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The Tamil Padam The Tamil Padam A Dance Music Genre of South India Matthew Harp Allen Published by Jenny Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd. 101 Thomson Road #06-01, United Square Singapore 307591 Email: [email protected] Web: www.jennystanford.com British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The Tamil Padam: A Dance Music Genre of South India Copyright © 2023 Jenny Stanford Publishing Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. Cover image: Brahmadesa Siva temple, near Cheramadevi, Tirunelveli district (Courtesy of David Theron Sanford). ISBN 978-981-4968-56-0 (Hardcover) ISBN 978-1-003-33638-9 (eBook) Table of Contents List of Figures List of Plates xi Maps xiii Preface xv 1. Int roduction xx1i 1.1 Hinduism 2 1.1.1 Devi–The Goddess 3 1.1.2 Saivism 5 1.1.3 Murugan 5 1.1.4 Vaishnavism 6 1.2 The Two “Love Rajas” and Two Languages 6 1.3 Padams and Dance 7 1.4 Padams and Gender 10 1.5 Padams and Family 13 1.6 Previous Scholarship 14 1.7 Goals, Methods, Limitations 16 1.7.1 A Living Repertoire 18 1.8 Selection of Core Group 19 2. 1K.i9n gs,S Dyenvooptsiiosn , Patronage, and Padams 1291 2.1 Emergence of Tanjavur as a Center for the Arts 21 2.2 The Colas 22 2.2.1 King Raja Raja Cola, Nambi Andar Nambi, et al. 24 2.3 The Nayak Period in Tanjavur 26 2.4 Shift to Vaishnavite Patronage 27 2.5 Nayaks of Tanjavur 29 vi Contents 2.5.1 Sevappa 29 2.5.2 Achyutappa 30 2.5.3 Raghunatha 31 2.5.4 Sringara Padams: Early References 32 2.5.5 Vijayaraghava 34 2.5.6 Padams at Court 36 2.5.7 Denouement of the Telugu Nayak Line 38 2.6 The Maratha Rajas of Tanjavur 39 2.6.1 Venkoji/Ekoji I 40 2.6.2 Sahaji I 42 2.6.3 The 18th Century: A Word about Padams 44 2.6.4 Serfoji I 44 2.6.5 Tulaja I 45 2.7 The Period of Anarchy 47 2.7.1 Pratap Singh 48 2.7.2 Tulaja II 49 2.7.3 Reverend Schwartz 53 2.7.4 Amar Singh at Tiruvidaimarudur 56 2.7.5 Serfoji II 61 3. Comp2o.s7e.6rs ofS iTvaamji iIlI P adams 6637 3.1 To Compose 67 3.1.1 Changes Over Time in Melody and Text 68 3.2 Biographies of Composers 70 3.3 Composer: Muttuttandavar 72 3.3.1 Dating His Life 72 3.3.2 His Life Story 74 3.3.3 Transmission of Muttuttandavar’s Songs 77 3.3.4 Publication of Muttuttandavar’s Songs 79 3.3.5 Early Tamil Kritis and Padams 80 3.3.6 Rhythmic Aspects of His Kirttanams 82 3.3.7 Without Understanding 83 3.3.8 God Coming in Procession 85 Contents vii 3.4 Composer: Papavinasa Mudaliar 86 3.4.1 His Life 87 3.4.2 Transmission of His Compositions 89 3.4.3 Papavinasa Mudaliar and Tiruvarur 90 3.4.4 His Oeuvre 92 3.4.5 Flowering of Ninda Stuti 93 3.5 Composer: Marimutta Pillai 98 3.5.1 The Central Narrative 99 3.5.2 His Work 100 3.5.3 Ninda Stuti 103 3.6 Composer: Uttukkadu Venkatasubba Ayyar 106 3.6.1 The Village of Uttukkadu 106 3.6.2 Transmission of His Songs 109 3.6.3 Revival of His Compositions 111 3.6.4 The Dancing Krishna 112 3.7 Composer: Arunacala Kavirayar, Sirgari 115 3.7.1 Story of His Life 116 