URUMI MELAM

One of the essential part of taking kavadi is the accompanying music, Urumi Melam. Urumi Melam ensembles usually consist of a pair of double headed drums called Pambai, one to three Urumi drums, one or two Thavil, Jalra and sometimes Sangu.

Urumi
is a double-headed hourglass-shaped drum from the state of Tamil Nadu, South India. Two skin heads are attached to a single hallow, often intricately carved wooden shell. The preferred wood is jackwood, although other wood may be used. Both left and right heads are usually made from cow hide that is stretched around a thin metal ring (sometimes lizard skin is used for the right head). The outer circumference of each head is perforated with approximately seven to eight holes. The two heads are held in tension by a continuous rope that is woven around the drum in a V-shape pattern. Additional small coils of string or metal are tied around each pair of ropes near the left head. These coils can be slide horizontally along the length of the drum, increasing or decreasing the tension between the heads as necessary.

Thavil
is a barrel shaped drum from South India. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell hollowed out of a solid block of jackfruit wood. Layers of animal skin (water buffalo on the right, goat on the left) are stretched across the two sides of the shell using hemp hoops attached to the shell. The right face of the instrument has a larger diameter than the left side, and the right drum head is stretched very tightly, while the left drum head is kept loose to allow pitch bending. The larger face is higher in pitch than the smaller face.

Pambai
is a pair of cylindrical drums used in temple festivals and folk music in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, India. This unit of two drums is held near the waist of the player and beaten with stick. Normally one drum is made of wood and the other of brass: the wooden one is known as veeru vanam and the metal drum as vengala pambai which carries two different tone of sound.

Jalra
is a pair of small hand cymbals. They often accompany folk or devotional music. It is used in various religious ceremonies of India, especially bhajans. Jalra are usually made of bronze, brass, copper zinc or Bell metal and connected with a rope/thick string which passes through holes in their center. They produce a rhythmic tinkling sound when struck together. The sound's pitch varies according to their size, weight and the material of their construction. A player can also adjust the timbre by varying the point of contact while playing.

Sangu
They are prepared by cutting a hole in the spire of the Shell near the apex, and then blowing into the shell as if it was a trumpet, as in blowing horn. This shell is used as an important ritual object in Hinduism. The shell is used as a ceremonial trumpet, as part of religious practices, for example puja. The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing.