October 15th

Today is Veena Dhanam’s death anniversary

Chamundamba Ashtottara Shata Nama Kritis

 

Harikesanallur L Muthiah Bhagavatar was a multi-faceted personality who strode the Carnatic music world in the late 19^th century and the first half of the 20^th. Born on 15^th November 1877 to Lingam Iyer and Anandambal of Punalveli village, he was however to put the village of Harikesanallur on the musical map for it was there that the family migrated when he was still young. He later learnt music at Tiruvayyaru from Sambasiva Iyer of the Pallavi Doraiswami Iyer lineage. Sambasiva Iyer’s father Sabhapati Sivam was a disciple of Tyagaraja. He was also taught by Sambasiva Iyer’s son TS Sabhesa Iyer. Muthiah Bhagavatar became a fine musician who was richly awarded and feted. He later became an expert in Harikatha and on playing the Gotuvadyam. He ran one of the earliest music schools of South India. Named the Tyagaraja Sangeeta Vidyalaya, it functioned in Madurai for four years, from 1920 onwards. One of its stellar products was Madurai Mani Iyer. In later years, Muthiah Bhagavatar was Principal of the Teachers’ College of Music run by the Music Academy, Madras and the Swati Tirunal Academy in Trivandrum. He was also one of the prime movers in the effort to get music to become part of University curriculum. Muthiah Bhagavatar helped conduct two major music festivals for several years, one at Karur for the Zamindar of Andipatti and the other at his own Harikesanallur. He helped organise music conferences in Tanjavur between 1912 and 1916 and also at the Music Academy, Madras from 1929 to 1945. He presided over the Academy’s Conference of 1930 and received its Sangita Kalanidhi on 1^st January 1943. He wrote the first doctoral thesis in Carnatic music and was awarded the D Litt. by the Travancore University in 1942. He composed a Harikatha on the life of Tyagaraja and besides, composed several songs, his corpus being perhaps the largest after Tyagaraja’s. He played an important role in the resuscitation of Swati Tirunal’s kritis and some of the latter’s songs are sung in tunes set by Bhagavatar. He brought the raga Hamsanandi into Carnatic music, inspired by its Hindustani equivalent, Sohoni. He was music director for two Tamil films and had also composed scores for church music. He traveled extensively going as far as Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). In manner and deportment he was regal. In personality he was striking and in lifestyle he was extravagant. He was in short a larger than life personality. When he died in 1945 he left a void difficult to fill.

 

Muthiah Bhagavatar first came to the notice of the royal family of Mysore when during the Dussehra durbar of 1926, Madurai Ponnusami Pillai played his kriti Valli Nayaka Ni (Shanmukhapriya) on the nagaswaram. The Maharajah, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar IV desired to meet the composer of the kriti and through the efforts of Ponnusami Pillai and Bhagavatar’s good friend Mysore Vaudevachar who was a palace artiste, an invitation was sent for the Dussehra celebrations of 1927. He became a palace artiste and shifted to Mysore. In 1928, Bhagavatar was conferred the title of Gayaka Shikhamani by the Mysore Court and given the task of composing 108 kritis on Chamundamba, the tutelary deity of the royal family.

 

Bhagavatar was initially diffident as the songs were to be in Kannada but Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, who had by then become a friend, solved it by getting palace scholar Devottama Jois to assist in the matter of lyrics. Bhagavatar began work and by way of prayer, initially composed six kritis, one each on Ganapati (Buddhi Devi in Malahari), Saraswati (Sri Mangalavani in Asaveri), Siva-Mahabaleswara who is the consort of Chamundamba (Mahabaleswara Vibho in Saranga), Narayana who is enshrined on the same hill as Chamundamba (Narayana in Kiravani), Guru (Gurunatha in Pushpalata) and Anjaneya (Sri Anjaneya in Chenjurutti). All these songs request the respective deity to give the composer the talent and skill to compose the 108 kritis on Devi.

 

The basis for the 108 songs is the Chamundamba Ashottaram, which as the name suggests is a list of 108 names of the Goddess and which are recited everyday at the temple by way of worship even now. Bhagavatar followed the same order, from Sri Chamundambayai Namaha (his first song is Sampatprade Sri Chamundeswari in Kalyani) to Srimat Tripurasundaryai Namaha (the last song is Srimat Tripurasundari in Madhyamavati). The songs are all in the usual pallavi, anupallavi, charanam format with every tenth song and the 108^th song having two charanams instead of one. Each tenth song (as also the 108^th) incorporates, in its second charanam, the name of the ruler, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar.

