their music ensembles.
