India has one of the world’s richest traditions of musical instruments, from the sitar and veena to the tabla and shehnai. An ancient text on performing arts, the Natya Shastra, attributed to the sage Bharata, groups instruments into four classes. Here is a simple guide.
The four classes
Tata vadya: string instruments
Sound comes from vibrating strings.
- Sitar: a long necked plucked instrument central to Hindustani music.
- Veena: an ancient instrument, with the Saraswati veena prominent in Carnatic music.
- Sarod: a fretless plucked instrument with a metal fingerboard.
- Santoor: a hammered dulcimer from Kashmir.
- Sarangi and violin: bowed instruments.
Sushira vadya: wind instruments
Sound comes from air blown into a tube.
- Bansuri: the bamboo flute, linked with Lord Krishna.
- Shehnai: a double reed instrument played at weddings and auspicious events in north India.
- Nadaswaram: a long double reed instrument of south Indian temples.
Avanaddha vadya: membrane instruments
Sound comes from a stretched skin.
- Tabla: a pair of drums central to Hindustani music.
- Mridangam: a double sided drum at the heart of Carnatic music.
- Pakhawaj: a barrel drum used in dhrupad.
- Dholak and dhol: folk drums.
Ghana vadya: solid instruments
Sound comes from striking solid objects.
- Ghatam: a clay pot used in Carnatic concerts.
- Manjira and kartal: small cymbals and clappers.
- Jal tarang: porcelain bowls filled with water.
Masters who made them famous
- Pandit Ravi Shankar took the sitar to audiences around the world and was awarded the Bharat Ratna.
- Ustad Bismillah Khan made the shehnai a concert instrument and received the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
- Ustad Zakir Hussain became a global ambassador of the tabla.
- Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is celebrated for the bansuri.
- Pandit Shivkumar Sharma brought the santoor into classical music.
- Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is a renowned sarod maestro.
Folk and tribal instruments
India also has countless folk instruments, such as the ektara, algoza, ravanahatha, been and the tribal madal. Many are made by hand by craftspeople in villages.
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Learning an instrument
Classical instruments are traditionally taught through the guru shishya parampara, a close teacher student bond. Today, music schools, universities and online classes also teach them.
Preserving the heritage
The Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts document and promote instruments and the artists who play them.
Bottom line
From strings and winds to drums and bells, Indian instruments reflect centuries of musical genius. Listening to the masters is the best way to discover them.
Source / स्रोत: Sangeet Natak Akademi, Ministry of Culture, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts
