North India

HIndustani Classical Music

Bamboo, lacquer, black painted bamboo shell
Length: 21.5 in
Mid 20th century
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

The basuri is an India transverse (side blown) flute used in Hindustani classical music.  It is traditionally made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo.  This bansuri has six holes in addition to the embouchure blow hole close to the top and is twenty one and a half inches long.  There are painted geometric designs around the embouchure hole and at the end of the flute.  Both the high and lower pitched bansuris  can also be found in this collection.  There are no mechanical keys, and the performer creates the notes they want by tapping the various finger holes.

There are two types of bansuri flutes: transverse, which is seen here and the fipple type.  The fipple bansuri is usually played in folk music.  This transverse type of bansuri is often found in the iconography (images) of the Hindu god Krishna and is frequently associated with Krishna’s ‘Rasa Lila’ dance.