| Chembai Sangeetholsavam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates | 12 - 15 days |
| Location(s) | Guruvayur, Kerala, India |
| Years active | 1910 - Present |
| Founded by | Chembai |
Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom (similar to the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Thiruvaiyaru) in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, one of the titans of Carnatic classical music [1] [2] and an ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan.
Chembai had conducted the festival in the temple town on his own for about 60 years. [3] [4] He used to invite anyone interested in Carnatic music, from small children to renowned musicians of his time, to perform at the festival. In course of time, the scale of the festival rivaled the Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana, which is recognized as one of the most important festivals of homage paid to Saint Thyagaraja. The Guruvayur Devaswom decided to take ownership of this festival after Chembai's death in 1974, renaming it as Chembai Sangeetholsavam in his memory.
About 3000 musicians participate in this festival every year and it is held for about 12–15 days culminating on the Guruvayur Ekadasi day, when all the musicians sing five favorite songs of Chembai and also the Pancharatna Kritis of Thyagaraja. [5]
The festival is getting more popular year after year and its duration has increased from three days in its inception to about 12–15 days now.
Thyagaraja, also known as Thyāgayya, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. He was prolific and highly influential in the development of India's classical music tradition. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Thyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Lord Rama, many of which remain popular today. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis, which are often sung in programs in his honour, and Utsava Sampradaya Krithis, which are often sung to accompany temple rituals.
Guruvayur is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at a distance of 292 km (181 mi) from the state capital Trivandrum towards the north-west, 80 km (50 mi) from Kochi towards the north, 90 km (56 mi) from Calicut towards south.
Thiruvaiyaru is a panchayat town in Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Tyagaraja Aradhana is an annual aradhana of Telugu saint composer Tyagaraja. The music festival is observed in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, primarily in Tiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district of Tamilnadu, the place where Tyagaraja attained Samadhi. The aradhana is observed on Pushya Bahula Panchami day when the saint attained samadhi, where the musicians render the saint's Pancharatna Kritis.
Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Lord Guruvayurappan ,Under the Administration of Guruvayur Devaswom, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamilnadu and is often referred to as Bhuloka Vaikunta.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad. Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, into a Tamil Brahmin family in Perakkool Madom, adjacent to Lokanarkavu near Vatakara on Janmashtami day. He lived here until he was five years old. The family later shifted to Palakkad. Chembai was noted for his powerful voice and majestic style of singing. His first public performance was in 1904, when he was nine. A recipient of several titles and honours, he was known for his encouragement of upcoming musicians and ability to spot new talent. He was responsible for popularising compositions like Rakshamam Saranagatam and Pavana Guru, among others. The music critic 'Aeolus' described him as "the musician who has meant the most to Carnatic Music in the first fifty years of the 20th century." His prominent disciples include Chembai Narayana Bhagavathar, Mangu Thampuran, Guruvayur Ponnammal, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, V. V. Subramaniam, P. Leela, K. G. Jayan, K. G. Vijayan, K. J. Yesudas, Kudumaru Venkataraman and Babu Parameswaran, among others. He also mentored many young accompanists, including Palghat Mani Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman, M. S. Gopalakrishnan, T. N. Krishnan, Palani Subramaniam Pillai and L. Subramaniam. Memorial music festivals have been held in his honour annually since his death in 1974, the most important being the annually celebrated Chembai Sangeetholsavam.
The Vrishchika Ekadasi is called as Guruvayur Ekadasi in Guruvayur, Kerala. This falls in the Mandala season. The Navami and Dasami are also very important. Ekadasi Vilakku starts a month before the Ekadasi day as offering by different persons, families and organisations. After the temple is open on this day for Nirmalya darshan, it is closed only at 9.00 am on Dwadasi Day. On Dwadasi day there is a custom of offering a token amount called Dwadasi Panam in Koothambalam
Swathi Sangeethotsavam is a ten-day festival of music celebrating the compositions of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal. The festival is held from 4 to 13 January every year at Kuthira Malika, Trivandrum, where the Maharaja is believed to have composed many of his works. The festival is a tribute to Swathi Tirunal and is exclusively dedicated to his compositions. The concerts are not ticketed. The festival is conducted by Rama Varma Maharaja of Travancore Trust under the helm of Prince Rama Varma.
