The ghatam is a percussion instrument used for South Indian Carnatic music. Its a large earthenware pot with thick walls made from clay mixed with iron filings. The iron filings help give the ghatam more strength and a higher quality product. Great effort is made to keep the walls a similar thickness and shape as this determines the pitch of the sound produced.

To play a ghatam, a player sits with his legs crossed and the ghatam on his lap. The opening can be pressed against the players stomach, pointing up or facing the audience depending on the type of tone the player is after. With the mouth of the ghatam against the players stomach, a deeper sound can be achieved.

To create a sound, the player strikes the ghatam with various parts of their hands. The palms, fingertips, wrists and fingernails can all be used. Various parts of ghatams can be hit to produce different sounds and sound volumes.