The rudra veena (Sanskrit: रुद्र वीणा), also spelled rudraveena or rudra vīnā, is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music, especially in dhrupad. It is one of the main types of veena played in Indian classical music and is known for its deep, rich bass sound. According to oral tradition, the instrument is credited to Shiva, a major god in Hinduism.

The rudra veena appears in temple architecture from before the Mughal era. It is also mentioned in court records from the time of Zain-ul Abidin, who ruled from 1418 to 1470. During the Mughal period, the instrument became important among court musicians. Before India gained independence, players of the rudra veena, who also practiced dhrupad, were supported by royal families. After independence and the unification of India, this traditional system of support ended. Without this support, dhrupad and the rudra veena lost popularity in India. However, in recent years, the rudra veena has become more popular again, partly because of interest from musicians outside of India.

Names and etymology

The name "rudra veena" comes from Rudra, a title used for Shiva. The term "rudra veena" means "the veena of Shiva." This is similar to the term "Saraswati veena," which refers to another type of instrument.

The North Indian common name for the instrument is "bīn" (sometimes spelled "bīṇ"). This name comes from the older word "veena," which is widely used today to describe many stringed instruments from South Asia. The origin of the word "veena" is not clearly known, but one possible explanation is that it comes from an ancient word meaning "bamboo." This might be linked to Dravidian languages, such as the Tamil word "veṟam," meaning "cane," or the South Indian bamboo flute called "venu." These terms may refer to early musical instruments that were shaped like sticks or tubes, such as the modern bīn, which still sometimes uses bamboo for its central tube, called the "dandi."

Form and construction

The rudra veena is classified as either a stick zither or tube zither in the Hornbostel–Sachs system. The veena’s body, called the dandi, is a long tube made of bamboo or teak, measuring between 137 and 158 cm (54 to 62 in). It is attached to two large resonators called tumba, which are made from calabash gourds. The tumba resonators are about 34 to 37 cm (13 to 15 in) in diameter. In the past, players used leather thongs to attach the tumba to the dandi, but modern veenas use brass screw tubes for this purpose.

At the bottom of the dandi, where the strings attach below the bridge (jawari), there is a hollow peacock carving. This carving is designed to improve the instrument’s sound. The hollow part connects to the dandi’s tube and is covered by the main jawari. At the other end of the veena, where the pegs are located, there is a carved makara. Like the peacock carving and the dandi tube, the makara pegbox is also hollow.

The rudra veena has between 21 and 24 moveable frets (parda) on top of the dandi. These frets are thin brass plates with flat tops and curved wooden bases that match the shape of the dandi. Each fret is about 2 to 4 cm (0.75 to 1.5 in) high. In the past, frets were attached with wax, but modern players use waxed flax ties. This allows players to adjust the frets to match the specific microtones (shruti) of a raga. By moving the string up or down along the fret, players can change the pitch (meend) by as much as a fifth.

A modern rudra veena has seven or eight strings: four main melody strings, two or three chikari strings (used for rhythm in ragas), and one drone (laraj) string. These strings are made of steel or bronze and run from the pegs (and over the nut if coming from the pegbox) down to the peacock, passing over the jawari near the peacock. The veena has three jawari: one covering the hollow peacock and two smaller ones on the sides of the peacock, which support the chikari and drone strings. Traditionally, these jawari and string supports are made of Sambar stag antler. However, India banned the trade of Sambar deer antler in 1995 due to the species’ declining population and vulnerable status. Strings are tuned by turning ebony pegs to tighten or loosen them. The antler supports can also be adjusted for fine tuning.

Unlike European stringed instruments, which are usually tuned to the same notes across all instruments (for example, a cello’s open strings are tuned to C2, G2, D3, and A3), the rudra veena follows a traditional Indian music practice called a movable root note or tonic (moveable do). The four melody strings are tuned to the ma (a fifth below the tonic), the tonic (sa), the pa (a fifth above the tonic), and the sa an octave above the tonic. For example, if the lowest ma string is tuned to D2, the four melody strings would be D2, A2, E3, and A3. If the lowest ma string is instead tuned to B♭1, the four melody strings would be B♭1, F2, C3, and F3.

History

The origin of the instrument is unknown; however, it is known to be very old and is connected to Shiva. The rudra veena became less popular partly because the surbahar was introduced in the early 19th century. This instrument made it easier for sitar players to perform the slow, traditional ragas known as dhrupad-style alap sections. In the 20th century, Zia Mohiuddin Dagar changed and redesigned the rudra veena by using larger gourds, a thicker tube (dandi), thicker steel strings (0.45–0.47 mm), and closed javari. These changes created a soft and deep sound when the strings were plucked without using a plectrum (mizrab). Later, Lalmani Misra modified the instrument again to create the shruti veena. This new version helped establish Bharat's Shadja Gram and allowed for the use of 22 shrutis.

Gallery

• A young woman playing the vina. Venugopala Shrine of Ranganatha Temple, Srirangam. Early 1600s.
• Jagdish Temple, Udaipur, 1651. A vina similar to the rudra veena.
• Around 1605. Portrait of Naubat Khan by Ustad Mansur, Mughal School, British Museum, London. The instrument is shown with two strings.
• Naubat Khan Kalawant playing a rudra veena with three strings.
• 1690–1696. A man playing the rudra veena.
• Around 1700. An image of Saraswati riding a white bird and holding a northern-style bīn (rudra vīnā). The instrument is shown with four strings.
• 1808–1812. An illustration of a bīn labeled "qaplious." At the time, the instrument was fretless and used a stick to slide along the string to choose notes.
• 1825. Miyan Himmat Khan Kalawant playing a bin. The bin has four main strings with frets and two side strings.
• 1891. A Bin Player, by William Gibb. The instrument shown has four main strings with frets and three side strings.
• A bird on a rudra veena, showing the string holder.
• Veena Maharaj Dattatreya Rama Rao Parvatikar (1916–1990) playing the Rudra veena.
• Ustad Asad Ali Khan playing the Rudra veena in traditional style.
• A video. A rudra veena or bīn is played by Mohi Baha'ud-din Dagar in dagarbani style.