Sadanam K. Harikumaran is a versatile artiste from Kerala in south India, known for his engagements with Indian classical dances and music, besides painting, sculpting and literature.
Porayathu Leela was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit, Odiya, Gujarati, Marati etc. and also Sinhale. She is also known for her extensive history of collaboration in the songs with Music Composers V Dakshinamoorthy., MS Baburaj, G Devarajan, Ghantasala, MS Viswanathan, KRaghavan, Br Lakshmanan, LPR Varma, BA Chithambara athletes, AT Ummer, MK Arjun,Johnson, Ouseppachan, Ilaiyaraja, and with the playback singers KJ Yesudas and Ghantalasa over the years. She is also known mostly for her sweet and melodious voice for which she is fondly called as Ganamani. She was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2006.
Mahadeva Temple, Kalanjoor popularly known as Thrikkalanjoor Sree Mahadeva temple is a Hindu temple. It is 80 kilometers to the south-west of the Sabarimala temple on the Punular-Muvattupuzha highway in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. A majestic banyan tree, flanked by an Althara that is visible from a distance for any traveler on the main road, announces the presence of the temple to the devotee.
Smitha Madhav is a Carnatic Classical Singer and Bharatanatyam Dancer. Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of India and one of the two main classifications of Indian Classical Music.
M A Krishnadas, also known as Tripunithura Krishnadas is an Indian musician. He is a well-known edaykkya and chenda artist from Kerala. He is the best edaykkya player of modern Kerala.
Bangalore Nagarathnamma was an Indian carnatic singer, cultural activist, scholar, and courtesan. A descendant of courtesans, she was also a patron of the arts and a historian. Nagarathnamma built a temple over the samadhi of the Carnatic singer Tyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru and helped establish the Tyagaraja Aradhana festival in his memory. Within a male dominated festival, she was the feminist aggressive enough to ensure that women artists were given equality to participate in it. She "was among the last practitioners of the devadasi tradition in India," and the first president of the Association of the Devadasis of Madras Presidency. She also edited and published books on poetry and anthologies.
Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaru is an iconic music festival, which has been conducted consecutively since 2005. It is an eight-day Carnatic music festival lasting from 18 to 25 December every year at Kamarajar Arangam, Teynampet, Chennai. Performances by leading Carnatic and Hindustani stalwarts, legends, upcoming talents, musicians, dancers, and discourses have been scheduled elaborately in this weeklong event with more than 50 enchanting shows commencing from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.
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The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is a 12-day festival of South Indian classical music and dance in Cleveland, Ohio, and is held each year around Easter weekend. The festival is a celebration in honor of Tyagaraja, the famous composer of Carnatic music, who composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu language. The festival began in 1978, and has since grown to become the largest South Indian classical music and dance festival outside of India. The festival draws its audience from all over the United States, as well as from Canada and other parts of the world.
Parassala B. Ponnammal was an Indian Carnatic musician from the south Indian state of Kerala. She was a classical carnatic vocalist in the lineage of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and Papanasam Sivan. She was the first woman to perform at the Navaratri Mandapam in Thiruvananthapuram as a part of the Navaratri Celebrations of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala.
Hyderabad Tyagaraja Aaradhana Music Festival (HTAMF) is an annual 5 day Carnatic music festival held in Hyderabad, Telangana at Shilparamam. It is held on the lines of the popular Tyagaraja Aradhana by Sanskriti Foundation which was found in 2005 and registered in 2008 by ViloinVasu a violinist, music teacher and researcher.
K. G. Jayan is an Indian Carnatic musician, who was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India in 2019. He is known for devotional songs. Jayan has composed more than 1,000 songs and also has been music director for a few Tamil and Malayalam films. The popular actor Manoj K. Jayan is his younger son.
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| Beaches and Waterfalls | ||
| Forts and Palaces | ||
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