Gata Bera Drum
The gata bera is the large cylindrical drum of Sri Lanka, slung from the hip and beaten with sticks or open hands at Buddhist perahera processions, temple rites, village festivals and healing ceremonies. Its name comes from the Sinhala word for a pot, and the barrel is traditionally carved from jak or asala wood with heads of cowhide braced by rope and leather thongs, tuned so the deep beat carries over crowds. It is the lead drum of the Kandyan dance tradition, where drummers and dancers train together from boyhood, and it also drives the masked exorcism dances that the Sinhalese perform to p