The aradhana (Ceremony of Adoration) is held every year on the anniversary of the demise of the saint. This is on Pushya Bahula Panchami day (the fifth day of the waning moon in the Hindu lunar month of Pushya). The Aradhana is conducted by the Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha and is held in the precincts of the samadhi (memorial) of the saint located at Thiruvaiyaru village, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, India.[8]
The Aradhana in its present format is not even a hundred years old. Thyagaraja died in 1847. A few days before his death, he had formally renounced everything and become a sanyasi. When he passed on, his mortal remains were buried on the banks of the river Kaveri and a small memorial was built at the site. His disciples returned to their respective villages and observed his death anniversary at their own homes. The memorial soon fell into neglect and had become quite dilapidated by 1903, when two of the last surviving students to have been taught by Tyagaraja happened to make a nostalgic visit to the site. These were the elderly and eminent musicians Umayalpuram Krishna Bhagavatar and Sundara Bhagavatar. They were dismayed by the neglect and dilapidation; indeed, they had to search for the memorial in the wild foliage of the riverbank. They arranged for the renovation of the samadhi and decided to commemorate the tithi or death anniversary of their guru every year at the Samadhi itself.
From the following year, efforts were made by musical stalwarts to observe the death anniversary regularly at Thiruvayyaru, and to use the occasion as an opportunity for his followers to converge and interact with each other. In 1905, a lavish ceremony, complete with feeding of the poor and worship at the memorial as per Vedic tenets, was celebrated. While Umayalpuram Krishna Bhagavatar and Sundara Bhagavatar were the moving force behind the renovations and celebrations, the brothers Thillaisthanam Narasimha Bhagavatar and Thillaisthanam Panju Bhagavatar were the main financiers and organizers. By the following year, the brothers had fallen out with each other. From 1906 onwards, each began conducting a parallel Aradhana. Various musicians also began aligned themselves with one or the other brother and two rival factions came into being. The group (and the aradhana celebration) conducted by Narasimha Bhagavatar came to be called the Periya Katchi ("senior party," since he was the elder) and that of Panju Bhat became known as the Chinna Katchi. With the passing of the Tillaisthanam brothers, the Periya Katchi came under the control of the ace violinist Malaikottai Govindasami Pillai, and the Chinna Katchi under that of Soolamangalam Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, the noted Harikatha exponent. Gradually, a convention emerged whereby the Chinna Katchi's celebrations began five days before the Aradhana and concluded on the Aradhana day, while the Periya Katchi's celebration began on Aradhana day and continued for four days after that. Both groups organised music performances and feeding of the poor and so the public was the real beneficiary during the nine days. On one point, both groups were united. They did not allow women to perform during the Aradhana. In those days, the only women who sang or danced in public were the devadasi or temple performers. Another point in common between the two groups was that they did not permit nadaswaram performances.
Bangalore Nagarathnamma was precisely such a temple performer, and one of the most famous professional concert artistes of her era. Nagarathnamma, who was then residing in Madras, was an ardent devotee of Thyagaraja and an aficionado of his music. Indeed, the soulful rendition of his kritis had been the mainstay of her career throughout her life, and she considered that she owed her considerable wealth to his grace. In 1921, the aged and childless lady decided to dedicate her life's earnings to preserving Thyagaraja's legacy and perpetuating his memory. In 1925, she began the construction of a temple enclosing the memorial. According to some sources, she purchased the land on which the grave stood, whereas according to other sources, that land was panchayat riverside land (village common land), and her construction was illegal, but tolerated by local residents due to its pious intentions. Nagarathnamma also had an idol of Tyagaraja sculpted and installed in front of the memorial. The consecration of the temple took place in early 1926. The two rival groups, while not interfering with all this, refused to let Nagarathnamma perform her music, or even Harikatha, within the temple which she herself had had constructed. They cited several instances from Thyagaraja's songs where he had complained about women in general.
Undeterred, Nagarathnammal began a third front which conducted its own music programs at the rear of the shrine. This third event featured many women artistes, and perhaps for that very reason, it began eating into the public popularity of the events hosted by the two Katchis. The doughty lady also filed suits in the local courts demanding the prevention of the Katchis from entering the temple, claiming that it belonged to her by right. She lost the case, but the hours of worship were laid down by the courts, dividing the Aradhana day equally between the two Katchis and her own group.
