mridanga

/mree dahng"geuh/, n.

an ancient drum of India shaped like a long conical barrel with two tuned heads of different sizes.

Also, mridangam /mree dahng"geuhm/.

[1885-1900]

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▪ musical instrument

also spelled  Mridangam, or Mṛdaṅga,  

      two-headed drum played in the classical music of South India. It is made of wood in an angular barrel shape, having an outline like an elongated hexagon. Thong hoops around each end of the drum, leather thong lacing, and small wooden dowels slipped under the lacings control the skin tension.

      A removable patch of tuning paste is affixed to each end, giving the drum a definite pitch. The left head is usually tuned an octave lower than the right. The drum is held across the lap and played on both ends with the hands and fingers. A similar instrument, the pakhavāj, is played in North India.

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