The chillum is a hand-held smoking pipe comprising a mouthpiece connected to a bowl for burning tobacco. This chillum’s mouthpiece, which is in the shape of a fish, is made of white metal holding the brass tobacco bowl in its mouth.
Before the introduction of tobacco in to India by the Portuguese in the c.15th century, Indians are known to have smoked hashish and cannabis, in all probability from a chillum. Unlike the hukkah, the chillum does not have a water container for filtering the smoke.