Matters continued this way till 1940, when SY Krishnaswami, ICS, convinced the groups to unite and it was in 1941 that the Aradhana as we know it was first conducted. Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar selected the five pancharatnas as being best suited for group rendering, so that a common homage by all musicians became possible. This idea was adopted and the choral rendition of the five songs was made an integral feature of the Aradhana. Before 1941, the three separate events had all been in the nature of music festivals, with no restriction regarding which of Thyagaraja's songs could be performed. It was only in 1941, when the three events were merged into one, that the convention of group singing of the five pancharatna kritis was decided upon.
Bangalore Nagarathnammal spent the rest of her days in Thiruvayyaru and bequeathed all her wealth to the Thyagaraja memorial, with the stipulation that women be allowed to pay their homage without any hindrance. When she died in 1952, she was buried close to Thyagaraja's memorial and a statue was erected on the spot. The statue directly gazes on Thyagaraja's memorial.
A huge complex is now under construction at Thiruvaiyaru at this site to accommodate the large audience that come to the concert in ever-increasing numbers every year.
2016 – 169th aradhana festival – 24 to 28 January 2016.[19] This year annual aradhana festival organised by Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha commenced at Thiruvaiyaru on Sunday 24 January 2016. Inaugurating the festival, ‘Nalli’ Kuppuswami Chetti, president of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, paid rich tributes to Bangalore Nagarathnamma Ammal who was instrumental in setting up the ‘adhishtanam’ for Sadguru Tyagabrahmmam. Collector N. Subbaiyan said music played a crucial role in promoting universal peace and harmony. G. Rangasamy Moopanar, president of the Sabha, and G.K. Vasan, chairman of the trust, spoke.[20]
2015 – 168th aradhana festival – 6 to 10 January 2015.[21] The inauguration of the festival at Thiruvaiyaru was inaugurated on 6 January 2015 by Justice V. Ramasubramanian, Madras High Court judge, by lighting lamp. Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha chairman G.K. Vasan and sabha president G. Rangasamy Moopanar accompanied him[22]
Performance on the 168th aradhana Festival at Thiruvaiyaru in 2015
In the small pearl of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius Island, Thyagaraja Aradhana is celebrated with great devotion by the Vyasha Dhalia Ashram.[citation needed] Abhishekam is done for Shri Rama in the morning and followed by the Kritis of Tyagaraja Swami accompanied by instruments such as mridangam, morsing, ghatam, khanjira, veena, violin and the flute.
Nigeria
In Lagos, Nigeria, from the year 2007 every February, Thyagaraja Aradhana is being celebrated devotionally by Chinmaya Mission.[citation needed] Children trained by experienced Gurus along with music instruments rendering sampradaya kirthanas of the compositions of Saint Tyagaraja in this function.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom there are various aradhanes. Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival UK - Londonil Thiruvaiyaru is organised and run by a committee in conjunction with Sri Duraiswamy music school run by Sri.Durai Balasubramanian, who was a former lecturer at Tamil Nadu Government music college. Many students from all over London perform Tygaraja krithis. The 8th aradhane took place on the 23.2.20. Artists Sriram Ganghadharan, Sri.R. Suryaprakash and Sri Rithvik Raja accompanied many senior artists of the UK.
France
Paris Thyagaraja Aradhana
Annually, in the month of May, "Paris Thyagaraja Aradhana", a global event, is organized by Indian Conservatory of Paris (), in the heart of Paris, France. It attracts Carnatic musicians, artists, connoisseurs and music lovers from across the globe, across various nationalities, backgrounds and ethnicities to sing the compositions of Saint Tyagaraja. It is important to note that this event has received High Patronage from the Embassy of India in France, consecutively for last several years.
ICParis() founded by Vid. Smt. Bhavana Pradyumna (here) and Sri. Pradyumna Kandadai works to strengthen cultural ties between India and France. With the main objective to promote Unity while celebrating diversity, ICParis has created multiple platforms through concert, performances, classes and workshops through esteemed artists and legends in Indian classical music, dance, scriptures and Yoga
Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami, also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam, was a saint composer and of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today. However, only 720 of these are in vogue. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis, which are often sung in programs in his honour. Tyagaraja composed Utsava Sampradaya Krithis, which are often sung to accompany temple rituals and Divya Nama Sankeertanas which are sung as a part of concerts and in daily life.
