Tava is referrring to a shallow frying pan made of heavy steel. Tava is also known in India as Tawa.
Other definition:
Tava refers to an an iron griddle that is used traditionally for making Indian breads and shallow frying. When used for a long period of time the iron griddle gets well seasoned and is the best. With the influx of non-stick surfaces, an alternative for tava is a thick aluminum non-stick griddle because less fat/oil/ ghee can be used during the cooking process.