FAQ · Instruments & artforms

What is a tavil made of?

Updated

A tavil's shell is hollowed from a solid block of jackfruit wood. The two heads use different hides: water buffalo skin on the right head and goat skin on the other. The skins are fixed to hoops, historically of bamboo, and steel hoops have replaced bamboo because bamboo breaks. A paste is applied inside the left face, over a circle about 5 cm across.

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