 

Bhagavatar, always a man for unusual and rare ragas uses them in plenty in this suite of kritis. Thus we have ragas such as Vinadhari (Girijadeviya), Harinarayani (Devi Sri), Shuddha Lalitha (Sahasrashirsha), Chakrapradipa (Chakreshi), Vijayanagari (Vijayambike), Urmika (Kalaratrisvarupini), Guharanjani (Navavarana) and Navaratnavilasa (Navaksharamanu). While most of the songs are in conventional talas, one or two are set in talas such as kanda jati jhampa and chatusra jhampa. As the songs progressed, their notation was taken down by Belakavadi Srinivasa Iyengar. To assist Bhagavatar in his composing work and to enhance the pleasure of listening to him sing the songs, the Maharajah ordered two tamburas, each six feet tall and decorated with copious amounts of ivory. These were gifted to Bhagavatar who immediately christened them Rama and Lakshmana.

 

The set of 108 kritis was completed in 1932 with the last two songs being set in the characteristic mangala ragas Saurashtram and Madhyamavati. In addition, there is a mangalam in Vasantha. On the work being completed, Bhagavatar was gifted Rs 10,000 and a pearl necklace that had a ruby studded pendant bearing the image of Goddess Chamundamba.

 

Today these songs are jewels by themselves and are frequently sung by artistes during concerts.

A 100 year old book of Tyagaraja kritis

The Ramananda Yogigal compilation of Tyagaraja kritis turns 100 this year. A small article on this work-

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/09/25/stories/2009092551250600.htm

Short and Snappy dated 15th September 2009

The all cleansing soap

 

The Man from Madras Musings has written in the past about the various practices engaged in by hotels in the city in view of security threats. Now there is the added threat of health hazards and a hotel that MMM went to has added what can only be called the last straw though from the way the latest regulation was spoken about by the hotel staff, anyone would think it was the icing on the cake.

 

This hotel has apart from the usual security rigmarole, the added attraction of sniffer dogs that go all around your car. But if you thought this was what MMM meant by the last straw, you are completely mistaken. As soon as you have stepped out of the car, neatly sidestepping the dog which appears to have only one ambition namely to raise itself on its hind legs and rest its forepaws on your shirt front, you are confronted with the metal detector in deference to which you need to empty your pockets. Then there is a man at the other end who prods all over you with something that to MMM’s jaundiced eye looked like a tuning fork with elephantiasis. And just as you assume that the ordeal is over and there is nothing between you and the bar, you are steered away in a vice like grip to a gadget by the wall. This dispenses antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and antibiotic soap and you are asked to stand with your hands outstretched. A drop falls into your palms which you immediately rub together and then duly sanitised, you are let into the hotel. You not only smell strongly of anti-just-about-everything, you also like Lady Macbeth realise, that not all the perfumes of Arabia will sweeten your little hand. Oh by the way, MMM forgot. The anti-just-about-anything miracle liquid may be just what the doctor ordered, but its dispenser is not. Did MMM tell you to stretch your palms? He forgot to add that you had better stretch your legs and stand at ease. For carried away by its enthusiasm the dispenser dispenses a few extra drops which if you are not careful usually land on your trouser or worse, your shoe where they stick closer than a brother. Of course, they add to the hygienic atmosphere and what does a shabby shoe matter?

 

Bizarre Beach Beautification

 

And so it goes on, at a snails pace. All that has happened is that vast stretches of what was once a handsome promenade has been dug up making the place completely user-unfriendly. The other day the Man from Madras Musings had the opportunity to take a closer look at what is being done and he was appalled. The entire plan apparently involves various levels and it is not clear as to how the elderly and the physically challenged are expected to navigate these in order to access the beach proper. If this is the condition of the Marina, the Elliots Beach does not fare any better. And what is ironic is that neither of these beaches needed any beautification in the first place. What is sad is that historic San Thome Beach has been completely neglected. MMM drove down the stretch by the sea and was shocked to find that the vast fishermen colony that lives on this part of the seafront has to put up with overflowing sewers, bad roads, a foul stench that comes from putrid water and overflowing rubbish tips. It appears that as far as the Corporation is concerned San Thome Beach being safely out of sight can also be out of mind. If only a small tithe of what is being spent on Marina was allotted to San Thome we may have had some real beach beautification and improvement.

 

Political Fathers

 

It is customary, the Man from Madras Musings is aware, that in a feudal society like ours (no matter what we pretend or think it to be), the ruler is considered pater familias. And MMM is in august company when he writes this, for no less a person than Lord Curzon wrote of how he received a letter while Viceroy of India, from a man who had many children (the last of whom was still milking the parental mother, to quote from the missive) and who now at his wits end had decided to appeal to the Viceroy for sustenance for after all was he the Viceroy, not the father of his (the man’s) entire family? Indeed, in them days, men such as Curzon and several fellow rulers considered this to be compliment.

