Mahadevan at Ettayapuram
The 2009 Ettayapuram Aradhana showcased young talent from Kerala Sri S Mahadevan (Vocal & Veena Artist)
Mahadevan rendered the following krithis :
— Anandanatanaprakasam – Kedaram
— Meenakshimemudam dehi – Poorvikalyani
— Maye Twam – Tarangini
Ettayapuram would seem an unlikely musical destination, even to many Carnatic music aficionados. For, enshrined there is the sacred resting place of the much-revered and admired composer, the youngest of the Trinity of Carnatic Music, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar.
Born in the temple city of Tiruvarur, Dikshitar lived in several places – Manali (near Chennai),Varanasi, Tiruvarur, Tanjavur and Ettayapuram. In and around each of these, he visited a large number of shrines. And the songs he composed in the various temples have been his invaluable legacy to us. Dikshitar’s kritis are known for the sedate, majestic pace, as well as the grand delineation of the ragas he handled. The sahitya is another vast area of study, with references from Advaita philosophy, mantras and yoga sastra, all these coupled with the mention of the particular legends and practices of each temple.
It was the reverential entreaty of the Raja of Ettayapuram that made Dikshitar give up Chola country along with his beloved Lord Tyagaraja and Goddess Kamalambika of Tiruvarur, and make Ettayapuram his home in the last few years of his life. Of course, eternal pilgrim that he was, he visited many temples around the place like Sankarankoil, Tirunelveli and Kazhugumalai and composed songs there.
The legend of his giving up his body and merging with the divine on the day of Deepavali, is well recorded. His samadhi has now been built there, unostentatiously , as a simple, serene hall, just as he would have liked it to be, one imagines.