m.rda.mga drum

[Hrid at aol.com]

Srinivasan Pichumani has give an excellent description of the drum. A small
addition: at least in West Bengal, the m.rda.ga drums are still commonly made
of clay, and then wrapped in strips of dried leather. These clay drums are
prominently used in the Hari-nama sankirtan performed by the followers of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Gaudiya Vaishnavas. I have been playing these clay
drums myself for many years. In fact, I have one at home here right now.
  Best wishes,
Howard Resnick,
Sanskrit and Indian Studies Department
Harvard University