By the 15th century, the basis of classical music had undergone major changes. The writer traces the contributions of the Haridasas and Annamacharya to the evolution of Carnatic music as we know it today.
A significant change that took place from the Sangita Ratnakara period was the move from shifting tonic and fixed svara interval system of music to that of a fixed tonic and variable svara interval system. The seeds of change were sown even in the Ratnakara but we cannot be sure when the complete transformation happened. We find, in many treatises, a sense of confusion about this change, but by the 15th century the basis of Indian classical music had changed forever.
From the early 1400s, the contribution of the Haridasas of the Kannada speaking region towards musical changes was invaluable and it's important for us to understand their work. Like the Tamizh Saivite saints from the 7th or 8th century, the Haridasas used music as a vehicle to spread the message of dvaita philosophy in Kannada. The music of the Haridasa was born out of the Desi Tradition (discussed earlier) and we will see the connection and analyse the same.
What were the ragas used by the Haridasas? Most manuscripts available mention modern ragas, which did not exist at that time to the compositions. Therefore we need to look at the theoretical texts of the same period to get our answers.
At the time of the Haridasa movement, some important treatises included the Svaramela Kalanidhi by Ramamatya, Pundarika Vittala's Sandragachandrodaya and other treatises. We also find a mention of a Sangitasara of Vidyaranya through the later work of Govinda Dikshita's Sangita Sudha. Therefore an analysis of the ragas in these treatises gives us an idea of the ragas that were possibly used in the compositions. Many of these ragas are still used in Carnatic music.
Tala system
An important contribution of the Haridasas is the regularising of the tala system. From the numerous Desi talas, they reorganised the tala system into the seven major talas, each with fixed counts: suladi sapta tala i.e. jampa (10), matya (14), dhruva (10), triputa (7), atta (14), eka (4) and rupaka (6). Though these seem similar to those used in Carnatic music today, there are some aspects we need to understand. First, laghu and druta were only time units and independent of the actions that were used to show the tala. The laghu was one matra duration (a notional duration to utter four short syllables) and the dhruta was half that. There was also an extension to each of these called a viraama, which measured to quarter duration of a laghu; although according to some, the viraama augmented the value of the time-unit to which it was attached by half its value. The Viraama probably transformed into the anudhruta. Today, all these are angas to a tala, which are divisions with certain counts. Secondly we are not sure about how these were actually demonstrated in terms of actions or movements. Two other talas used by the Haridasas are jhompata (a desi tala) and Raganamatya.
The Suladi was a unique musical form composed only by the Haridasa saints, which evolved from the Salaga Suda (prabandha). The suladi has verses where each is in one of the seven suladi talas. Not all the talas need to be in every suladi but at least five are found in each suladi. Even Raganmatya tala is used occasionally. Starting from Sripadaraya, all the Haridasas composed in this form. Sometimes ragas and even talas are not prescribed to the rendition of Suladis. Interestingly the only available notated Suladis (composed by Purandara Dasa) are the three available in the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini (1904). From this notation we find that these compositions are more structured on the basis of the talas.
Another form that was used by the Haridasas was the vrittanama, which again seems to have evolved from the prabandhas of Desi music. This is the form that alternates between verses sung without tala and those sung with a tala structure.
Similarly ugabhogas, which were verses sung to ragas, are like vrithams. The difference being that they are not set to any metre and each line can be of variable length. Most ugabogas don't have prescribed ragas.
Tamizh origins
Scholars believe that the Haridasas were the pioneers of the pada form. The pada form had a structure of a pallavi and multiple charanas or in the pallavi anupallavi charana structure. This nomenclature of Pallavi, Anupallavi, charana comes from the later use and is not given in any treatise or manuscript of the period under discussion. The pallavi is usually a two-line structure followed by verses of four lines, which we call charana. Sometimes there is an anupallavi. The only way to decipher the anupallavi from poetry is by the presence of dvitiakshara prasa, which is the sound concordance of the second syllable of the first line of the pallavi with the second syllable of the first line of the Anupallavi. While this seems a logical method we cannot be completely sure whether it was sung as an anupallavi or as multiple charanas. The very concept of dvitiakshara prasa is also related to Tamizh poetry, as this is not found in older Sanskrit/Kannada/Telugu literature. It does seem that the Haridasas also used the same pada form for shringara texts, which were called gopigitas.
