Significance of Nadaswaram and Thavil in Hinduism and Hindu Temples

Nadaswaram

The nadaswaram is a double reed wind instrument from South India . It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.

It is believed that the nadaswaram is among the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instruments. It is a wind instrument similar to the North Indian shehnai but much longer, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.

In South Indian culture, the nadaswaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is a key musical instrument played in almost all Hindu weddings and temples of the South Indian tradition. It is part of the family of instruments known as mangala vadyam (=auspicious instrument). The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called thavil; it can also be accompanied with a drone from a similar oboe called the ottu.

Thavil

A thavil is a barrel-shaped percussion instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential components of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.

Thanjavur is famous for thavil, so called Thanjavur Thavil. Thavil is a traditional musical instrument of the ancient city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It is an integral part of the Carnatic music in Thanjavur.

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.