---
license: cc-by-4.0
task_categories:
- text-to-speech
language:
- sa
pretty_name: Vāgdhenu — Sanskrit Chant Corpus
size_categories:
- 1K<n<10K
configs:
- config_name: style_a
  data_files: style_a/**
- config_name: style_b
  data_files: style_b/**
---

# Vāgdhenu — Sanskrit Chant Corpus

A single-speaker **Sanskrit chant (pārāyaṇa) recording corpus** — classical ślokas chanted with tradition-faithful prosody and metrically-aware durations. Training data behind the [Vāgdhenu Sanskrit Chant TTS](https://github.com/prathoshap/vagdhenu).

**~1,467 clips · ~5.3 hours · 24 kHz mono.** One reciter (the author); classical śāstra chant, no Vedic svaras. Two configs (two cutting/normalization passes over the recording sessions, **largely different verses**):

| config | clips | hours | sources (sessions) | metadata |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **`style_b`** | 703 | 2.64 | Sumadhvavijaya, MBTN adh 4–7, Vāyustuti, Narasiṃha, Rudra, maṅgala | deva · slp1 · kannada · **meter** · n_syll · session · take |
| **`style_a`** | 764 | 2.70 | MBTN adh 1–3 & 7, Sumadhvavijaya, Narasiṃha, Śiva, Vāyustuti, maṅgala | deva · slp1 · kannada · duration · session |

```python
from datasets import load_dataset
ds = load_dataset("prathoshap/vagdhenu-data", "style_b")   # or "style_a"
```

## Format (AudioFolder, per config)
```
style_a/   audio/<clip>.wav  +  metadata.csv
style_b/   audio/<clip>.wav  +  metadata.csv
```
`metadata.csv` columns: `file_name`, `text_devanagari`, `text_slp1`, `text_kannada` (Kannada-routed model input), `meter` (style_b), `duration`, `n_syll` (style_b), `session`, `take`.

## Recording protocol (the hard-won rules — part of the contribution)
- One room, one large-diaphragm condenser, fixed ~15–20 cm + pop filter, noise floor ≤ −60 dB, **24-bit/48 kHz** (→ 24 kHz), peaks ~ −6 dB, lossless WAV. A **tanpura/śruti drone in the monitor** anchors Sa across sessions (**not** in the recordings).
- Natural pārāyaṇa delivery; steady pace/register; slight natural tempo variation welcome.
- **Word-boundary rule:** *no audible gaps between words within a pāda* — each pāda is one continuous breath-group; **pause only at a daṇḍa** (`।` short, `॥` longer). In long meters, one silent breath at the **yati** (caesura), at the same fixed position every clip.
- Phonetic emphasis: hold long vowels, sustain terminal visarga, articulate retroflex ṇ/ṣ/ṭ/ḍ, audible aspiration, hold geminates, keep conjuncts (sph/kṣ/jñ/hr/dr) crisp.

## Intended use
Training/fine-tuning Sanskrit chant TTS; prosody/meter research; study and accessibility. Use responsibly; do not impersonate the speaker.

## License & attribution
**CC-BY-4.0.** The voice and recordings are the author's own. Please cite *Vāgdhenu* (BibTeX added with the technical report).