The Haridasa Pada is sometimes linked to the salaga suda (prabandha) form. The pallavi, anupallavi and charana structure is associated with the parts of the prabandha namely udgraha, melapaka and dhruva structure and the last line associated with the Abhoga. Since there is no prasa structure in Prabandha or any other relationship between the pada and the prabandha this probably requires more serious research and analysis. It is possible that the pada form independently evolved.
Other musical forms of compositions used by the Haridasas were dandaka, koravanji, gadya etc. The main musical contributors among the Haridasas were Shripadaraya, Vyasaraya, Vadiraja, Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa.
At the same time, in the region of Tirupati, we find an enormous musical contribution from Annamacharya and later poets. Annamacharya is said to have composed 32,000 sankirtanas. His son Peda Tirumalacharya got them inscribed in copper plates in the Tirupati temple but some of the copper plates are said to have gone to Ahobila and to Thanjavur. Today, including the sankirtanas of Peda Tirumalacharya and his son Cina Tirumalacharya, we have a total of 14,523 sankirtanas by Tallapakam poets. Annamacharya has also composed the Venkatachalamahaatmya in Sanskrit and Ramayana in dvipada metre in Telugu. Ragas are mentioned for the sankirtanas in the copper plates in Tirupati.
The sankirtanas again were either in the pallavi/anupallavi/charana structure or a pallavi/charana structure to use today's nomenclature. As mentioned earlier, the understanding of an anupallavi's presence is only on the basis of dvitiakshara prasa. Some scholars believe Annamacharya was the pioneer in giving the pallavi a structured form of two lines of equal magnitude.
The terms pada and keertana seem to be used synonymously in this period and it's only later that we have come to associate the shringara content with Padam and Bhakthi content with Keertana. Some also attribute the pada/keertana form to Narayana Theertha and Muthu Tandavar, but other sources link the Narayana Theertha tarangams to the prabandha tradition and we also cannot be sure about the period of Muthuthandavar. Irrespective of these differences in views we can conclude that there must have been lot of movement of musical and poetic forms in the land of the Vijayanagara Empire.
The writer is a Carnatic vocalist based in Chennai.
Correction
It's Sadragachandrodaya, not Sandragachandrodaya as published in this article. The following are the correct names/order and numbers. dhruva (14), matya (10), rupaka (6), jampa (10), triputa (7), ata (14), and eka (4)
Keywords: T. M. Krishna, Haridasa, Annamacharya, evolution of Carnatic music
The author notes that "we also cannot be sure about the period of Muthuthandavar". I presume the author is referring to the life-period of Muthu Thandavar. If that is indeed the case, then the statement is rather erroneous because back in 1987, was published Thamizh Mummanikalin kiirththanaikal, by Manimekalai Publications, Madras. That publication listed Muthu Thandavar's period between 1500-1600. To add another information to this article series, which may be significant from both music as well as history and which may be of interest to the lay reader : Vidyaranya was not just 'a scholar of the 15th century Vijayanagara region' (as mentioned in the article published on Jan 22nd), but reigned as the Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sarada Peetam (the abbot in the name of Madhava Vidyaranya or Madhavacharya). Apart from being the spiritual preceptor to Harihara Raya I and Bukka Raya I, the founders of the Vijayanagar empire in the 1300's, Vidyaranya served as a spiritual mentor to three generations of kings who ruled over the Vijayanagar empire subsequently. Vidyaranya's work(s) the Sarvadarsana sangraha spans several elements of Advaita, including Sangitasara which among other things details the fifteen melas and their fifty janya ragas as well as certain types of music exponents. Some of this found its way into Govinda Dikshita's Sangitasudha (nidhi), in the early seventeenth century. In Hampi, there exists a lovely temple dedicated to Vidyaranya.
Ms Ragavan, the problem is that most are unaware of the rich contribution the Thathachariyars (and in general the Vijayanagar empire) made to music, grammar and poetry. I have listed some of the important works I have investigated. Besides these, there are several, perhaps hundreds that require considerable amount of research in order to catalogue. Being the descendent of the honourable Lakshmi Kumara Thatha Desikan, do you know the whereabouts of his original creations? In particular Srimath Hanumath Vimsadhi'? Contention exists on whether these were penned in the Devanagari script or the Grnadikam (the Telegu variation of the grantha). This is another angle to pursue, because the application of grantha would imply a specific tonal or musical approach to its recitation or utterance! What we see as concert music today is but a miniscule reflection of the music, prose and poetry that prevailed in every aspect of our spiritual, philosophical and social life. There is much to be investigated of the past.
