Dailybeam

Both drum shells (of the bayan and dayan) are covered with a head (called as puri) that is constructed from a goat skin – since the cow is a sacred animal in India, cow skins are never used. As a matter of fact, goat skin is frequently used in the stead of cow skin in most of the ethnic percussion instruments originating in Asia. The goat skin is then overlaid by an outer ring of skin (called the keenar) to serve as suppressor of the natural overtones the tabla creates. The two skins are stitched together by a complex woven braid that gives the entire assembly the strength to be tensioned onto the shell. The completed head construction is then affixed to the drum shell with a continuous piece of goat or camel hide strap that is laced in between the braid of the head assembly and another ring that is placed on the bottom of the drum.