We went to Coimbatore for a concert but decided to stay back for a short holiday and ended up doing research on the instrument thudumbu, locally known as jamab.
Thudumbu belongs to the Kovai (Coimbatore) region. It is also known as kidumutti, thidumam, uruti and chera thudumbu.
The origin of the name thudumbu has been attributed to the Thudumbars, a tribal community living in Pollachi, Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Nilgris and Kovai areas. It is learnt that the members of this community used to serve and entertain the Chola, Chera and the Pandya kings and feudal lords,who went for ‘vana bhojana’ in the forests. The thudumbu was also played to chase away the wild animals.
According to another theory, thudumbu was introduced by the Vijayanagar empire and Thudumbattam became popular in Coimbatore and nearby areas.
The bowl-shaped thudumbu that resembles the bayan of the tabla is made of mud. Its single face is covered with skin and connected with chords to the bottom of the instrument. It is either hung over the waist of the performer and played or held between the legs and played with two sticks.
Thudumbu is played at the temples of Mariamman, Pechiamman, Madurai Veeran, Annanmar, Palani, Marudhamalai and at the Karamadai Aranganathar temple. This instrument can be heard during the Veedi Ula. It is an integral part of temple festivities, including Makaliamman Festival at Krishnapuram Pudur. It seems that in the Kovai region no tiruvizha is complete without the performance of the thudumbu.
It is usually played along with manmelam but sometimes with kombu and thavil. Thudumbattam is a folk art of Tamil Nadu and is performed by a group of men.
According to a legend, once when Lord Ranganatha was being taken out in a procession, thudumbattam was performed by the cobblers. It began to rain heavily and the performers used their thudumbus as umbrella for the Lord. Since then, on the day of Lord Ranganatha’s ‘mandagapadi’ they were given the special honour of carrying the pandham (or the torch) for the temple yaga.
In Karamadai temple, this instrument is played during the ‘Pandha Sevai’ or the torch-bearing ceremony that takes place the day after the car festival. The thudumbu is played to cheer the people carrying pandhams. It is also played during Kadavu Maththattam, a folk dance performed as part of the Kambathadi puja held in Mariamman temples.
The instrument can be heard at the periya salangai attam at amman temples. Thudumbattam is performed by the Sakkilayars during the Sri Pattatharasi Amman temple festival in Pollachi, where the goddess is carried to the nearby Ranganatha temple in a temple car. Differenttalas such as Adaththala Adi (where Adi signifies a beat), Savaari Adi, Othai Adi, Irandam Adi and so on are associated with different rituals.
The Thudumbattam ensemble usually consists of thudumbu, base drums, tappattai, murakose and dasara. Thudumbu and tappu are also performed in Jikattam, popular in Coimbatore and Pollachi. The team of performers comprise 16 men, 10 of whom play the instruments, while the other six dance to the music. Jikkattam is performed mainly during temple celebrations.
Sakti, who plays the thudumbu, says that this instrument has found its way to Kerala, where it is known as the thambolam melam. This can be heard during festival mainly in and around Palakkad, Koyyamarakkadu and Attapadi and Kizhakkumpattukara.
(The writers are veteran Carnatic violinists.)
