Article
How the Ancient Indian Vina Travelled to Other Asian Countries: A Reconstruction though Scriptures, Sculptures, Paintings and Living Traditions

By : Piyal Bhattacharya, Shreetama Chowdhury

Page No: 51-72

Abstract
Indian music before the 10th century AD was of a kind which we may today even find difficult to understand, because we are no longer familiar with the nuances of that tradition. The original forms of the musical instruments used during that time have also virtually disappeared from mainstream India. But these instruments can be found more or less in their original form outside India in South East Asia. These instruments travelled out of India to these countries due to historical reasons. This essay brings forth research that help us reconstruct the journey of the ancient Indian String instruments (the Harp, the Tube Zither and the Stick Zither) from their original form to their highly developed modern form, and in that process, demonstrates how India was the fountainhead of foundational theories upon which classical string instruments have developed in various cultures outside India, especially Myanmar and Cambodia.

Author : 
Kalamandalam Piyal Bhattacharya is an artist, scholar, and Founder and Director of Chidakash Kalalay in Kolkata. He is known for his work on Marga Natya, a research-based reconstruction and practice of the performance system of the Natyashastra.

Shreetama Chowdhury is a student under Piyal Bhattacharya ; she is receiving training in Marga Natya, musicology, and vocal training in Dhrupad under him.