The Pancharatna kritis are a set of five kritis (songs) in Carnatic classical music, composed by the 18th-century Indian composer Tyagaraja. All the kritis, as is the case with almost all of Tyagaraja's compositions, are penned in Telugu. The songs are: "Jagadananda karaka", "Dudukugala Nanne", "Sadhinchene", "Kanakana Ruchira" and "Endaro Mahanubhavulu".
Syama Sastri or Shyama Shastri was a musician and composer of Carnatic music. He was the oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two.
GuruvayurIPA:[guɾuʋɐːjuːr]) is a municipal temple town in Thrissur district, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located 27 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.
Chembai Sangeetholsavam is an annual Carnatic music festival held in Guruvayur by the Guruvayur Devaswom in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, a Carnatic classical musician and a devotee of Guruvayurappan.
Musiri Subramania Iyer was a Carnatic vocalist whose stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teacher and leader in the Carnatic community. His bhava-laden renditions of Carnatic songs have become the measuring stick for generations of Carnatic vocalists. Musiri Subramania Iyer is considered one of the giants of Carnatic music in the twentieth century.
Govindaswamy Karuppiah Moopanar, known as G. K. Moopanar, was a Tamil Nadu Congress Committee leader, parliamentarian, and social worker. He served as Member of the Rajya Sabha, president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and general secretary of All India Congress Committee. from 1980 to 1988. Moopanar was a close associate of Congress leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, K. Kamaraj.
Alathur Brothers Srinivasa Iyer (1911–1980) & Sivasubramania Iyer (1916–1965) were Carnatic vocalists. The world of Carnatic music knows them as the star duo of the twentieth century. They learnt under Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, the father of Sivasubramania Iyer. They were not brothers by birth but were rather bound by the brotherhood of music. Srinivasa Iyer was born to Angarai Sankara Sroudigal and Lakshmi Ammal at Ariyalur village as one of 12 siblings.
Sikkil C. Gurucharan is among the foremost young performing musicians of Carnatic music in India today. He is the grandson of Sikkil Kunjumani, elder of the internationally acclaimed flautists the Sikkil Sisters. Gurucharan has been under the tutelage Vaigal Shri S. Gnanaskandan and is currently being mentored by Shri B. Krishnamurthy. He is an 'A' grade All India Radio artist. The magazine India Today featured him among 35 Game Changers Under 35 in India, a list of young achievers from different walks of life.
Bangalore Nagarathnamma was an Indian Carnatic singer, cultural activist, scholar, and devadasi. A descendant of devadasis, 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 strong 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.
Balasubramaniam Rajam Iyer was a Carnatic singer from South India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1987.
Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaru is a 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 Carnatic and Hindustani musicians, dancers, and discourses have been scheduled in this weeklong event with shows daily.
'Suguna Purushothaman’ was an Indian Carnatic music vocalist, composer and teacher. She was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Carnatic music vocals in 2010.
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 and Sanskrit 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.
Dr Shobana Vignesh is an Indian classical and devotional vocalist and a former actor. She is known as 'Mahanadhi' Shobana from her role in the film Mahanadhi.
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.
Sri Purandaradasa Aradhana is the annual aradhana of Kannada saint composer Purandara Dasa, who is considered as "The Pitamaha" of Carnatic Music. The festival is observed in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, primarily in Hampi, the place where Purandara Dasa lived and attained Samadhi The aradhana is observed on Pushya Bahula Amavasya day, when the saint attained samadhi.
Venkataramana Bhagavathar (1781–1874) was a direct disciple of Saint Thyagaraja and a composer of Carnatic music. Bhagavathar composed his songs in Saurashtra language and has left behind a number of kritis.
Gosaveedu Shaik Hassan was an accomplished scholar and player of the Nadaswaram, a traditional classical instrument popular in South India. He had served as the Asthana Vidwan in the Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple, Bhadrachalam from 1950 to 1993. He had also served at the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadadri.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
