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Home > Kerala Temples > Musical Instruments > Musical Instruments used in kerala temples Musical Instruments used in kerala templesMusical Instruments used in kerala templesThere are variety of instruments used in temples, some of them are divine in nature and used only in specific occasions while others are used either for temple rites or as accompaniments in performing arts. The earliest form of worship of Dravidians of South India was those of spirit cult or worship of semi-divine spirits (wrongly called Devil worship by Westerners). On later period the mode of worship switched on to puraanic deities of Hindu pantheon, particularly in the form of Ganas of Lord Siva or of the Mother Goddess or even incarnations of a puraanic deity. This evolution of religious thought and form of worship is closely linked with certain musical instruments like Itayka (emerged, out of dhakka in the hand of Lord Siva in the sankalpa of Aghoramoortthi), flute (of Sree Krishna, as vividly described in Skanda 10, Chapter 13, sloka 11 of Sreemad Bhaagavatha Puraan-a during His mid-meal along with other Gopaalas), lute (of veena of Goddess Saraswathi) etc. It can be seen that there is a continuous development in the design and adoption of these instruments in temples, like gongs, komb, etc made of bell-metal. The earliest metal images which are preserved in the Government Museum, Trivandrum belong to the eighth century AD if not earlier. The knowledge of making bell-metal products was in existence much earlier as cire perdue metal casting techniques were known and used in India during 4th century B.C. In short the musical instruments have antiquity of more than 2500 years, but may not be in the present form. Later changes evolved at various spheres elsewhere in the country have lesser impact in Kerala. In short, the musical instruments used in temples of Kerala is a class by themselves, During the last four centuries, particularly after the composition of Thanthra Samucchaya, Sesha Samucchaya etc. which prescribed the use of certain instruments for temple rites, there is no material change either in their use or shape of these instruments. The instruments used in temples are more than twenty in number and they have peculiar regional characteristics, unlike those used in other parts of India. Of these drums, also known as avanaddha vaadyas (which include those instru¬ments covered with skins of animals), are of three types viz, aalinga (which are kept close to the body by performers), aangika (which are placed on limbs) and Oorddhwkas (which have the mouth of the instrument at top). The musical instruments are broadly grouped under four categories, as ,stated below:
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