The mridangam (Sanskrit: ???????, Tamil: ??????????, Telugu: ??????, Kannada: :?????, Malayalam: ??????, Nepal Bhasa: ??????) is a percussion instrument from India of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music and Newa music ensemble. Alternate spellings include "mrudangam", "mrdangam", "mrithangam", "miruthangam", and "mirudhangam". The mridangam is also played in Carnatic concerts in countries outside of India, including Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. During a percussion ensemble, the mridangam is often accompanied by the ghatam, kanjira, and the morsing.
The tabla (or tabl, tabla) (Punjabi: ????,Hindi: ????, Marathi: ????, Kannada: ???, Telugu: ???, Tamil: ?????, Malayalam: ???, Bengali: ????,Oriya: ????, Nepali: ????, Urdu: ?????, Arabic: ???? ?????, Persian: ????) is a membranophone percussion instrument (similar to bongos), used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres. The term tabla is derived from an Arabic word, tabl, which simply means "drum." The tabla is used in some other Asian musical traditions outside of India, such as in the Indonesian dangdut genre.