1,800-Year-Old Saraswati Idol Reveals Ancient Musical Tradition

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Key takeaways

An iconographic survey of an 1,800-year-old black sandstone Saraswati idol from the 2nd century CE was conducted in Madhya Pradesh.
The sculpture is the oldest idol in Madhya Pradesh depicting Goddess Saraswati playing an arched harp known as the vakra-veena.
Historical records by Roman writer Quintus Curtius Rufus connect the idol's era to the Malava community, who fought against Alexander the Great.
Arched harps are depicted on gold coins of Gupta emperor Samudragupta (330-376 CE) and mentioned in the Rigveda and Bharata's Natyashastra.
While this harp tradition faded in India, it survives today in Myanmar as the saung-gauk.

A recent iconographic study of an 1,800-year-old Saraswati idol made of black sandstone in Madhya Pradesh has brought to light crucial details about ancient Indian music.
This discovery also sheds new light on the rich cultural heritage and historical timeline of the ancient Malava community.

Archaeological teams originally excavated this sculpture during the 1980s in Manasa town of Neemuch district, Madhya Pradesh.
It is currently stored in the Ujjain Museum and dates back to the 2nd century CE during the Malava era.
Historians recognize this artifact as the oldest Saraswati statue holding a musical instrument ever uncovered in Madhya Pradesh.
The idol depicts Goddess Saraswati playing a curved, harp-style instrument known as the vakra-veena, which highlights an early form of Indian string instruments.

Roman chronicler Quintus Curtius Rufus recorded the bravery of the Malava community in his historical work Historiae Alexandri Magni, noting how they fiercely fought against Alexander the Great.
Over time, the members of the Malava community shifted their settlements southward toward the Mandsaur region.

Arched harps appear in ancient Bronze Age cave art at Nimbu bhoj near Pachmarhi, and Gupta emperor Samudragupta (330-376 CE) later featured this instrument on his gold coins.
Ancient Indian literature also documents this string instrument, starting with early mentions in the Rigveda and detailed descriptions in Bharata's Natyashastra.
Although this arched harp style faded away in modern India, musicians in Myanmar still preserve and play a very similar traditional instrument called the saung-gauk.