Dolu is a barrel shaped drum played mostly in South India. It is played in weddings, temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the Nadaswaram. The Dolu and the Nadaswaram are essential components of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.
The Dolu is made with hollowed shell of jackfruit wood. Layers of water buffalo skin (on the right), goat skin (on the left) are stretched across the two sides of the shell. The right face of the instrument has a larger diameter and is stretched very tightly to have higher in pitch than the smaller face of left side.
The instrument is either played while sitting, or hung by a cloth strap (called nadai) from the shoulder of the player. The player usually wears thumb caps on all the fingers of the right hand, made of hardened glue from white flour (Maida). The left head is played with a short, thick stick made from the wood of the portia tree.