 

Things have not changed much since then judging by the number of posters and vinyl hoardings that are put up by the politically minded when they celebrate events in their respective families. These usually claim all kinds of relationships with prominent political personalities (PPP) (father, mother, sister and brother being the most common) and state unequivocally that the event being celebrated is entirely thanks to blessings of the PPP who is featured on the banner/poster/hoarding. But is this the correct way to go about it? Have these celebrants ever wondered as to how the PPP would feel? MMM understands if weddings are attributed to the PPP but would not the mantle of shame mount his/her (the PPP’s) cheek if he/she sees that he/she has been thanked for the first ritual anointing of a girl after she has come of age? The technical term for such an event MMM is given to understand is manjal neerattu. And what about the birth of a baby? Would the PPP really want to be involved even though he/she may claim to be pater/mater familias? And is it correct for anyone to publicly announce that a baby was born because of a particular PPP? This has the potential for future paternity suits.

 

The one that MMM would least want to be associated with is the piercing of infants’ ears. When his ears were pierced, MMM, according to those who were around, put up a spirited protest. And MMM is sure that infants still do. Imagine if one of these infants grows up with an undefined hatred towards those who were involved in the foul deed. Many years later, infant, now an adult given to homicidal tendencies gets to see a vinyl hoarding (these things being indestructible) which attributes a certain PPP for the piercing of his (the infant’s) ears. From then on, infant, now homicidal adult begins stalking the PPP seeking revenge. PPP in terror demands Z category security. TV channels go to town on it (MMM can imagine the headlines – breaking news and all that) and finally PPP is given the Z category. He/ she then holds up all traffic while careening down roads thereby adding to the general feeling of hatred and therefore the added threat perception. If only PPP had not been thanked for the piercing of ears, all would have been well. But then sane words such as those of MMM fall on deaf ears and our PPPs are continuously being thanked for everything from weddings to er… turmeric baths.

 

Tailpiece

 

Talking about Z category security, the Man from Madras Musings has always wondered as to why it is called so. Is it because the secured can sleep well (zzzz) while the security walks about completely denied all sleep? Or is it Z because there is nothing further to security, this being the ultimate status symbol? MMM thinks that it is so called because it is the final stop in security, the end of the line and when it fails, it involves complete rest for the soul whose security was breached.

What is happening at Victoria Public Hall?

Work is beginning to happen at the Victoria Public Hall, the stately edifice that the Government has promised to restore to its old glory. But the great secrecy and stealth with which the entire restoration has been planned is causing anxiety to those with the welfare of the building in mind.

 

The renovation has been planned at a cost of Rs 9.75 Crores and the Government has already ordered the eviction of shops fronting the building. The South Indian Athletic Association which was occupying a part of the hall has also moved out. Earlier, the Trust that administered the hall had given returned the premises to the Corporation on the assurance that the building will be restored faithfully and put to good use. The Corporation also identified a firm of architects from Hyderabad who have had extensive experience in renovating heritage structures to scope the work. This was completed in December 2008 and the tendering process was to be completed by the Corporation for identifying contractors by June 2009. The work it was announced would begin in September.

 

What has happened subsequently is shrouded in secrecy. The plans for restoration have not been made public. The work has already begun on the compound wall which the Corporation claims will be a see-through one and will cost Rs 10.00 Lakh. Landscaping work will follow.

 

What is not clear is what the Corporation plans to do with the building itself by way of restoration and also by way of use later. The architects who surveyed the work had according to reliable sources pointed out several aspects of the immediate environment of the hall which needed attention. This included neighbouring buildings which have been built on the compound wall of the hall and which also drain their toilets into the hall’s garden. This matter will have to be addressed before any restoration as such defects need to be corrected before any further work is taken up. According to those in the know, the southern side of the building needs immediate attention as water from drains is collecting here due to improper connections to the main drain and this is causing damp to rise in the walls. This will ultimately affect the stability of the structure any restoration that does not address these issues will prove useless in the long run.

 

Within the building, three out of four staircases leading to the first floor are completely unusable and the stair that leads to the tower has completely collapsed making that part of the building inaccessible. The toilets in the building are completely useless and makeshift toilets and overhead tanks constructed by previous occupants are adding to the dampness and seepage.

 

In all such cases, the site restoration and development, roof restoration and exterior work are to be taken up before such superficial elements as landscaping and compound walls are worked upon. The selection of contractors for the work would also have to be based on a scientific evaluation and materials that need to be used will also have to be tested on site before they are used extensively. The overall area in which the building is located will have to be studied before a conclusion is arrived at on what purpose the building will be used for after restoration. The Corporation has unfortunately not paid attention to any of these aspects and even if it has, it has not made the findings of its study public. So will this effort at restoration be a hotpotch affair in the best Government tradition?

 

Chennai already has the examples of two splendid restorations – the Senate House and the Connemara Public Library, both of which were declared out-of-bounds after the restoration work was completed. This is hardly the way heritage buildings can survive. Will Victoria Public Hall follow suit or will it fare better?

MS Subbulakshmi’s 93rd birthday

On this occasion I wrote about her second US tour which was meant for collecting funds for temples in the US. Ironically, her own home in Madras was being sold at the same time to meet the Kalki magazine’s winding up expenses!

