Tavil
The tavil is the South Indian barrel drum of the periya melam, played beside the nadaswaram at temples and weddings: double-headed, with finger strokes on one head and a stick on the other.
£250 - £800
Entry-level tavils start around £250, and professional drums with hand-selected jackfruit shells and correctly pasted heads, for Carnatic concerts and temple work, cost £400 to £800. Compare a shell hollowed from one block, sound buffalo and goat hides and intact paste inside the left face.
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Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn.
History & Origins
What is the tavil?
The tavil (thavil, தவில்) is the double-headed barrel drum of Tamil Nadu's periya melam, and a KalaSudha tavil suits the temple musician and the concert drummer. The periya melam is the temple ensemble of nadaswaram and percussion heard at temples, weddings and processions. Its jackwood shell carries a buffalo-hide right head and a goat-skin left head, for a range from sharp high attacks to deep resonant bass.
Built to match the nadaswaram
The tavil's volume and projection match the powerful reed of the nadaswaram outdoors, where other drums cannot carry; the two count together as mangala vadyam, auspicious instruments, with the ottu drone and talam cymbals. The barrel shell reinforces the low frequencies. The heads tune separately on their lacing, set to the nadaswaram player's tonal centre before each performance, and a paste coats a circle about 5 cm across inside the left face.
How it is played
The right hand plays the right head with hand, wrist and fingers, traditionally in hardened finger caps, for rapid rolls and sharp articulation, while the left hand strikes the left head with a short stick. Players sit, or stand with the drum on a shoulder strap. Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam and Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram took the tavil into Carnatic concerts. Start on one of our tavil study paths.
The tavil is one of the oldest percussion instruments in continuous South Indian use, though no firm date marks its beginnings. Tamil Sangam literature (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) names temple and processional percussion, and similar drums appear in Chola and Pallava temple reliefs of the 7th to 12th centuries. Arunagirinathar's 15th-century Thiruppugazh mentions the tavil, and it took its place in the periya melam of temple courtyards, processions and life ceremonies.
Periya melam musicians, the tavil vidwan among them, came from hereditary non-Brahmin temple communities, who in the mid-20th century took the name Isai Vellalar; families passed on both playing and drum-making. For centuries this kept the tavil within set lineages and ceremonies. In the 20th century Carnatic concerts began to include periya melam instruments, and tavil players found audiences beyond the temple.
Valayapatti A. R. Subramaniam (1938–2021) shaped the modern concert tradition, with solo compositions and rhythmic elaboration for the Carnatic stage, and his recordings made the tavil a solo voice able to hold a full concert beside the nadaswaram. Haridwaramangalam A. K. Palanivel, Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram and later players took the drum to international festivals, within and beyond the periya melam.
Construction & Craftsmanship
Construction Process
The shell is a barrel of jackfruit wood (Artocarpus heterophyllus), 50–60 cm long and 30–35 cm across at the centre, tapering to both heads. Makers hollow it from a solid block, the superior build for even sound, though some assemble staves bonded with natural glue; the inside is smoothed, and the dense wood adds resonance and low-frequency weight.
The right head is water buffalo or buffalo-calf hide; the left is goat skin, with a flour paste, traditionally of rice flour and ash, coating a circle about 5 cm across on the inside of its face. Each skin sits on a hemp hoop attached to the shell. Leather straps threaded through loops and crossed over the body lace the heads on, and each head tunes on its own by shifting the straps.
The stick, the kuchi, is short, thick and hard, of wood or horn. Players who wear finger caps on the right hand traditionally shape them from hardened paste; bone or plastic caps are also used.
Maintenance & Care
- Heads: Store the tavil in a padded bag or case; a cracked or punctured head needs replacing. Check the paste inside the left face before you play.
- Straps: Rub the leather straps with a little neatsfoot oil or leather conditioner once a month, as dry straps snap under tension and leave the heads untunable on stage.
