Tilak Mrdanga Review

Here's a world exclusive: a review of the new Tilak mrdanga, a Balarama-replica made in the Philippines. You can order one from Jai Gopal on Facebook. Currently the cost is US$300 incl. shipping.

One thing to note is that the camera microphone does not accurately reproduce the high frequencies produced by the Balaram mrdanga, so the difference between the two is not so apparent in the video. However, you can hear the difference in resonance between the two mrdangas around 7:30 and 8:04.

Shortly after this we weighed the two mrdangas - the Balaram weighs in at 4.5 kg, the Tilak at 3kg. Something else we discovered is that you can flex the body the body of the Tilak mrdanga with your hands. I got the feeling that I might be able to damage the body by compressing it hard enough with my own strength, something you definitely cannot do with a Balaram.