Music of South Asia

This subregion of Asia includes countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, with each region one possessing its own distinct musical traditions.

The development of forms of mass media in the 1980s and 1990s contributed to a new type of South Asian musical culture, as the rise of cinema and television resulted in the popularity of genres such as Bollywood and Lollywood.

[2] The foundations of South Asian classical music can be traced back to forms of Vedic literature, based on ancient Sanskrit scriptures and religious texts that were vital to Hinduism in India.

Qawwali is one of the most prominent forms of Sufi music, and consists of rich poetry and melodious vocals that are commonly performed in languages such as Persian, Urdu and Hindi and Punjabi.

], Qawwalis were often performed in a shrine setting, with the singers and audiences seated in a circular or rectangular arrangement, and listeners responding to the devotional music with gifts of money or other ritual offerings.

Following the 1970s and 1980s, Qawwali became well known as a concert genre, with artists such as the Sabri Brothers and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan gaining immense success and worldwide popularity.

In many South Asian cultures, music has been viewed as a uniting force that has helped in resolving conflicts between religious sects, and a pathway for intensifying prayer and worship.

Sacred music in South Asia is closely related to religious rituals, as Hindu temples and Buddhist monasteries are often used as gathering spaces to recite spiritual hymns and chants.

The origin of culturally-distinct musical styles dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation, with several bow-shaped harps and drums being found, carved within the steatite seals that were recovered from the region.

Subbulakshmi which reflected the struggles faced by Indian women in public spaces resulted in her becoming a national emblem of a distinct style of traditional music culture.

One of the first prominent forms of political music in Pakistan was Allama Iqbal's Shikwa (grand complaint), a controversial series of poems that criticized God for not fulfilling the obligation of protecting the followers of Islam.