Its size, style, bindings, mounts on ends and playing style in medieval Europe artworks has led scholars, such as Liane Ehlich, a flute scholar at the music school in the University of Lucerne, to state that the bansuri ( venu) migrated from India into the Byzantium Empire by the 10th century and from there on to medieval Europe where it became popular. The early medieval Indian bansuri was, however, influential. It is, however, not clear whether there was any connection between the Indian and Chinese varieties. However, a flute of a somewhat different design is evidenced in ancient China ( dizi) which Powell, quoting Curt Sachs' The History of Musical Instruments, suggests may not have originated in China but evolved from a more ancient Central Asian flute design. It is likely, states Powell, that the modern Indian bansuri has not changed much since the early medieval era. Of these, the transverse flute (side blown) appeared only in ancient India, while the fipple flutes are found in all three. According to legends the three birthplaces of flutes are Egypt, Greece, and India.

History ДЄccording to Ardal Powell, flute is a simple instrument found in numerous ancient cultures. In central and south India, a similar innovation is called nagoza or mattiyaan jodi, and Buddhist stupa reliefs in central India, from about the 1st century BCE, depict the single and twinned flute designs. Nepalese also use the word murali (а¤®аҐЃа¤°а¤ІаҐЂ), but that word can mean not only flute or fife, but also a reed instrument.ДЄncient regional innovations, such as those in the Himalayan foothills of India, developed more complex designs, such as the algoza which is a 'twin bansuri' in different keys constructed as a single instrument, allowing the musician to play more complex music. The instrument is also used in Nepal, under the name BДЃmМђsurД« (а¤¬а¤ѕа¤Ѓа¤ёаҐЃа¤°аҐЂ). Other regional names of bansuri-style, six to eight play holes, bamboo flutes in India include bansi, eloo, kulal, kulalu, kukhl, lingbufeniam, murali, murli, nadi, nar, pawa, pullankuzhal, pillana grovi, pulangoil, vansi, vasdanda, sipung, and venuvu.

A flute player in these medieval texts is called vamsika. ДЄ phonetically similar name for the same instrument, in early medieval texts, is the Sanskrit word vaб№ѓЕ›i which is derived from root vaб№ѓЕ›a (Sanskrit: а¤µа¤‚а¤¶ ) meaning bamboo. The word bansuri originates in the bans (а¤¬а¤ѕа¤Ѓа¤ё) + sur (а¤ёаҐЃа¤°). The early medieval Indian texts also refer to it as vaб№ѓЕ›i, while in medieval Indonesian Hindu and Buddhist arts, as well as temple carvings in Java and Bali dated to be from pre-10th century period, this transverse flute has been called wangsi or bangsi. However, the instrument is also common among other traditions such as Shaivism. These legends sometimes use alternate names for this wind instrument, such as the murali. The bansuri is revered as Lord Krishna's divine instrument and is often associated with Krishna's Rasa lila dance. it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha. The bansuri-like flute is depicted in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Jain temple paintings and reliefs, and is common in the iconography of the Hindu god Krishna. The traditional design features no mechanical keys, and the musician creates the notes they want by tapping the various finger holes. Longer bansuris feature deeper tones and lower pitches. One end is closed, and few centimeters from the closed end is its blow hole. The bansuri is typically between 30 centimetres (12В in) and 75 centimetres (30В in) in length, and the thickness of a human thumb. The six hole instrument covers two and a half octaves of music. Some modern designs come in ivory, fiberglass and various metals. ДЄ bansuri is traditionally made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. Its importance and operation is discussed in the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. It is referred to as nadi and tunava in the Rigveda and other Vedic texts of Hinduism. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo, used in Hindustani classical music. A bansuri is a side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent.

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