3.7.2 The Poet and the Musicians 117 3.7.3 Arankerram (Premiere) 118 3.7.4 Caveat 120 3.7.5 His Work and Its Popularity 120 3.7.6 The Musical Settings of His Songs 122 3.7.7 Discovery of Five Additional Songs 123 3.7.8 Padams and the 19th Century 125 3.8 Composer: Ghanam Krishna Ayyar 126 3.8.1 Kumbakonam and its Surroundings 127 3.8.2 A Mid-Point Between Worlds 131 3.8.3 His Youth 132 3.8.4 The Ghanam Style 134 3.8.5 Three Patrons and Three Songs 137 3.8.5.1 Patron 1: The Moopanars at Kapistalam 137 3.8.5.2 Patron 2: Raja Amara Simha at Tiruvidaimarudur 139 viii Contents 3.8.5.3 Patron 3: Kaccirangan of Udaiyarpalaiyam 144 3.8.6 Kacciranka’s Nod of Assent 150 3.8.7 Padams on Vishnu and Murugan 152 3.8.8 On Ranganatha of Srirangam 152 3.8.9 Third Caranam of Engumayamana 153 3.8.10 Murugan at Palani 154 3.8.11 Murugan as the Holder of the Spear 155 3.9 Composer: Kavikunjara Bharati 155 3.9.1 Family and Early Life 156 3.9.2 Madura Kavi Bharati 158 3.9.3 The Composer at Court 159 3.9.4 An Elephant Among Poets 160 3.9.5 The Aragar Kuravanji 161 3.9.6 His Padams: Tone, Tune And Tamil 163 3.9.7 Geography and Repertoire 163 3.9.8 Two Padams and Two Legends at Kunrakkudi 166 3.9.8.1 Cur, the “Mango Demon” 166 3.9.8.2 Valli and Devayanai, Murugan’s southern and northern wives 168 3.9.9 The Kuravanji Dance Drama 172 3.10 Composer: Vaidisvarankoil Subbarama Ayyar 174 3.10.1 Sources 175 3.10.2 “The Book” 175 3.10.3 Subbarama Ayyar’s Possible Guru 178 3.10.4 Subbarama Ayyar’s Possible Patrons 179 3.10.5 Velur: The Place of Subbarama Ayyar’s Padams 180 3.10.6 Authorship 181 3.10.7 On Murugan as Muttukkumaraswami of Velur 187 3.10.8 On Murugan as Kumaresar of Parani 188 3.11 Composer: Gopalakrishna Bharati 189 3.12 Other Songs in the Study 193 Contents ix 4. Texts, a Quiet, Private Corner 195 4.1 A System of Texts 195 4.2 The Ashta Nayakis (Eight Heroines) 196 4.3 Classical Tamil Poetry: Akam and Puram 198 4.4 Bhakti Poetry 200 4.5 An “Export and Reimport” of Erotic Bhakti? 201 4.6 A Triad of Characters 204 4.7 Directions of Address 205 4.8 Evolution of Three-Part Structure from Two-Part Structure 206 4.9 The Number of Caranams 206 4.10 Progression Through the Form in Performance 207 4.11 Pallavi, the Sprout: Throwing the Idea 209 4.12 Anupallavi, “The Lord Whose Fame Ever Grows” 210 4.13 Murugan Atop His Mountains 212 4.14 Caranam: “In My Tender Youth” 212 4.15 Presentation of Compositions by Group 213 4.16 Discussion: A Corpus with Fuzzy Edges 235 4.17 Organization of the Repertoire: The Indirect Stance 239 4.18 Weaving of Akam and Puram Elements 241 5. T4h.1e9 M Cuosniccalul sOiorgna nization of Tamil Padams 224425 5.1 Principle of Selection of Material 245 5.2 Qualities of Raga 247 5.2.1 “Major” Ragas 247 5.2.2 Rakti Ragas 248 5.2.3 Ghana Ragas 249 5.3 Varnamettu: Setting a Tune 252 5.4 Autobiographical 253 5.5 Astonishment at Recognizing a Phrase 254 5.6 The “Border Lines” 256 5.7 Product and Process in Genre 257 5.7.1 Opening up the Notion of Genre 259