Timila,
thimila or
paani, is an hour-glass shaped percussion instrument used in
Kerala,
South India. It is made of polished
jackwood, and the drumheads made of
calfskin (preferably taken from 1-2 year old
calf) are held together by
leather braces which are also twined round the waist of the drum. This mechanism helps in adjusting the tension and controlling the sound, mainly two: 'tha' and 'thom'. It is one of the constituting instruments in
Panchavadyam. It is also a major percussion instrument used in sree-bali, sree-bhootha-bali and related temple rites.