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/09/18/stories/2009091851290600.htm

Music and Dance during the Kapaliswarar Temple festivals

Music and dance during the festivals

 

Going by the Gregorian calendar, the first festival of the year at the Mayilai temple is the float or teppotsavam. It is usually held in January. The richly decorated and illuminated float goes around the tank on three successive nights. On the first evening Kapaliswara and Karpagamba represented by Chandrashekhara and His Consort go on the float. On the second and third evenings it is Singaravela. Till a year ago an enormous number of devotees would wait patiently in a queue to board the float and go around the tank in turns. But this was stopped last year following security concerns. Now the Lord goes on His float in solitary splendour while the crowds watch from the banks. Nagaswaram artistes perform on the float on all three evenings.

 

The float festival may have become out of bounds, but the ten day annual brahmotsavam in the month of Panguni (Mar/Apr) is all about participation. On all the days, five deities, Ganesa, Kapaliswara, Karpagamba, Singaravela with consorts and Chandikeswara are brought out in procession twice, once in the morning and again at night in different alankarams and on various mounts. And each day’s procession is accompanied by nagaswaram and tavil ensembles which walk along with the procession and perform at specified spots. A western band also accompanies the deities.

 

During the golden years of nagaswaram, almost every great vidwan has come and performed for the brahmotsavam. The performing of the Mallari when the deities leave the temple is a tradition here. And who better than the famed Semponnarkoil Brothers for this? Ellarvi in his Enge Anna Enge (Amuda Nilayam Publications, 1958) writes of the performance of the brothers during the vrishabha vahanam procession of 1940. As MD Kitta Iyer, a local luminary walked along enjoying the music, he espied Chintadripet Muniswami, a well-known nagaswaram artiste doing the same. Muniswami was not well-to-do and Kitta Iyer had heard that he had been invited to perform that day at a venue outside the city and that he was to get a high fee for it. He had been happy for Muniswami and was shocked to find him in the procession when he should have been performing elsewhere. He therefore asked Muniswami as to what had happened to his concert engagement. Pat came the reply that he had cancelled it for how else could he enjoy the performance of the Semponnarkoil Brothers? Kitta Iyer remarked that the Semponnarkoil Brothers had exacted double their fee. The first was their remuneration and the second was this tribute from a fellow artiste who had preferred to forego an opportunity to earn money.

 

Ellarvi also writes of the festival of 1927 when the Keeranur Brothers Kannappa Pillai and Chinnathambi Pillai who were experts in pallavi rendition performed. Accompanying them on the tavil was Tiruchengattangudi Rudrapathi Pillai. As the pallavi was being performed, Rudrapathi Pillai was energetically playing on the tavil, his body and soul enraptured in the beat. One of his diamond kadukkans worked loose in all the movement and like a shooting star vanished into the darkness. Several saw this and so did Pillai himself. But while they all embarked on a spirited search for the kadukkan, Pillai continued playing without a pause. Such was his dedication. The earring was eventually found and returned to its owner but Pillai’s devotion to his profession was what was on everybody’s lips. There are several colourful tales about TN Rajarathinam Pillai. As is usual, the Mayilai temple claims the credit along with several others for being the first shrine where the maestro made his demand for being taken in procession on a vehicle and refused to accompany the deity on foot. Platforms were constructed at various locations according to old-timers for TNR to dismount from the vehicle and perform. On one occasion TNR demanded complete silence during the procession. How this was achieved with the teeming crowds is not clear today and all went well till the deities reached the first halt. When the time came for the procession to resume, the man-in-charge blew a shrill whistle giving the signal for the bearers to lift the deity. That was enough. TNR announced pack-up and went away.

 

Certain days are more important than others during the ten day festival. The third morning has Kapaliswara borne aloft on the silver Adhikara Nandi. Karpagambal and Singaravelar are borne by veena wielding Gandharva stree and purusha respectively. The whole atmosphere is filled with musical associations for Nandi is considered a master on the maddala. The bearers sway from side to side as they carry Adhikara Nandi and this gives the impression that the Lord is dancing. It is an awe-inspiring spectacle. It is no wonder that this procession inspired Sivan to compose Kaana Kann Kodi Vendum in raga Kamboji. In the word picture it paints of the Adhikara Nandi sevai, this song is unsurpassed. Legend has it that Rukmini Devi and Sankara Menon heard Sivan sing it himself during the procession and it was after this that he was appointed in 1934 as music teacher at what would later become Kalakshetra.

