The padded base ring — cushioning, grip, and playing angle for each drum.
The cloth-stuffed ring placed under each drum — the same object also called indri or gaddi, with usage varying by region. Beyond stability it sets the drums' height and lean, which in turn set hand and wrist geometry.
Players traveling light improvise with rolled towels, but a firm, properly sized pair is a genuine ergonomic upgrade: consistent drum angle is a quiet prerequisite for consistent nikas.
Further reading
Rebecca Stewart, The Tabla in Perspective (PhD dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1974).
