South Indian Forgotten Royal Harp (Yazh)

Yazh (Tamil: யாழ், Sanskrit: शततंत्री वीणा) is a direct ancestor of modern-day Veena or Lute.It was named so, because the tip of the stem of this instrument was carved into the head of the animal Yali. The yazh was an open-stringed polyphonous instrument, with a wooden boat-shaped skin-covered resonator and an ebony stem. The gut strings are called as Narambu in Tamil. Thiruvalluvar, the celebrated Tamil poet from 200 BC, mentions Yazh in his work Thirukkural 

Many major Tamil classical literary masterpieces written during the Sangam period dating back 200 BC have mentioned Yazh. Silappatikaram written by a Jain monk Ilango Adigal mentions four kinds of yazhs 

1. Periyazh with 21 strings 

2. Makarayazh with 19 strings 

3. Cakotayazh with 14 strings 

4.Cenkottiyazh with 7 strings 

Other types of Yazh's are 

5.Mayil Yazh - resembling a peacock 

6.Vil Yazh - resembling Bow 

The Tamil literature Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai says the strings of a yazh should not have any twists in them. Silappatikaram mentions four types of defects in yazh. Other Tamil literature which have mentions on yazh are Seevaga Sindhamani and Skanda Puranam. 

Yazh is seen in sculptures in the Darasuram and Thirumayam temples in Tamil Nadu and also in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. Swami Vipulananda has written a book of scientific research (Stringed Musical Instruments) in Tamil called the Yal Nool. 

The works of the Tamil Sangam literature mention the yaaḻ harp parts and its types. Attestations of the yaaḻ are as early as 200 BC in Tamil Sangam literature and the harp was the first musical instrument played by the Tamil people. The Tamil Sangam literature played a vital role in documenting the Tamil yaaḻ (யாழ்) harp. The documented history of yaaḻ begins as early as 500 BC with iconographical testimonies (temples with statues of harp players) and literary attestations which show the sangam Tamil people using a harp with 100 strings named aathi yaaḻ (ஆதியாழ்). One of the Sangam literature works, the Kallaadam (கல்லாடம்) of the 9th century AD presents various types of yaaḻ and further describes a story as to how the first yaaḻ harp was created from the bow (i.e. someone shooting an arrow from a bow and the sound that the very taut string of the bow made giving them the idea of creating the first yaaḻ with multiple strings). A work as early as the Tirukkuṛaḷ (திருக்குறள்) of Thiruvalluvar (திருவள்ளுவர்) (c. 5th century BC) already mentions and describes the yaaḻ.