 

On the fifth day the vrishabha vahanam procession takes place late at night. Kapaliswara rides a silver vrishabham or bull while Karpagambal is on a golden vrishabham and Singaravela on a golden peacock. The procession takes the whole night to wend its way around the four Mada Streets and it is early morning and still dark when the five deities are brought to the sixteen-pillared hall on Sannidhi Street. Here, in complete darkness with illumination only by means of gas-lights, camphor is lit and waved for all the deities simultaneously. Then Ganesa circumambulates Kapaliswara and moves into the temple followed by Karpagambal and Singaravela. All is silent for a few moments. The bearers who carry Kapaliswara gird themselves for the grand finale. The deity is borne aloft throughout the procession on thick wooden poles worn smooth by many years of use and carried by hefty and muscular bearers. The men on each side grip the shoulders of the men on the opposite side. Then the band strikes up the English Note composed by Muthiah Bhagavatar and popularised by Madurai Mani Iyer. The men sway from side to side and the awesome mount and its deity dance to the music. As the band picks up momentum so do the men. They throw up the mount and catch it several times, they jump with it and they swoop and straighten themselves. And Kapaliswara comes alive. The priests hold on to the supports to prevent themselves from falling into the crowds below. Flowers and tinsel decorations fall from Kapaliswara as though in benediction on his devotees below. As His Consort and He sway to the music, we are reminded of the song “Maan Ada mazhu aada mangai Sivagami aada”. To the devotees watching it is an enactment of the primordial movement that caused all creation. Each time I see it, I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. Then as the band moves over to “He’s a jolly good fellow” (an apt description of Siva), the bearers dance their way to the entrance where there is a step to be negotiated. There is an infinitesimal pause and then the bearers roar in unison, the sound giving them the energy to cross the step, all the while dancing. In a flash Kapaliswara has been carried into the temple and is out of sight. But not out of mind. We wend our way home filled with energy and hope and the confidence that a year from that date we will keep our tryst once more with the Lord and He will dance for us.

 

The seventh day has the car festival when thousands throng the temple and the four streets to witness the procession of five chariots. The eighth day is the most important. Even in Sambandar’s listing of the festivals connected with the temple in his Poompavai Padikam, the eighth day of the Panguni Utthiram festival (the present day brahmotsavam) is the only one among the ten days to merit a mention. In Sambandar’s time it was evidently the day when Siva came out in procession with his eighteen bhoota ganas or ghostly attendants. In time it metamorphosed into something which included Sambandar. Perhaps he was responsible for the change. For this is the day when Siva comes out in procession with his 63 devotees, the Arupattu Moovar, all of them preceding him in palanquins, with their faces turned towards him; their palms pressed together in adoration. The morning witnesses a re-enactment of the Poompavai episode and in the afternoon the procession begins. Deities from other temples join the procession and lakhs of devotees throng the area. Pandals are put up at all locations and water, cold drinks and food are distributed to the throng by devotees. Some of the tanneer pandals as they are called, have a hoary history themselves, going back as they do by many years. Watching the response to this festival in 1928, S Satyamurty hit upon the bright idea of selling khadi to the public during the procession in the subsequent year. And selling it were none other than SG Kittappa and KB Sundarambal. Later KBS would recall that she bore bundles of khadi on her back and sang songs to attract the public. Not that they would have needed anything more to attract them than the mere star presence of the duo. A unique song associated with the Arupathu Moovar festival is the Vazhinadai Chindu, written by an anonymous poet in the early years of the 20^th century. It describes in Chindu format, the route taken by a beau and beloved of George Town to attend the Arupathu Moovar festival. The song describes several landmarks of Chennai.

 

On the ninth day, Siva comes as Bhikshatana, the handsome beggar who seduced the wives of the sages of Darukavana. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, Doraikannu, the Devadasi of the temple would lead this procession dressed as Bhikshatana herself and her dance would thrill the audience. Papanasam Sivan came to Madras the year Doraikannu died and so the two perhaps never met. But he too was greatly inspired by the Bhikshatana procession to compose songs for the occasion. There are three songs Saundarya Vellantanil (raga Mohanam), Tiruvalar Mayilayin (raga Khamas) and Picchaikku Vandiro (raga Surutti) describing this event. The last song is in the form of a ninda stuti. In addition, one more song Kapali Karunainidhi (raga Hamsadhvani) sings of both the Adhikara Nandi and the Bhikshatana processions. Sivan’s famed Kapali (raga Mohanam) too deals largely with Siva as Bhikshatana. At a particular point in the Bhikshatana procession, Kapaliswara is met by Karpagambal decked out as Mohini. It is now the turn of the Goddess to dance and she performs most spiritedly and finally enchants him.

 

The tenth day witnesses the wedding of Kapaliswara and Karpagamba and late at night after the ceremony, the deities are brought out on the Ravana Vahana. On this occasion, musical accompaniment is provided by the mukha veena, a variety of clarionet.

 

A unique feature of the ten day festival is the dolls exhibition at the Vyasarpadi Vinayaka Mudaliar Chattram often referred to as Bommai Chattram on South Mada Street. This building which functions as a marriage hall for the rest of the year transforms itself into a dolls-house for the ten days and on display are age-old leather puppets and clay dolls all of which are locked up for the rest of the year.

