Musical granite pillars in ancient Hindu temples
Paul T. Calamia, Jonas Braasch · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2008
In some ancient Hindu temples built in India between the 7th century and the 16th century can be found a fascinating architectural element: intricately designed musical pillars of solid granite. These pillars, clusters of which were often carved from a single piece of stone, were tuned by means of their length, width, and tension (induced by a load from above) and were played to accompany devotional readings and dance performances. Various tunings and sound characteristics were employed based on the intended purpose. In this paper, examples of extant pillars will be presented and discussed within the context of their acoustical and architectural significance.