The volumes are a comprehensive and authoritative reference work that deals with the story of music in India that is spread across centuries. They present the information in the form of an encyclopaedia--with 5000 entries by about 100 acclaimed contributors and an extended group of around 250 musicians, musicologists, scholars and teachers of music from India and abroad. The vast collaborative effort contains entries that pertain to a variety of forms of music in India including classical, folk and film, and details of all forms of dance, raga, taa, gharana. The mammoth effort which is up-to-date involves explanation and discussion of important terms and concepts in music, like bhavuk, svaras, theka, langhana, pukar and so on; ragas and seasons that are intricately linked to music and festivity in the Indian tradition; instruments used to the accompaniment of music like the bheri, the kettle drum; famous stories from epics and other traditional sources used in festivals, dances and stage art forms; famous treatises and other writings on music and exponents of different forms of music who have made unique contributions to music. and won many honours. These short biographies of saint-poets, gurus, musicologists, composers and instrumentalists contribute to revealing about the depth of the Indian music tradition. The coverage of music spans all regions of India as well as the countries of the Indian subcontinent--Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

This first-of-a-kind encyclopaedia provides a wealth of information about Indian art and culture in one place. The rich texts is supported by viuals that include over 200 photographs from different sources including family albums and private collections and line drawings of rare instruments. The text and visuals blend to further readers' understanding of the modes and moods of the music of India.

This is a publication by Sangit Mahabharati, one of India's premier music academia that offers courses on music and dance and promotes classical music through festivals, lecture-demonstrations and music appreciation sessions.