Mridangam

The mridangam is an ancient percussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a traditional royal instrument originating in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is widely used in south Indian classical music, called Carnatic music, especially in its sangeetha kacherees. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the kendang, played in the Maritime Southeast Asia. It is a complex instrument to tune and involves a lot of mathematics to construct korvais.