- Heat and damp: Keep the drum out of strong sun, which dries straps and heads, raises pitch without warning and wears them faster, and away from damp and sudden humidity swings. Before humid outdoor performances retighten slack heads; in dry weather ease the straps a little so they do not over-tension.
- Paste: If the paste loosens and the head sounds thin or hollow, bring the drum to us rather than re-pasting it yourself.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Tavil
Physical dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Body length | 50–60 cm |
| Maximum body diameter | 30–35 cm (centre) |
| Right head diameter | 18–22 cm |
| Left head diameter | 22–26 cm |
| Weight | 4–7 kg |
Construction materials
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Shell material | Solid block of jackfruit wood (Artocarpus heterophyllus) |
| Right head | Water buffalo or buffalo-calf hide |
| Left head | Goat skin, with paste inside the face over about 5 cm |
| Lacing | Leather straps threaded through head loops and crossed over the body; bolts or metal straps on some modern drums |
| Stick (kuchi) | Short, thick, hard stick of wood or horn |
Sound characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Right head tone | Sharp, high-pitched attack; defined fundamental |
| Left head tone | Low, resonant, wide frequency spread |
| Combined range | Bass to high treble across both heads |
| Dynamic level | Loud; designed for outdoor and temple projection beside the nadaswaram |
| Resonance character | Warm shell resonance from jackfruit wood body |
Playing technique
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Right-hand tool | Hand, wrist and fingers, traditionally in finger caps |
| Left-hand tool | Kuchi stick |
| Stroke types | Roll, single stroke, open, mute, rim |
| Drum position | Seated, or standing with a shoulder strap; on a stand for some players |
| Difficulty level | Advanced |
Tuning and setup
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tuning mechanism | Leather strap lacing, adjusted by pulling or slackening |
| Pitch reference | Matched to nadaswaram tonal centre before performance |
| Right head pitch | Higher; tuned separately from left head |
| Left head pitch | Lower; wide resonance profile |
| Weather effect | Heat tightens heads; humidity slackens them |
Available Instruments
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Contact for Custom OrderYour Journey to Tavil Mastery
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Basics of tavil technique
Finger caps and right-hand articulation
Left-hand stick technique
Carnatic tala cycles
Nadaswaram partnership and solo repertoire
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tavil, the drum of the South Indian temple ensemble?
The tavil, also spelt thavil, is a double-headed, barrel-shaped drum associated with Tamil Nadu. It is the drum of the periya melam, the South Indian temple ensemble led by the nagaswaram. It is used in temple music, Carnatic music and folk music, and with the nagaswaram it counts as an auspicious instrument at temple rituals and Hindu weddings.
What materials is a tavil made from?
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.
How is the tavil held and played?
In the standard hold, the right hand plays the tavil's right head with the hand, wrist and fingers, and the left hand strikes the left head with a stick. The stick, the kuchi, is short, thick and hard, cut from local wood such as portia. The player sits or stands with the drum hung from the shoulder on a cloth strap, which suits the open-air performance of the temple ensemble.
Should I buy a rope-laced or a steel-hoop tavil?
The tavil's skins are fixed to hoops, historically bamboo, and steel hoops have replaced bamboo because bamboo breaks. The tensioning system, rope and dowel or steel hoop and bolt, is one of the main decisions for a buyer, because it affects how a head is replaced. Check too that the shell is a solid jackwood block, and look at the head hides and the loaded left face.
What is the periya melam?
The periya melam is the South Indian temple ensemble of nagaswaram, tavil, ottu, a drone reed pipe, and talam, cymbals, organised around the lead nagaswaram player. The nagaswaram and tavil are auspicious instruments, heard at temple rituals and Hindu weddings in South India. The nagaswaram's volume makes it largely an outdoor instrument.
What should I check when buying a tavil?
When buying a tavil, check that the shell is a solid jackwood block, how the heads are tensioned, which hides the heads use, and the condition of the loaded left face. The tensioning system affects how a head is replaced. You will also need the kuchi, a short, thick, hard stick, and finger caps for the hand that plays the right head.
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