Bobbili Veena Craft
A South Indian veena carved from a single log of jackwood.
Bobbili in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, is famous for making the Saraswati veena, the large fretted lute of Carnatic music. The Bobbili speciality is the ekanda veena, in which the rounded resonator bowl, the long neck and much of the body are carved from a single block of jackfruit wood rather than assembled from separate parts, which players prize for its even, resonant tone. The instrument is finished with a carved yali or swan head and often painted and lacquered with decorative motifs.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Bobbili, Andhra Pradesh
Also Known As
Bobbili veena, Saraswati veena, ekanda veena, Gollapalli veena
Craft Type
Musical-instrument making (lutherie)
Practising Community
Sarwasidhi Achari and other Vishwakarma carpenter-artisan families
Materials
Well-seasoned jackfruit wood; brass for the frets and bridge plate; a wax-and-charcoal bedding compound for the frets; steel and bronze strings; a dried gourd for the secondary resonator; and lacquer and paint for decoration.
Known For
The ekanda (single-piece) Saraswati veena of Bobbili
Where It's Made
Bobbili and Gollapalli village in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh; a second tradition at Nuzvid
Time to Create
Three to six weeks per instrument
GI Status
Bobbili Veena is a registered GI of Andhra Pradesh
Process Steps
Seasoning the jackwood
Jackfruit logs are cut and dried for a long period to stabilise the wood against cracking and warping.
Hollowing the resonator
The rounded bowl is hollowed from the block, its wall thickness judged for tone.
Carving the neck and head
The long fingerboard neck and the yali or swan head are shaped from the same block as the bowl.
Fitting the soundboard
A thin wooden or fibre soundboard is fitted and secured over the resonator bowl.
Setting the frets
Brass frets are laid along the neck in a bed of wax and charcoal and levelled so each stopped note is true.
Fitting the bridge and strings
The bridge plate is fixed and four playing and three drone strings are strung and brought to pitch.
Decorating and finishing
The instrument is painted with traditional motifs, lacquered, and given its final tuning and setup.
Technique Glossary
Ekanda veena
A veena whose bowl, neck and body are carved from a single piece of wood, the Bobbili signature.
Kudam
The large rounded resonating bowl of the veena.
Dandi
The long fingerboard neck of the veena, carrying the frets.
Achari / Vishwakarma
The carpenter-artisan community that traditionally makes the instruments.
Mettu (frets)
The twenty-four brass bars set in wax along the neck against which the strings are stopped.
Yali
The mythical leonine creature carved as the decorative head of the instrument.
Burra (gourd)
The detachable dried-gourd resonator sometimes fixed under the neck to rest the veena and add resonance.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-modern
Estate patronage
The Bobbili rajas support musicians and veena makers at their court.
19th–20th century
Family workshops
Achari families in Bobbili, Gollapalli and Nuzvid refine and hand down the veena-making craft.
20th century
Concert demand
The spread of Carnatic concert culture and music education sustains a market for finely made veenas.
2011
Geographical Indication
The Bobbili Veena is registered as a GI of Andhra Pradesh.
21st century
Miniatures and souvenirs
Makers also produce small decorative veenas as gifts and awards, broadening the craft's income.
Present
A living instrument craft
A limited number of families continue, supplying concert musicians and students across South India.
Did You Know?
A Bobbili ekanda veena is worked from one piece of wood so there are no glued joints in the sound path — makers say the note 'travels cleaner' through unbroken timber.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.