Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram

The Narasinghapettai Nagaswaram is the classical nagaswaram wind instrument hand-crafted in the village of Narasingampettai near Kumbakonam, long regarded as the finest source of this temple instrument. The long conical pipe is turned and bored from well-aged aacha (East Indian ebony) wood, and the maker must hollow it precisely, cut the finger holes and fit the metal bell (anasu) and reed so that the instrument sounds true across the demanding range of Carnatic music. Making a good nagaswaram is exacting work, as tone and pitch depend on the density of the wood and the accuracy of the boring. The instrument is indispensable to temple rituals, weddings and mangala isai, and Narasingampettai makers have supplied leading nagaswaram players for generations. The craft is carried on by a few skilled families and preserves a vital tradition of Tamil temple music-making.