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Encyclopedia ID 282

Veena

Also known as வீணை · South Indian plucked lute

Veena: photograph by Param munde
Photo: Param munde, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Pluck strings and slide the finger along frets to play note-by-note melodies and ornaments (gamaka) in guided scales.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of India.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Crossroads and Golden Ages (about 500 to 1500), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of South Asia.

Sources

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