 

The vidayatri festival begins immediately after the brahmotsavam and continues for ten days. The Lord and His consort are entertained each evening by music and kalakshepam performances. It was during this festival in 1928 that GN Balasubramaniam made his debut as a singer when he was asked to step in by AK Ramachandra Iyer as a last minute replacement for an indisposed Musiri Subramania Iyer. The concerts were earlier broadcast over the public address system and devotees could listen to the performance relaxing on the steps of the temple tank. This is where Madurai Mani Iyer wove his spells over the audience which even had rickshaw-pullers refusing savaris so that they could listen to him singing. In the days when ambient noise was low, the concerts must have created a divine atmosphere.

 

The festival of nine nights or Navaratri is celebrated with gusto at the Kapaliswarar temple and on each evening, the Goddess gives darshan in different alankarams and on different mounts to her devotees at the Navaratri Mandapam. Music is offered to her on this occasion also.

 

Tiruvadirai, the day sacred to Nataraja is also celebrated here. The icons of Nataraja and Sivakami are brought out in procession and here again, Nataraja is carried by bearers who adopt a special gait thereby giving the impression that the deity is dancing.

 

(This article was originally published in Sruti magazine as a companion to the main piece on Music in the Kapaliswarar Temple)

Music in the Mylapore Kapaliswarar Temple

Mylapore is synonymous with Carnatic music. Long considered to be the heartland of culture as far as Madras that is Chennai is concerned, its residents can be pardoned for taking undue pride in their artistic and scholastic achievements. Once it was an area known to house rich and famous lawyers. Today, all this may have faded considerably, with the palatial residences now either empty or having made way for high-rise, but Mylapore still exudes a charm all of its own. To speak or write about Mylapore and the contribution of its residents to Carnatic music requires considerable courage, for after Tanjavur, it must rank second highest in per capita creation of artistes, patrons and composers. It is a vast sangeetha sthalam, housing many important sangeetha sthalams within it. And the greatest sthalam of them all is the Kapaliswarar Temple which by its legend gives the area its name.

 

Perhaps once the area was a grove full of peacocks, but the bird has a strong link to local legend. Goddess Parvati is said to taken the form of a peahen (mayil or mayuram) and worshipped Siva here. Lakshmi at the neighbouring Kesava Perumal temple is referred to as Mayuravalli Thayar. The area has been referred to as Mylapore or Mylai or Mylappu along with other variants since time immemorial. It is one of the oldest settlements that later became a part of Madras, the city that was founded in 1639. Among the various temples that dot this locality, the Kapaliswarar or Tirumayilai temple is the largest. Situated on an east-west axis and fronting a large teppakulam or tank with streets running on all four sides, this shrine is the heart of Mylapore.

 

Though it is agreed that the temple is ancient, there is considerable debate as to whether the temple has always been in its present location. Some believe that it originally stood by the sea-shore and was later shifted inwards following either encroachment by the sea or demolition by the Portugese who later built the San Thome basilica in its place. Certainly, many stone inscriptions relating to the temple have been found near the beach and were later removed to museums in the city. Early works according to scholars state that Kapaliswara faces the sea while today he faces West. This they say indicates that the temple was relocated. Agama sastras according to them prescribe that the deities in a relocated temple should face exactly the opposite direction to the one they faced in the earlier shrine.

 

The present structure is not more than four centuries old. It was probably built with stones from the original temple and in design has many Vijayanagara elements. Credit for the present temple is given to Muthiappa (or Muthiah) Mudaliar, the son of Nainiappa Mudaliar. Theirs was a prominent clan – the Nattu Mudaliars of Mylapore. There are streets commemorating members of the family in the area even now. Nattu Subbaraya Mudali Street was where Musiri Subramania Iyer, Madurai Mani Iyer and Palghat Mani Iyer once lived.

 

The Mayilai temple is not a large one by Dravidian standards. There is only one main tower or Rajagopuram and there is also only one circumambulatory passage. The main shrines are dedicated to Siva-Kapaliswara, the Goddess Karpagambal, Subrahmanya as the six-faced Singaravela along with his consorts Valli and Devasena, and Nartana Ganapati or the dancing Ganesa. There are besides, many sub-shrines to other deities.

 

Mylai appears to have been an important shrine in ancient times for some of the Nayanmars visited it. As per the Periya Puranam of Sekkizhar, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar (7^th and 8^th centuries AD) came to Mylapore and sang of the deities there. Appar in his Tirutandakam and Tiruvirattanam calls the place Mayilappil. Sundarar in his Tirutondar Togai pays tribute to Vayila Nayanar, one of the 63 Shaivaite saints and who belonged to Mayilai. He sings of being servitor to Vayilaan of ancient Mayilai where the darkness of night is dispelled by pink corals that are brought in by the ocean.

