History Of Indian Dance And Music

The music of India is one of the oldest unbroken musical traditions in the world. The Gandharvas are the singers; the apsaras are the dancers, and the kinnaras perform on musical instruments. The dance and music heritage of India is at least 5000 years old; the earliest literary work that reflects the culture of Andhras is Hala’s Gathasaptasati of the Ist century A.D. Andhra Mahabharatam (a Telugu translation of Sanskrit Mahabharatam). In this work, poet Nannaya describes Nritta, Gita and Vadya   (Dance, Music and Musical Instruments) in connection with Raivataka celebrations. He refers to a number of dance musical instruments such as Mridanga, Mukunda, Venu, Kahala, and Pataha. Sculptures and bas-reliefs in temples, mandapas and other monuments of the period reflect the dance and music