Among Sangam literature, Mathuraikkanci refers to women singing sevvazhi pann to invoke the mercy of God during childbirth. Starting from the earliest known work Tholkappiyam (500 BCE), there are several references to music and Panns in the ancient pre-Sangam and Sangam literature starting from the earliest known work Tholkappiyam (500 BCE). Smriti (500 BCE to 100 BCE ) post-vedic Hindu texts include Valmiki's Ramayana (500 BCE to 100 BCE) which mentions dance and music (dance by Apsaras such as Urvashi, Rambha, Menaka, Tilottama Panchāpsaras, and Ravana's wives excelling in nrityageeta or 'singing and dancing' and nritavaditra or 'playing musical instruments'), music and singing by Gandharvas, several string instruments ( vina, tantri, bīn, vipanci and vallaki similar to veena), wind instruments ( shankha, venu and venugana – likely a mouth organ made by tying several flutes together), raga (including kaushika such as raag kaushik dhwani), vocal registers (seven svara or sur, ana or ekashurti drag note, murchana the regulated rise and fall of voice in matra and tripramana three-fold teen taal laya such as drut or quick, madhya or middle, and vilambit or slow), poetry recitation in Bala Kanda and also in Uttara Kanda by Luv and Kusha in marga style. Tala or taal is an ancient music concept traceable to Vedic era texts of Hinduism, such as the Samaveda and methods for singing the Vedic hymns. For example, Shatapatha Brahmana (~800–700 BCE) has verses in chapter 13.2 written in the form of a play between two actors. 800 BCE Vedic period) document rituals with performing arts and play. There are IVC-era paintings on pottery of a man with a dhol hanging from his neck and a woman holding a drum under her left arm. musical instruments, singing and dancing postures of damsels in the Ranigumpha Caves in Khandagiri and Udayagiri at Bhubaneswar.ĭancing Girl sculpture (2500 BCE) was found from the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) site. There is historical evidence in the form of sculptural evidence, i.e. NeolithicĬhalcolithic era (4000 BCE onward) narrow bar shaped polished stone celts like music instruments, one of the earlier musical instrument in India, were excavated at Sankarjang in the Angul district of Odisha. Mesolithic and chalcolithic cave art of Bhimbetka illustrates musical instruments such as Gongs, Bowed Lyre, daf etc.

The 30,000-year-old paleolithic and neolithic cave paintings at the UNESCO world heritage site at Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh show a type of dance. 5.1.2 Fusion with traditional music of other nationsĭancing Girl sculpture from the Indus Valley Civilization (c.5.1.1 Ancient influence on Southeast Asian music genres.3.14 Rabindra Sangeet (music of Bengal).

Best rabindra sangeet by shreya ghoshal