 

Sambandar in his Poompavai Padikam calls it Mayilai. Legend has it that Sambandar sang this set of ten verses to resurrect the dead Poompavai, the daughter of a Mayilai based businessman, Sivanesan Chettiar. Each verse describes at least one festival of the Mayilai temple – the Shravanam festival in the month of Aippasi (Oct/Nov), Tirukarthikai in Nov/Dec, Tiruvadirai in Margazhi (Dec/Jan), Poosam in Thai (Jan/Feb), the ritual bath in the ocean in Masi (Feb/Mar) and the annual temple festival during the month of Panguni (Mar/Apr). It is clear from the verses that these festivals, which are celebrated even today, were well established even then. The Padikam also describes Mayilai to be a prosperous settlement with groves, splendid buildings and occupied by good and pious people. Sambandar also mentions that the area was filled with fragrance of the Punnai tree, which is the sthala vrksham of the temple.

 

In the 11^th century, Nambi Andar Nambi mentions Mayilai in connection with Vayila Nayanar in his Tirutondar Antadi. The 12^th century Periya Puranam also mentions yet another Nayanmar – Ayyadigal Kadavarkon, a king who having ruled for long realised that worship of Siva mattered more and so gave his kingdom to his son and spent his time visiting many shrines including Mayilai.

 

In the 15^th century, Arunagirinathar came to Mayilai and sang in praise of Subrahmanya or Singaravelar here. He does not mention the presence of a Siva temple and there is an opinion that the Kapaliswarar temple still stood by the sea while the Singaravelar temple existed where the shrine complex is today. It is believed by this school of thought that the Kapaliswarar temple was later amalgamated into the Singaravelar temple and the fact that the vimana over Singaravelar is taller than that over Kapaliswarar is taken as proof of this. Arunagirinathar however, in his Tirupugazh on Singaravelar states that the shrine stood on the sea shore. Singaravelar here is six-faced and is seated on a peacock. Interestingly, the two consorts, Valli and Devasena are seated on elephants, an unusual depiction not seen anywhere else.

 

After the temple was reconstructed at its present location, it acquired a large tank on its western side in the 18^th century. The land where this was dug was in the possession of the Nawabs of Arcot and was given to the temple on the condition that Muslims would be allowed to use the tank on Muharram day each year, a tradition that continues till date. The present Prince of Arcot is also an honoured invitee during the float festival or Teppotsavam.

 

During the 17^th and 18^th centuries Mylapore appears to have dimmed in importance with most of the famed composers of Carnatic music avoiding the place and singing in praise of shrines in Tiruvallikeni and areas further north such as Tiruvottriyur. The area was occupied by the Portugese and the Golconda forces. Between 1672 and 1674 the temple, wherever it was, was occupied by French troops. In 1746 the French returned, attacked and looted the temple taking away a million pagodas worth of treasure. Obviously Mylapore was not a place for music lovers then. Even the 19^th century work Sarva Deva Vilasa is silent on Mylai while it waxes eloquent on areas such as Nungambakkam, Choolai and Town as hubs of cultural activity. With Mylapore becoming a part of Madras it quickly re-established its position and by the turn of the 20^th century, it was a flourishing centre for the arts. A kumbhabhishekam or consecration of the Kapaliswarar temple was conduced in 1902 amidst fanfare. The rajagopuram or main tower was in place in 1906. Steps around the temple tank were built in the 20^th century, paid for by public subscription.

 

In the early 20^th century Umayalpuram Swami Bhagavatar, a nephew and disciple of Umayalpuram Krishna and Sundara Bhagavatars, the last disciples of Tyagaraja, conducted bhajan sessions around the temple’s four mada streets every day during the month of Margazhi. Judges of the High Court such as Sir T Muttuswami Iyer and Sir S Subramania Iyer would be in attendance. Prof. P Sambamurthy writes that the bhajan sessions would begin while it was still dark and would conclude just as the sun’s rays fell on the gopuram.

 

The Kapali temple’s three festivals- the annual brahmotsavam, the float festival and the Navaratri utsavam became events during which the arts were encouraged. By the 1920s the brahmotsavam had become important enough for artistes to be invited from all over South India to participate. This included nagaswaram ensembles, singers and instrumentalists, Harikatha exponents and bhajanai ghoshtis. During this time, AK Ramachandra Iyer, a resident of North Mada Street and an entrepreneur and patron of the arts, was in charge of organising the musical entertainments during the brahmotsavam. On the recommendations of his friends, he invited Polagam Ramaiya or Papanasam Sivan during the festivities in 1922. From then on Sivan became a fixture during the temple events – leading bhajan ghoshtis during the month of Margazhi, Mahasivaratri and the brahmotsavam especially on the 8^th and 9^th days.

 

Interestingly, Sivan writes in his incomplete memoirs (published as Enadu Ninaivukkadal) that his leading the bhajans was not met with universal acclaim. A resident of Mylapore, A Krishnaswami Iyer expressed the view that only those properly trained in Tevara Pathashalas could conduct bhajans around the temple. Sivan felt that if this was true savants such as Ramalinga Swamigal and Neelakanta Dasa could not have become great composers. Prominent citizens of Madras such as the leading lawyer TR Venkatarama Sastry, A Rangaswami Iyengar (of The Hindu) and S Satyamurti concurred with Sivan and his sessions continued. Krishnaswami Iyer was to later lament that none of the ghoshtis managed to attract the kind of crowds that Sivan could.

