The khali, along with the tali, is used for helping to keep time and implies a wave of the hand. When a vibhag is khali, it means that one should wave one's hand and indicates that the first beat of the measure should be moderately stressed. The khali is very important when keeping track of one's position when playing in symmetrical taals. Without it, it would be difficult to determine the beginning and ending of avartans.
It is shown as a '0' when writing down taals.