Damaru

Hourglass-shaped hand drum, which
has membranes stretched over the top
and bottom of the hourglass, and at the
middle, two strings with a bead at the
end. The drum is played by holding it by
its narrow middle and rotating the hand
back and forth so that the beads strike
the drumheads. The pace of the rhythm
(tala) is determined by the speed of
hand movement. In Hindu iconography,
this drum is almost invariably associated
with the god Shiva. In his form as
Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance, the
drum signifies the rhythm by which
Shiva undertakes the creation of the
universe. Another iconic motif is to
show the damaru hanging from Shiva’s
trident. In modern times this drum is
often carried by ascetics, either because
of its association with Shiva, its portability, or both. See also iconic image.