Tyagaraja Aradhana: An enduring and unique homage to the Saint Composer
The Trinity of Carnatic music - the outstanding trio of composer-musicians of Carnatic music in the 18th century
Muthuswami Dikshitar, Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri.
Image courtesy: youtube
The 169th annual Tyagaraja Aradhana concludes today, marking the day on which Saint Tyagaraja, the Carnatic music composer, attained Samadhi.
This annual ritual is conducted near the Samadhi of Tyagaraja on the banks of the Cauvery in Tiruvayaru, and is both homage and music festival like none other.
While the composer attained Samadhi in 1847, the Aradhana in its present form was established by his disciples Umayalpuram Krishna Bhagavatar and Sundara Bhagavatar in 1903 when they restored the Tyagaraja memorial in Tiruvayaru.
The Tyagaraja Aradhana is also celebrated by Carnatic musicians and devotees of the composer in the US, Mauritius and Nigeria.
The highlight of this unique event is the rendition of the Pancharatna Kritis composed by Saint Tyagaraja by the thousands of musicians who gather in Tiruvayaru on the occasion to celebrate the life and art of the great composer.
The Pancharatna Kritis are compositions by Saint Tyagaraja in praise of Lord Rama. The compositions that make up these five melodic creations are Jagadananda Karaka in Ragam Nattai, Duduku gala in Ragam Goula, Sadhinchane in Ragam Arabhi, Kanakana Ruchira in Ragam Varali and Endaro Mahanubhavulu in Ragam Shree.
These compositions continue to captivate with the purity of their devotion, their complexity and beauty.
Listen to Dr Balamuralikrishna’s rendition of Jagadananda Karaka, the first of the Pancharatna Kritis:
