Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Art
    • Heritage
    • Theatre
    • Books
    • Films
    • Team
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    Home»History»Ravanahatha’s Travel from Lanka to Thar
    History

    Ravanahatha’s Travel from Lanka to Thar

    IAR DeskBy IAR DeskOctober 19, 2020
    Ravanahatha's Travel from Lanka to Thar
    Share
    WhatsApp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram

    From Lanka to Rajasthan to Persia to Norway, the ravanahatha’s journey over eons has been astonishing, even intriguing

    For what may appear to the average westerner as an Indian version of the violin, the ravanahatha has its timbre loser to the sarangi’s in Hindustani classical. The folksy string instrument with a bow belongs to a region which is part of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Effectively, the ravanahatha resonates with the ethos of the barren or semiarid expanses of the two states.

    Now, arguably a more interesting aspect of the story. If the first part of the name of the instrument reminds you of the antihero in the Ramayana, it’s still a mystery how the mythological Lankan emperor found a place on the cultural map of India’s northwest.

    Lankans largely differ. The Sinhalese as well as the immigrant Tamils. Going by historical sources with Hela, the Indo-Aryan ethnic group in Ceylon, the island-nation is the native place of Ravana. The public largely see Ravana as a Dravidian asura, who was an unflinching devotee of Lord Shiva.

    Purana tale

    Such was Ravana’s bhakti that he regularly sang prayers invoking the God of Destruction. With a stentorian voice, he would play a string instrument while worshipping his lord. Once he had to pull out a vein from one of his 20 hands to strum it and produce music. That was when the king had his palms crushed under the Kailash he tried to lift, but failed when Shiva who lords over the mountain pressed his thumb toe in retaliation.

    Hath in Hindustani language is a derivation of the Sanskrit hasta, meaning hand. Ravanahatha, in short, was the Lankan king’s musical instrument.

    So, how did the supposedly Lankan instrument emerge as a major presence in northwest India? Again, legend has it that monkey-god Hanuman as a devotee of Rama who killed Ravana took the instrument far up the island. In present days, ravanahatha is central to the nomadic culture of Rajasthan. Its street musicians play the instrument in solo as well as groups or as backdrop to traditional puppetry. Manganiyars are a tribal community who have mastered the ravanahatha.

    The perceived transportation of the ravanahatha from Lanka has a post-script. According to certain scholars, the instrument worked as the prototype for the Arabianrebab, courtesy traders from West Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries AD.

    The make

    In its new-age version, the ravanahatha has a bowl-shaped resonator and a longish bamboo stem besides its strings and, of course, the bow. While a cut coconut shell functions as the resonator that is covered with goat hide, the 80-cm body is punctuated with knobs at regular intervals. Plus, there is the banjara, smoothened hair from horsetail, which gives the ravanahatha its individualistic sound. The bow often features bells for the performer to keep the rhythm.

    Middle-aged Bishna Ram is one ravanahatha artist, whose Bhopa Bhil tribe family has been into making the instrument for generations. Besides the traditional ditties, he plays contemporary numbers. Often they sound melancholic. “We aren’t sure how long our art will survive,” he sighs. “There must be a new system of patronage in
    modern society.”

    New-age Innovators

    If Bishna Ram sounds despondent, not so does Dinesh Subasinghe. The 41-year-old is a Sri Lankan composer-violinist. Using the ancient instrument, his albums are earning international fame over the past two decades. Especially remarkable are Subasinghe’s Rawan Nada and the Buddhist oratorio Karuna Nadee.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xji5vKC8Q6g

    To the Colombo-based artiste, there is a reason if the ravanahatha sounds blue. “I’d say it echoes Ravana’s mind, being portrayed a ruthless villain when he was a scholar with artistic capabilities. A tragic hero,” he says.

    Young Chennaiite composer Leon James, too, is excited about his repertoire featuring the ravanahatha. The 28-year-old, whose father was manager of world-renowned music producer AR Rahman, says the internet enabled him to stumble upon the ravanahatha. “I bought it from an artiste in Jaisalmer,” he reveals, referring to the gold-hued Rajasthani fort of the 12th century.

    Leon arrived in the industry with a Tamil movie released in 2015, when far away, in the Netherlands, author Patrick Jered released a book based on the ravanahatha. Titled Finding the Demon’s Fiddle, the researcher refers the instrument to an early precursor to the violin, thus agreeing with septuagenarian musicologist Joep Bor, who is a sarangi exponent as well.

    Scandinavian band Heilung, whose members are into experimental folk music, too employs the ravanahatha.

    Write to us at [email protected]

    ar rahman bishna ram dinesh subasinghe featured Folk Folk Music Hindustani classical instrument karuna nadee leon james Music Ramayana Ramayana and music Ravanahatha rawan nada travel
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleMelattur: Tale of Two Lands
    Next Article Mud Houses, Many-Hued Toys & Mulberry Carvings
    IAR Desk

      Related Posts

      Parisha Vadyam

      Parisha Vadyam: Where Kerala’s Percussive Legacy Began

      May 6, 2025
      Rajeev Taranath

      Pandit Rajeev Taranath (1932-2024): A Maestro’s Symphony of Music and Literature

      June 21, 2024
      Justin Pachen

      Justin Pachen: A Passionate Musician

      April 12, 2024

      Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

      Author In Focus VK Karthika

      Pathaan

      Pathaan: A Triumph of Love Over Hate

      V K KarthikaMarch 31, 2023

      Pathaan breaks the typical stereotype of Islamic Terrorism.

      Avatar

      Eastern Ethos Lifts up Cameron’s Avatar Sequel

      V K KarthikaJanuary 31, 2023

      Eastern ethos and laws of the nature are set to get a new tech-driven meaning as Cameron is planning two more sequels.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      Tholppavakoothu

      Girl Power up in Puppetry

      V K KarthikaSeptember 30, 2022

      Rajitha Ramachandra Pulavar and her team gave a new meaning to Tholppavakkooth and the body politics went in for a change in 2021

      Nanjiyamma tribal singer of Attappady

      Why the National Award for Tribal Singer Nanjiyamma Matters

      V K KarthikaAugust 27, 2022

      India witnessed a debate on the ‘purity of music’ when tribal singer Nanjiyamma won the National Award.

      EVENTS

      Nangiyarkoothu

      Celebrating 60 Years of Dance Excellence

      India Art ReviewMay 23, 2025

      Swara-dhi: A Soulful Summer Camp for Music Connoisseurs

      India Art ReviewMay 23, 2025
      Sooryakanthi festival

      Sooryakanthi Dance Festival From Nov 28- Dec 1

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Memorial Awards and Dance Performances in Chennai

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Have You Read These?

      Youth

      The Fountain of Youth

      Vineeth AbrahamMay 16, 2023

      What will happen when a bookworm set out to clean his library? One of the…

      The Elephant Whisperers

      Poetics of Fostering the Animal: The Elephant Whisperers

      Babu Rajan P PMay 1, 2023

      With the decline of natural habitats, human-elephant conflict has seen a surge, often leaving the majestic creatures as unwitting participants. “The Elephant Whisperers” documentary pays homage to the conservation endeavors aimed at preserving these habitats and raising awareness among communities about the perils of anthropocentrism.

      1899 and the Virtual Studio: Futuristic Filmmaking

      IAR DeskMarch 12, 2023

      1899, the new web series from the creators of German masterpiece Dark, will be filmed entirely in a virtual studio. Here’s all you wanted to know about ‘Volume’ and why it matters to futuristic filmmaking.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      A ‘Lyrical Dance’ Tribute to Edassery’s Poem

      G S PaulNovember 8, 2022

      Choreographic ingenuity of Vinitha Nedungadi created alluring visuals of the sublime poetic imagination of Edassery in Anthithiri.

      vijayakumar menon

      Vijayakumar Menon Taught Kerala How to Appreciate Art

      Renu RamanathNovember 3, 2022

      The only wealth Menon amassed during his solitary journey was that of art. When Vijayakumar…

      About
      About

      India Art Review is a dedicated digital journal of art and culture, based in Chennai and with representatives in Kerala, Delhi, the UAE, Canada and the US.

      We're social, connect with us:

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Telegram
      People in Art
      Kalamandalam John

      Kalamandalam John: Kerala’s Lone Christian Kathakali Artist Celebrates Golden Jubilee

      July 8, 2021
      Vintage Vignettes: Violinist T Chowdiah

      Vintage Vignettes: V.S.N on T. Chowdiah

      August 6, 2021
      Pasumarthi Rathiah Sharma: A Protagonist of Yakshagana Bani of Kuchipudi

      Pasumarthi Rathiah Sharma: A Protagonist of Yakshagana Bani of Kuchipudi

      April 29, 2021
      Gazaljeet: Remembering the Ghazal Journey of Jagjit Singh

      Gazaljeet: Remembering the Ghazal Journey of Jagjit Singh

      February 8, 2021
      Must Reads
      Mangad Natesan

      Remembering Carnatic Musician Mangad Natesan

      May 3, 2024
      P K G Nambiar

      PKG Nambiar(1930-2023): The Man who Redefined the Role of Vidooshaka

      May 10, 2023
      Kanak Rele

      Dr. Kanak Rele (1937-2023): A Revolutionary in Dance 

      February 22, 2023
      Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      Adieu, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      May 10, 2022
      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
      • Home
      • About
      Copyright © 2022. India Art Review

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.