Sacred Strings

The art of veena-making may be as ancient and divine as music itself, but it is rapidly dying. Meet the master craftsman who is still carving wood into sweet notes, one veena at a time.

- Kalpana Sunder

On a bright summer afternoon, I am walking through the little lanes of the Sivaganga Gardens in Tanjore, looking at piles of wood cut roughly into stocky shapes that remind me of a crude mace or Hanuman gadaa. My guide is Professor Kausalya, an elderly but sprightly lady who used to be the principal of the famous Thiruvaiyaru Music School. I am on the trail of the ancient Indian instrument associated with divinity – the veena. She explains that veenas are crafted from raw jackwood that is procured from nearby forests.

Thanjavur (Tanjore) in South India has been the hub of Tamil religion, culture, art and architecture for over a thousand years. Tanjore was ruled by various powerful dynasties like the Nayaks, Marathas and Vijayanagaras, and its golden age was the Chola period, between the 10th and 14th centuries, when it became a centre of learning and culture. Though many art forms have declined over the years because of lack of royal patronage, the art of veena-making is still practised by a handful of families in the Tanjore region.

The veena is India’s national musical instrument and one of our most ancient; it is mentioned in the Vedas and the ancient treatise on art and music, the Natyashastra. Saraswati, the goddess of learning, is depicted playing the veena, and in the ancient texts, Narada is credited with inventing the instrument. It is also said that various gods and goddesses reside in different parts of the veena – Shiva resides in the body, Parvati in the strings, Vishnu in the bridge, and his consort, Lakshmi, in the main resonator. Kalidasa too mentions the veena several times in his verses.