Nadaswaram
Would you like to know about a unique musical instrument from South India…..here it is. It is called Nadaswaram.
“Nadaswaram” is one of the most popular South Indian classical instruments. It is the world’s loudest non-brass acoustic instrument.
It is a wind instrument and it could be compared to the ‘Shehnai’ which is a North Indian instrument. But Nadaswaram is larger in size, with a hardwood body and has a large flaring bell that is made of metal or wood.
In India it is considered to be a very auspicious instrument and is played in almost all marriages and temples in South India. They are commonly played in pairs. Since seven fingers are used to play with the seven holes in the instrument, it is also called ‘Ezhil’.
It contains three parts which are kuzhal, thimiru and anasu. It is an ancient instrument from the state of Tamilnadu, India and it is a fantastic combination of music and divinity. It has become an integral part of the celebrations in the temples throughout south India.
After we learnt to produce music from ‘Shankh’ (conch), the horns from ox and bull were used and holes were made on them to produce sounds. Metals and bamboos were used later. Nadaswaram and other musical instruments like the Shehnai and Ottu are the result of such efforts.
“Each part of the Nadaswaram” is associated with a deity. The bottom circle relates to the Sun god, the upper hole to goddess Sakti, the inner holes to lord Vishnu, the body to lord Brahma and the seven holes to seven mothers. The music from the instrument is related to lord Shiva.
The length of the present day Nadaswaram is much longer than the ones earlier, and it is 34 ½ inches long.
It is considered to be the ‘Rajavadyam’ (royal instrument) and also ‘Mangalavadyam’ (auspicious instrument). Since it appears to be like a snake, it is sometimes called as ‘Nagaswaram’ too.
I also come from South India and have attended several marriages where this instrument has been played and let me tell you…..it is amazing to listen to this music.