Vidwan G. Ravikiran and Dr. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan are a formidable duo. Ravi is a dear friend and a senior student of Sangita Kalanidhi T. M. Krishna. He is a brilliant musician, deeply rooted in the Carnatic tradition. As someone passionately invested in the legacy of Dikshitar, he founded Guruguhaamrta, a trust dedicated to increasing awareness of Dikshitar’s rich musical heritage.
Dr. Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan is a gifted storyteller and a keen student of history and heritage. I have listened to many of his discourses and am an admirer of both his scholarship and his oratory skills. I am currently following his lecture series on Thiruvachakam.
Together, they have partnered to bring to life the details embedded in Dikshitar’s compositions on various temples, with Ravi rendering the compositions and Madhusudhanan providing the historical and cultural commentary. This program, titled Dikshita Kshetra Darshanam, is available on the Guruguhaamrta YouTube channel and is a must watch.
When I saw that this pair was scheduled to present a lecture demonstration, I had marked it as a not to be missed event. They delivered the first lecture of the day titled, “Tiruvarur temple traditions as seen in Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Tyagesa kritis.”
Setting the context, Ravi explained that there are fifteen kirtanams, as per the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini, in which Dikshitar makes reference to Tyagaraja. In four of these compositions, there are explicit mentions of temple traditions, which formed the core of this presentation. In addition to these four, they also included one composition that falls outside the SSP.
The first tradition discussed was Ajapa Natanam. Ravi pointed out the references to this dance form in Dikshitar’s compositions, particularly in the Gowlai kriti Tyagaraja Palayashumam, while Madhusudhanan elaborated on the significance of the dance itself. The details he shared about this tradition were truly breathtaking, quite literally.
The second tradition explored was the Yaga Shala Utsavam, which finds mention in Tyagarajena Samrakshitoham set in Salaga Bhairavi.
The third composition, Sri Tyagarajasya Bhakto Bhavami in Rudrapriya, refers to Sayarakshai, Rudra Ganika Natanam, and Suddha Maddala Vadhyam. Although this kriti does not appear in the SSP, it is widely accepted as a composition of Dikshitar. Madhusudhanan explained the continuing importance of the evening worship at the Tiruvarur temple and why Dikshitar’s reference to it is particularly significant. He also spoke about the traditions of the Rudra Kanikas, drawing connections to inscriptions found in the Big Temple at Thanjavur.
Next came the Sri raga composition Tyagaraja Mahadhvajaroha. Ravi highlighted some unique aspects of Dikshitar’s use of this raga, and the song itself was examined in great detail. The insights into temple traditions embedded in the lyrics were brought out beautifully. The three groups of traditions, along with their preceding rituals, are skillfully distributed across the pallavi, anupallavi, and charanam. This kind of thoughtful structuring is quintessentially Dikshitar.
Madhusudhanan then explained how this kriti served as documentary evidence for a particular temple tradition that had been discontinued and later reinstated. If that tradition continues today, Dikshitar deserves a measure of credit for preserving its details through his composition.
There was so much more to be said that time ran out, and V. Sriram was forced to assume his unfortunate role as timekeeper. I can only hope that a “Not Limited by Time” version of this lecture will materialize someday, allowing these two scholars the space to fully explore the traditions of the Tiruvarur temple, a sentiment Shriram shared in his summing up.
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