Definition of "mridangam" [mridangam]

• An ancient Indian percussion instrument, a two-sided drum whose body is usually made from a hollowed piece of jackfruit wood. Connected with hindu mythology in which numerous gods play this instrument: Ganesha, Shiva, Nandi, Hanuman etc. (noun)

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• "But Carnatic music features singers -- vocalists make up more than half the festival bookings in Chennai -- and replaces the North's small tabla drums with a two-sided barrel called the mridangam, and the North's harmonium (a small reed organ) with the violin (a version of the instrument adapted from the West 200 years ago)."
• "Lalgudi Jayaraman, who first performed with Raghu in 1947 at Madurai, said his mridangam was a perfect combination of brilliance and tradition."
• "Eminent theatre personalities Zohra Segal and Ebrahim Alkazi and noted 'mridangam' Carnatic artist Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman are the other three chosen for Padma Vibhushan award by the government which, in all, named 130 people, including 13 in the category of foreigners, NRIs and PIOs. 43 are Padma Bhushan and 83 are Padma Shri."