Thanks for the lovely article....very informative.
I am very proud to say that Lakshmi Kumara Thatacharya is our ancestor.We belong to the family of Thathachars of Kanchivaram.
The music, prose and literary works of Vijayanagar spanned two main languages, Telegu and Kannada; Sanskrit and Tamil also provided with rich patronage. Vijayanagar rulers' were much devoted towards their religious preceptors known as 'Thathachariyars'. Of the Thathachariyars the Pancha matha bandhana Thathachariyar, who wrote the famous literary work of 'Panch matha bandhanam' and Lakshmi kumara Thatha Desikan, who wrote 'Srimath Hanumath Vimsadhi', 'Desika Prabandha Eedu' and 12 other literary works in Telegu were the most prominent. These works contain several verses, couplets and poetical forms that are strung in 'desi' music style and practised even today by various yakshagana troups in the South Canara district of Karnataka. Many kings of the devaraya dynasty were themselves litterateurs and authored classics such as (Krishnadevaraya's) 'Jambavati Kalyana' 'Amuktamalyada', a poetic and dramatically skillful work. Jambavati Kalyana is supposed to house several forms of tala, which could be interpreted to dance forms such as Kuchipudi, Kathakali and Yakshagana as we see today. Eight famous scholars regarded as the pillars (Ashtadiggajas) of music, poetry and literature adorned the court of Krishnadevaraya, the most famous being Allasani Peddana referred to as Andhrakavitapitamaha (father of Telugu poetry) and Tenali Ramakrishna, Krishnadevaraya's court jester who authored several acclaimed works. Also was Srinatha, considered the greatest of all Telugu poets, who wrote books like 'Marutratcharitamu' and 'Salivahana-sapta-sati'. These works are rarely heard anywhere in the present day, but may contain various forms of raga and tala formations. The Vaishnava Bhakti movement on the other hand was heralded by 'Haridasas' the Kannada poets and scholars of the empire. The Haridasa celebration of devotion are exemplified in the compilation of songs called Devaranama (lyrical poems) in the ragale metre. Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa are considered the foremost among many Dasas their immense contribution to the construction of grammar of carnatic music very well known. Gadugina Bharata, a translation of Mahabharata in Kannada by Kumara Vysa could be heard even today during bhajanavalis in the temples of Horanadu. These bhajanavalis are sung in various misra ragas, a combination of both grammar and folklore. Most Sanskrit works of the Vijayanagar empire were commentaries either on the Vedas or on the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics. The prose of these texts extolled the Advaita philosophy and many verses reflect the 'Gopucha yati' formation as seen in many of Dikshitar's works. Notable amongst them are secular writings on music and medicine of Vidyaranya's 'Sangitsara', Praudha Raya's 'Ratiratnapradipika', Sayana's 'Ayurveda Sudhanidhi' and Lakshmana Pandita's 'Vaidyarajavallabham'. All these works is supposed to have musical and tala construction in their recitation. The works of famous Dvaita saints of the Udupi Madhwa order, Jayatirtha, Vyasatirtha, Vadirajatirtha and Sripadaraya were mainly rebuttals to the Advaita philosophy. Of the many Tamil poets (of the Pandya lineage) patronised, Svarupananda Desikar who wrote an anthology of 2824 verses 'Sivaprakasap-perundirattu', on the Advaita philosophy is prominent. His disciple the ascetic, Tattuvarayar, wrote a shorter anthology, 'Kurundirattu', that contains about half the number of verses. Krishnadevaraya also patronised the Tamil Vaishnava poet Haridasa whose 'Irusamaya Vilakkam' was an exposition of the two Hindu systems, Vaishnava and Shaiva, with a preference for the former. Most musical and literary works of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire (apart from Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa) are rarely heard in any of the music platforms. My request would be for today's torch-bearers of carnatic music to research and bring to the fore the rich beauty of the Vijayanagar contributions. I recommend the reading as below for a deeper understanding of the contribution of the Vijayanagar empire to music prose and poetry: Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar. New Delhi: Indian Branch, Oxford University Press. Iyer, Panchapakesa A.S. Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra. Chennai: Zion Printers. Mack, Alexandra. 'The temple district of Vitthalapura', In John M. Fritz and George Michell (editors). New Light on Hampi: Recent Research at Vijayanagara. Mumbai.
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