Name: Timila (Wikipedia) an hour-glass shaped Indian percussion instrument used in the state of Kerala.

Also known as: Thimila, Paani

Wikidata item: Q3522389

External links:

http://keralaculture.org/mal-image-gallery/large/thimila_large.jpg: Image

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr_K-SFVxCs: Sound Sample

https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/12572/14/14_chapter%207.pdf: For more information

Disambiguation: The word Timila is considered to have evolved out of the word "Timi" meaning "Fish as the instrument's body structure resembles that of a fish. (https://www.coursehero.com/file/pcfhv4/Timila-Timila-is-an-important-percussion-instrument-used-in-Kerala-temple/) It is an important part of an ensemble of 5 percussion instruments called Panchavadyam which is a temple art form of Kerala.

Description: The Timila is 2 ft long and 5 inches wide. It is made of jack wood and the 2 drum heads are made of calfskin.  The calfskin is held by leather braces that are twined around the instrument and are used to tune the instrument. It is suspended around the shoulder of the player and played by using both palms on one drum head.  Individual fingers are not used to play. It is considered as a divine instrument and is used in temple rituals.  It is a very important part of the Panchavadyam performance as it sets the rhythm.