The Social Organisation in North-East India in Buddha's Time c17.26

c17.26

At such exhibitions and popular festivals in ancient India, music was not wanting: either the dancers themselves made singing and playing on the lute accompany their dances or there came professional musicians to the festivals, in order to practise their art for money. Instruments, mostly very primitive, on which in India even to-day jugglers play as an accompaniment of their dances and skilful performances,¹ were to some extent in existence at that time: besides the lute (vīṇā), we find the drum (bheri) and the conch (saṅkha) mentioned in our text. A drummer (bherivādaka I. 283), who, as mentioned in the Bheri Jātaka, lives in a village, goes with his son to the city, as he hears that in Benares a festival (nakkhatta) is announced, in order to play here on the drum in the circle of those who take part in the festival; he acquires by his play a good deal of money. The same is said in somewhat different words in the Saṅkhadhamana Jātaka of a conch-blower (saṅkhadhamaka, I. 284).