Maram: India musical instrument

The maram is a membranophone percussion musical instrument that is from the southern part of India. The musical instrument is made up in a wood cylinder with two skin heads on the both sides of the drum. The two heads are tensioned with skin laces, resembling rustic mridangam. The musical instrument is played with the hands with the drum in a horizontal position and used in the folk music as well as temple music. The maram implies ‘tree’ in the south Indian languages.

source of picture: en.wikipedia.org

The valia paani maram is a sacred musical instrument that is used only for rites in the temples. The instrument consists of the heart wood of jack wood, engaged from the tree standing at the temple complex. The two sides of the instrument is covered with pieces of tanned leather of cow or bull-calf. Two hooks are made available on the both sides for tying a cloth so that the musical instrument rests on either the shoulder of the player on his wrist while he is playing the instrument. The musical instrument is played with the palm of the hand. Before beating the musical instrument, it is important that the player of the instrument should change the cloth of the paani and have an unbleached new cloth. The leather on the either side of the instrument has to be rubbed with the paste of new boiled rice for the smoothness of the surface.