Fundamental of Ancient Indian Music and Dance

Author(s): Sureshchandra Benarji
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 82

APPENDIX
B
INFLUENCE OF INDIAN MUSIC ABROAD
That there was brisk contact of India not only with her Asian neighbours, but also with such far-off regions as Egypt, Greece etc. is borne out by historical evidence. This contact was established through maritime trade, religious activities, especially the propagation of Buddhism, political domination and military invasions.
In the domain of music, there are some points of similarity between the Indian system and that in vogue in certain other countries. While, in some cases, this might be accidental coincidence or parallel development, in others the influence of India is a historical fact.
The accounts of India, left by the Chinese travellers, Fa-hien, Hiuen Tsang and I-tsing, bear eloquent testimony to cultural intercourse between our country and China. It was probably in the Gupta age (320 A.D. to the first half of the seventh century) that there was a diffusion of Indian culture in the countries of the middle and east Asia, particularly in China. Kuchi in Central Asia was then a centre of the cultiva. tion of Indian music. There is evidence of the prevalence of our music in Kashgarh and Khotan too. It is probable tbat the Indian artists of Kuchi carried this art to China. It found an honoured place even in the royal courts of China. In 581 A.D., at the invitation of the then Chinese Emperor, many Indian .musicians went to that country. An Indian artist, named Sujīva, adorned the royal court of China in the period between 560 and 578 A.D. An expert Viņā-player, he used
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