The 216-feet-high granite vimanam of the Brihadeeswara Temple, a grand edifice built by Raja Raja Chola I, today stands like a silent watchdog, defining Thanjavur, the ancient city that defined virtuous life and ethos.
As the axis of culture what is Banaras in the north, Thanjavur is in the south. So after the festival to mark the 75th year of India’s independence held in Kasi, IGNCA (Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts) decided to organize a similar event at the UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site in the south.
Titled Thanjavur Utsavam (February 11 to February 13) of Iyal, Isai and Natakam, the festival is curated by eminent dancer-scholar and IGNCA trustee Padma Subrahmanyam, whose personal journey in art is deeply intertwined with history, art and architecture. happened. Of the city His pioneering research on the Karanas and their reconstruction as depicted in the sculptures of the Brihadeshwara Temple, Sarangapani Temple (Kumbakonam), and the Nataraja Temple (Chidambaram) have contributed significantly to the term Bharatanatyam.
Talking about the process of putting together the festival that showcases the multiple dimensions of Thanjavur, Padma says, “It was extremely challenging to showcase it in just three days. An attempt has been made to capture the vast cultural landscape of the city. Apart from dance and music festivals, we also trace its rich past through lac-dams and seminars.”
Padma’s bond with Thanjavur, particularly the Brihadeeswara Temple, became stronger when she spent several days in the Karana room located in the first level of Vimanam as part of her research. “The chamber, which houses 81 of the 108 karanas, was discovered in 1956 by an employee of the Archaeological Survey of India while sweeping away weeds. They show Shiva in a dancing posture. The then ASI Joint Director General TN Ramachandran had identified these idols as Karanas depicted in the Natya Shastra. Interestingly, when Raja Raja Chola was carving these Karanas, in distant Kashmir, Abhinavagupta was writing his commentaries on the Natya Shastra, which is still available on monumental work today,” says Padma.
The chamber, which has been closed to visitors for years, will be reopened for a few hours on the last day of the festival by ASI, which is partnering with the South Zone Cultural Centre. Padma is happy to return to her “research and teaching laboratory” to conduct a brief lecture with her students to explain the causes.
Veteran Bharatanatyam guru T. Heerambanathan, who belongs to the Nattuvanar family of Thanjavur, says such festivals are important to draw attention to the traditional practitioners of the dance. “How else can you preserve the identity of an art form and the city where it developed? He asks.
On the opening day of the festival, Herambanathan’s disciples Melaprapti and Alarippu will deliver a lecture on the ‘Tanjuvar Bani Adavas’ on the concluding day. “Today with an easy exchange of style, bani has lost its relevance, but one cannot deny that it gives a distinct character to one’s dance. For example, Thanjavur Bani is defined by organ repair, diagnosis, And Kalapramanam,” he says.
It is here that Thanjai Nalvar (Thanjavur Quartet), brothers Ponniya, Chinnaiya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu established the Bharatanatyam performance structure by putting up the repertoire or margam. “We continue to draw from her priceless treasures of Jatiswaram, Sabdam, Padam, Jawali, Varnam and Thillana. Every piece is set in such a way that it hurts to see the dancers molest her. I hope so. Through such festivals we can keep this heritage intact,” says Heerambanathan.
One of the lac-dams, aptly titled ‘Art as Life in Thanjavur’ will be presented by a 72-year-old scholar, Ram Kaushalya. Having lived in the city for a lifetime, she says, “We are fortunate to have been ruled by the culture-loving Cholas, Nayaks and Marathas, who made art an intrinsic part of daily life. That is why in Thanjavur not only He was an eminent artist, but also a passionate Rasik.”
She mentions how Raja Raja Chola brought Thevaram manuscripts from the Chidambaram temple and commissioned Odhuvar (Swaminathan and Sadgurunathan would perform at the Odhuvar festival) to sing at the Brihadeshwara temple. He also had 400 accomplished dancers (whose names are inscribed on the temple wall) performing in the temple every day.
But art in Thanjavur was never confined to the classical. The rulers exposed the people to myriad styles. “Bharatanatyam, Bhagavata Mela, Yakshagana, Harikatha, Carnatic music (nearby Thiruvayaru was home to a trinity of musicians), abhanga and Therukuthu coexist here,” she says.
King Serfoji II went a step further and introduced European music. His deep association with it led him to launch a full-fledged European wind band in Thanjavur, which was once very popular.
It is this confluence of cultures that the three-day festival is expected to display on the banks of the Kaveri.
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