The term "melam" means "ensemble," as in a "musical ensemble." In Kerala, "melam" refers to a group of Maddalam (drums) and similar percussion instruments (such as a

Chenda The Chenda (, ) is a cylindrical percussion instrument originating in the state of Kerala and widely used in Tulu Nadu of Karnataka in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as ''chende''. The instrument is strongly associat ...

) in a rhythmic performance. Those who play in melams are called 'Melakaar'. In ancient

Tamilakam Tamilakam () also known as ancient Tamil country as was the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, La ...

(Tamil country) melams were used for all the occasions in temples (''Kovil Melam'', ''Naiyandi Melam'', ''Urumi Melam''), marriages (''Ketti Melam''), functions, and funerals (''Parai Melam''). In Kerala, the most traditional of all melams is the Pandi Melam, which is generally performed outside the temple. Another melam called the Panchari Melam, which is similar to Pandi Melam, but the Panchari Melam is played inside the temple. In Malaysia and Singapore, the most common ensemble is "urumi melam", which is a group featuring the urumi drum that plays at Hindu temples and festivals.

History

Found in the list of Musical instruments used by

Tamil people The Tamils ( ), also known by their endonym Tamilar, are a Dravidian ethnic group who natively speak the Tamil language and trace their ancestry mainly to the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. The Tamil language is one of the longe ...

out in

Tirumurai ''Tirumurai'' (Tamil language, Tamil: திருமுறை, meaning Holy Order) is a twelve-volume compendium of songs or hymns in praise of Shiva in the Tamil language from the 6th to the 11th century CE by various poets in Tamil Nad ...

dated 6th to 11th century
மத்தளந் துந்துபி வாய்ந்த முருடிவற்றால்
எத்திசை தோறும் எழுந்தியம்ப - ஒத்துடனே
மங்கலம் பாடுவார் வந்திறைஞ்ச மல்லரும்
கிங்கரரும் எங்குங் கிலுகிலுப்பத் Melam in a song sung by 8th century

Andal Andal (ISO 15919: Āṇḍāḷ), also known as Godhai, Nachiyar, and Godha Devi, is the only female Alvars, Alvar. (Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, ...

pasuram, Nachiar Tirumozhi of (

Nalayira Divya Prabandham The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000 Tamil language, Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni, Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical ...

){{Cite web, url=http://dravidaveda.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=844, title = Home in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

literature
மத்தளம் கொட்டவ ரிசங்கம் நின்றூத,
முத்துடைத் தாம நிரைதாழ்ந்த பந்தற்கீழ்
மைத்துனன் நம்பி மதுசூதன் வந்து,என்னைக்
கைத்தலம் பற்றக் கனாக்கண்டேன் தோழீநான். Meaning ''I had a dream O friend! Drums beat and conches blew under a canopy of pearls on strings. Our Lord and cousin Madhusudana held my hand in his.'' She explains her dream about the marriage with Kannan (Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

)' to her friend, detailing the decorations made in the wedding hall, processions, instruments used.

History

References

See also