Madhya laya (literally "middle tempo") is the second of the three Hindustani tempo categories. Sometimes called Mad Leh or Madhyam Laya, it occupies the comfortable middle range where rhythm is clearly perceptible without being hurried. Roughly 60-120 BPM in Western terms.
In a traditional khayal performance, madhya laya may follow the vilambit bada khayal — either as a separate composition (madhya laya bandish) or as the bridge where the artist begins increasing tempo before settling into chhota khayal (drut). In some gharanas — particularly Patiala — madhya laya is treated as a fully developed tempo rather than just a transition.
Madhya laya allows a richer rhythmic interplay than vilambit: tabla bols become clearly audible patterns, the singer can deploy faster taans without losing raag clarity, and the cycle feels regular and predictable. It is the tempo of much instrumental music too — many Masitkhani gats are in madhya, and most sarangi and sitar gats sit in this range.
The transition from vilambit to madhya is often a single doubled-tempo phrase from the soloist, after which the tabla shifts to the new tempo and the cycle continues. This moment — when the tempo "drops" into a new pace — is one of the most exciting in a concert.