The sounds of a harp-like instrument called the yazh, named for the mythological animal Yali whose image was carved into its stem, once filled the halls of temples and royal courts in southern India.

A 2,000-year-old instrument, carved out of wood into the elegant curve of the mythical yaazhi’s neck, animal skin covering the resonator and thin strings connecting them both, is the stuff of myth, ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Thomas Babington Macaulay, in 1835, remarked, “A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India.” This scathing mindset shaped much of Western scholarship on ...