 

By 1930 Sivan had moved permanently to Madras and settled in a shared tenement off Mattala Narayanan Street in Mylapore. He became tutor to S Rajam at the invitation of Rajam’s father, Mylapore Sundaram Iyer. The rest is history. Sivan states that Karpagam and Kapali exercised a great attraction over him and this is proven by the fact that a significant number of his compositions are dedicated to the two deities. A friend of mine once remarked that Sivan was created by the Lord to correct the imbalance of the Trinity not composing any songs on Kapaliswara and this is no exaggeration.

 

It was also in 1929/30 that Ambi Dikshitar, son of Subbarama Dikshitar and therefore the repository of the great Muttuswami Dikshitar tradition, moved to Madras. He lived in Ponnambala Vadyar Street of Mylapore and taught music to TL Venkatarama Iyer, then living on Sannidhi Street, just opposite the four-pillared hall that fronts the Kapaliswarar temple. He also taught music to S Rajam. Later he was to be so impressed with DK Pattammal’s performance at a competition in music for which he was one of the judges, that he also offered to teach her. It was therefore in the shadow of the Kapaliswarar temple that Pattammal learnt Kanjadalayatakshi (raga Manohari) and Balagopala (raga Bhairavi) from him. The tutelage was brief for Ambi Dikshitar returned to Ettayapuram and passed away shortly thereafter but Pattammal continued her training under TL Venkataraman Iyer. Ambi Dikshitar composed two songs, the varnam Kapaliswaram in raga Mohanam and the kriti Kalpakambike in raga Todi in praise of deities in the Mayilai temple.

 

During the years when Sivan was making a name for himself, another composer was active in the Mylapore area. This was Koteeswara Iyer. He had worked in two of Mylapore’s famous institutions- the Venkataramana Ayurveda Dispensary and the Sanskrit College before taking employment with the High Court as a translator. A resident of the Vadagur Selva Vinayakar Koil Street which leads off South Mada Street, he had in 1916 begun work on composing songs in each of the 72 melakartas. All these songs are on Subrahmanya and were published in two volumes titled Kanda Ganamudam in 1932 and 1938 respectively. Apart from these, Koteeswara Iyer composed kritis, varnams and venbas on other deities. One of these songs is Appane Kapali in raga Todi.

 

Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar was a resident of Mylapore too. He shared accommodation with his cousin TL Venkatarama Iyer at Sannidhi Street in the 1930s when he was Principal of the Teachers College of Music set up by the Music Academy. One of his songs, Muruganukkoru Seedan, a ninda stuti on Siva in raga Kalyani describes the Lord as Kapali.

 

The deities at the temple have inspired latter day composers too. Lakshman Ragade’s Alphabetical Index of Karnatak Songs lists songs such as Kapalishane in Todi by NS Ramachandran, Karpagame enai kann parai in Ranjani by Cuddalore Subramaniam, Karpagame in Bhairavi by KS Krishnamurthi and Karpakavalli in Bhairavi by Lalitadasar. The last composer, whose real name was TG Krishna Iyer, was another resident of Mylapore. He and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar were neighbours at Lalitha Nagar in the San Thome area. He was encouraged to compose by Chembai who sang his creations and made them famous.

 

Over the years the compositions of Papanasam Sivan on the Mayilai temple deities have been frequently rendered on the concert platform. DK Pattammal and DK Jayaraman sang them frequently and they brought a wealth of emotion to their renditions of these songs, having moved closely with Sivan and learnt the songs from him. Madurai Mani Iyer was known his singing of several songs of Sivan on Kapali and Karpagambal. He was a direct disciple too and he made Kaana Kann Kodi a big hit. Present day artistes too render several kritis on the Mayilai temple. The concert debut of GNB took place during the vidayatri festival of 1928 at this temple. He stood in for an indisposed Musiri.

 

Music continues to play an important role in the daily temple rituals. While the abhishekam and alankaram of the principal deities are done Tevaram, Tiruvachakam and Tiruppugazh are rendered by Oduvars in the employment of the temple. Nagaswaram and Tavil ensembles perform during the principal hours of worship. And, plenty of music is offered by the devotees who throng the temple at all times of the day. It is this living tradition of music perhaps that makes this shrine a perfect Sangeetha Sthalam.

 

(This article was originally published in Sruti magazine)

The visit of the heir apparent

Finally the locals got his name right. From Raghul to Ragul it was a long journey. Now all posters in the city read Rahul.

Some old Sabhas of George Town

This article appeared in The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/fr/2009/08/28/stories/2009082851190400.htm