Music from ancient India can be found in written works from the Indian classical period, such as the Nātya Shastra. Examples of religious music, like the hymns in the Samaveda, also survive today. Musical instruments from very old times have been found during archaeological digs.

Prehistoric music

Musical instruments, such as the seven-holed flute and stringed instruments like the ravanahatha, as well as cymbals, have been found at archaeological sites from the Indus Valley Civilization. There is evidence that people used drums or dhol in this civilization. While few images of musical instruments from the Indus Valley Civilization have been discovered, the BMAC civilization, which traded with it, has archaeological images showing lyres and many cylindrical drums. These items were also found in the Indus Valley area. A type of harp is shown in Chalcolithic cave drawings in India along with a gong. Dancing figurines from the Indus Valley Civilization suggest that music was an important part of their culture. A type of lithophone was discovered in Orissa around 1000 BCE.

The Samaveda is one of the ancient Hindu scriptures called the Vedas. It includes a collection (samhita) of hymns, parts of hymns, and separate verses, most of which come from the Rigveda. These hymns were meant to be sung using melodies called Samagana, and their musical forms are described. The hymns were sung by Udgatar priests during rituals where the juice of the Soma plant, mixed with milk and other ingredients, was offered to gods. Hindu priests memorized the Vedas, and they used up to eleven different musical styles to recite the same text.

Nātya Shastra

The Nātya Shastra is an ancient Indian text about performing arts, including theatre, early classical dance, and classical music. It was written between 200 BC and 200 AD, during a time in Indian history known as the classical period. This text, which has 6,000 shlokas, is said to have been written by a wise person named Bharata Muni.

The Nātya Shastra is based on an older text called the Nātya Veda, which had 36,000 shlokas. No copies of the Nātya Veda have survived. Some scholars think it may have been written by many people over a long period of time.