Catherine Potter

Bansuri refers to the North Indian bamboo transverse flute and, by extension in music tagging, the Hindustani classical and folk repertoire centered on this instrument. Carved from a single length of thin-walled bamboo with six or seven finger holes and a side-blown embouchure, the bansuri is emblematic in Indian art and mythology (notably the flute of Krishna) and appears in temple sculpture and texts from the early centuries CE. In the 20th century it evolved from a primarily pastoral/folk voice into a fully fledged concert instrument for raga performance.