Century-Old Sacred Fluted Brass Temple Kirtan Drum (Kirtan Khola / Mridanga)

Majestic and exceedingly rare century-old authentic sacred brass devotional drum (celebrated in Odia and Vaishnava temple traditions as Pitala Kirtan Khola or Khol / Mridanga), crafted circa early 20th century in Odisha. While traditional devotional khols were primarily fashioned from fragile baked terracotta/clay (Mrid-anga = "clay-bodied"), wealthy royal mathas, aristocratic zamindars, and major temples commissioned rare brass-bodied resonators (Pitala Khola) engineered to withstand vigorous outdoor devotional dancing and damp monsoon conditions during sacred deity processions (Devaratha Yatra / Biman Chali). Measuring an impressive 23 inches (58.4 cm) in length and 1 foot (30.5 cm) in central diameter, the asymmetric biconical resonator shell is hand-beaten from heavy brass and meticulously embellished with fine, densely spaced parallel longitudinal fluted ridges that enhance both structural rigidity and high-frequency acoustic brilliance. The instrument features two distinct parchment drumheads—a small treble face (dayan) producing sharp, soaring resonant bell overtones and a larger bass face (bayan) delivering deep rhythmic thunder—interconnected and tensioned by traditional longitudinal rawhide thongs (baddhi / barapita) braided over leather hoop collars (gaja), with a brazed brass suspension ring for shoulder slinging. Remarkably preserved in fully functional playing condition, authentic century-old brass-bodied Kirtan Kholas are virtually extinct today and represent paramount treasures of sacred Indian ethnomusicology. Preserved with authentic historic golden-olive patina and subtle verdigris traces along the fluting.