Rudra Veena

Name: Rudra Veena.
Type: Chordophones > Zither > Stick.
Hornbostel-Sachs No#:
Country: India.
Region: South Asia.

Description: The rudra veena [also spelled rudra vina, Hindi: रुद्रवीणा, Bengali: রুদ্রবীণা] and also called bīn [in Hindi: बीन in North India] is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani classical music, one of the major types of veena played in Indian classical music. Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means “the veena dear to Shiva”. Shiva is also said to have created the Rudra veena, inspired by his wife, Parvati.

Usage: The rudra veena is an ancient instrument rarely played today. The rudra veena declined in popularity in part due to the introduction in the early 19th century of the surbahar, which allowed sitarists to more easily present the alap sections of slow dhrupad style ragas.

Construction: It has a long tubular body made of wood or bamboo with a length between 54 and 62 inches. Two large, round resonators, made of dried and hollowed gourds, are attached under the tube. Twenty-four brass-fitted raised wooden frets are fixed on the tube with the help of wax. There are 4 main strings and 3 chikari strings.


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