The mridangam is one of India’s oldest drums, originating over 2000 years ago. It has two drum heads, one bass side, the “thoppi,” and one treble side, the “valanthalai.” It is therefore very useful for harmonization, and is often played alongside other instruments. Over the centuries it has been critical in producing “taal,” the Indian rhythmic system, and in the 20th century schools began to opened for teaching how to play it, the two most famous being the Puddukottai and Thanjavur schools.

The drum has various standard playing techniques that incoporporate taals, which are made up of “bols,” or notes, although they are unwritten. When taught to play the mridangam, reading music is left out, but students must rather learn to feel the rhythm. Each bol deals with specific hand positions and produce unique sounds. Some bols include the vibrational “chapu” and “thom,” or the non-vibrational “dhi” and “tha.”

The mridangam is said to have been the favorite instrument of Nandi, the vahana, or “vehicle,” of the Hindu god Shiva. It is also said to have been the ancestor to the tabla, or that it created the two-drum tabla set when it was first split in half.