Nepal
Nepalese 

Wood, hide, fiber rope
19th century
Length: 23.4 inches
Chordophones – Lutes

The tungana (tungna) is a small, plucked lute from Nepal used in folk/popular music.   This tungana has an ornately carved body and neck with a sickle-shaped pegbox that turns to the front where there is a carved mythical dragon head that supports four wooden pegs.  The bottom half of the resonator body shaped like the figure ‘8’ is hallowed out and covered with animal hide while a large wooden bridge rests on the hide. The neck and top half of the figure ‘8’ resonator body are also hallowed out but covered with a carved wooden panel and there are no frets. A wooden plectrum is tied to a rope and like the four gut strings, is attached to a post on the bottom. 

Resource: ATLAS of Plucked Instruments – Central Asia