Dear Prof Tieken, Here are some references to the *mārjana /anulēpana* of the Mr̥daṅga and other kindred drums.
1. A gāhā from the Sattasaī speaks of the coating of rice that makes the timbre of the drum sweet. It appears that the Sanskrit verse को न याति etc. is a later (pale) paraphrase of this one. *aülīṇo domuhao tā mahuro bhoaṇaṃ muhe jāva* / HSS_253ab *murao vva khalo jiṇṇammi bhoaṇe virasam ārasaï */ HSS_253cd 2. In Cilappatikāram book 28, in the description of the Cākyār's dance, is a drum that is smeared with mud (*maṇ kaṇai muḻavum*). You have probably seen the passages in Bharata and Śārṅgadēva describing the smearing of mud. 3. A line from Bāṇabhaṭṭa's Kādambarī that speaks of how the coating makes the sound of the drum sonorous - especially when it is freshly applied - kad pb1.133 *atha nāticirād evānulepanārdra-mṛdaṅga-dhvani-dhīreṇa nirvivara-vijṛmbhita-pratināda-gambhīreṇa, śabaraśaratāḍitānāṃ keśariṇāṃ ninādena, [....] vanāntaravyāpinā dhvānena sarvataḥ pracalitam iva tad araṇyam abhavat* / 4. In the contemporary Indian drums *pakhāvaj *and *mṛdaṅga*, one can see two kinds of coating - one is a (more or less permanent) black circle of clay, starch and iron filings that is fixed in the centre of the membrane - this is usually done by a professional technician. It is pertinent that this tuning paste is also called *cōṟu* (*cōṟṟu*). The other is a (temporary) circle of cooked rice or semolina paste applied on top of the black spot by the drummer before they perform on the *mṛdaṅgam*. In the case of the Pakhāvaj drum, a dough of wheat flour is applied. 5. It may be worthwhile to look at what the commentaries have to say on the passage '*māyūrī madayati mārjanā manāṁsi*' of the Mālavikāgnimitra. Best wishes, Naresh Keerthi Department of Sanskrit Studies Ashoka University
_______________________________________________ INDOLOGY mailing list [email protected] https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology
