Venu

The ''venu'' (Sanskrit: ; /मुरळि; ''muraļi'') is one of the ancient transverse flutes of Indian classical music. It is an aerophone typically made from bamboo, that is a side blown wind instrument. It continues to be in use in the South Indian Carnatic music tradition. It is referred to as nadi and tunava in the Rigveda and other Vedic texts of Hinduism. In northern Indian music, a similar flute is called ''bansuri''. In the south, it is also called by various other names such as ''pullanguḻal'' (புல்லாங்குழல்) in Tamil (Tamil Nadu), ''oodakuḻal ''(ഓടകുഴൽ) or '' kurungu kuḻal '' (കുറുന് കുഴൽ) in Malayalam (Kerala) and ''ಕೊಳಲು (koḷalu)'' or ಮುರಳಿ (muraļi) in Kannada (Karnataka) . It is known as ''pillana grōvi'' (పిల్లన గ్రోవి) or ''vēṇuvu'' (వేణువు) in Telugu (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana). It is also called as Carnatic Flute.

The ''venu'' is discussed as an important musical instrument in the ''Natya Shastra'', the classic Hindu text on music and performance arts. The ancient Sanskrit texts of India describe other side blown flutes such as the ''murali'' and ''vamsika'', but sometimes these terms are used interchangeably. A ''venu'' has six holes, is about the thickness of a thumb, and twelve fingers long. A longer ''murali'' has four holes and two hands longs. The ''vamsika'' has eight holes, between twelve and seventeen fingers long.

A ''venu'' is a part of the iconography of Hindu god shree Krishna. Provided by Wikipedia