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THE TANJAVUR QUARTET Margadarsis of B.M. Sundaram

The brothers All of them were serving in the Brihadeeswara temple as natyacharyas conducting the daily service performed by Historically, Bharatanatyam was mostly prevalent in the devadasis attached to the temple, and annually the , though traces of it were found in the 20th Kuravanji (not Tyagesa Kuravanji). Serfoji century in what are now Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra asked the brothers to teach nattuvangam to one of his Pradesh. Today it is taught and practised throughout the courtesans’ students and the brothers agreed. But after about globe. The term ‘Bharatanatyam’ has been in existence four years, during the annual Brahmotsavam, the ruler at least from the 15th century but we do not know the asked the temple priests to tie the ‘parivattam’ (an honour compositions the dancers performed in the early years of from the temple) to this new person. The four brothers felt Bharatanatyam. The Silappadhikaram mentions eleven insulted as the honour belonged to them. Such practices types of dance, but not the individual pieces danced. were common to Serfoji. He dismissed many dancers and We find the term ‘’ in an inscription of Rajendra Carnatic musicians from Chola (1052-l064), and ‘jakkini’ during the times of his court, appointing a Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. Rajaraja Chola brought European band on 21 400 dancers from different places and appointed them January1799. When his in the Tanjavur Brihadeeswara temple to do regular wedding took place, he service there, but we do not know their dance repertoire. forbade the nagaswaram Some agamas mention dances like the Bhujangatrasam troupe to play and asked and Suddha nrittam. Only during the time of the Tanjavur the band alone to offer Nayak rulers, do we come across many items like sollu, music. Perhaps because of jakkini, alznu, pushpanjali, perani, and korvai, as also Serfoji’s behaviour, the the names of the experts in these. In many courts of the composer Adiyappayya Marathas, who followed the Nayaks, most of the dance left for Pudukottai, while compositions practised during the previous regime Veenai Venkatasubbayya, were kept intact. During the reign of the ruler Tulaja, Sonti Venkataramanayya Serfoji kavuttuvams were composed and danced in temples. The and others went to different repertoire added during the time of Tulaja and Serfoji II samasthanams. Similarly, when the four brothers felt owes its credit to four brothers of Tanjavur who belonged insulted, they left Tanjavur the same evening after resigning to a traditional natyacharya family. They were Chinnayya, their temple service. They went to Orattanadu (about Ponnayya, Sivanandam and Vadivelu, the ‘Tanjavur ten miles from the town) and from there to Mannargudi. Quartet’ we know. They soon set out for Madurai and Tirunelveli on a Chinnayya pilgrimage. From there they went to Mysore. Two years later, Chinnayya became the asthana vidwan in the court hinnayya (1802- of Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar III. Born in C1856) learnt vocal 1794, and coronated on 30 June 1799, Krishnaraja Wodeyar music and Bharatanatyam passed away on 27 March1868. Tanjavur Bhavani, from his father Subbaraya Mysore Chikkadevamma and many others were trained in Nattuvanar. It is generally Bharatanatyam by Chinnayya. Besides, he composed many believed that all the four like Neevanti (Kamalamanohari) and E maguva brothers were disciples bodhinchera (), sabdams like Gokulambudhi, of , like Amba Sowramba (), and javalis like while, according to Cheli nenetlu (Paras) and some jatiswarams. His Pandanainallur Meenakshi­ jatiswaram in tisra Triputa tala (S; N|D P|G M|| P;M| G sundaram Pillai, only R|) stands out for its high standard. As mentioned earlier, Ponnayya and Sivanandam he also authored Abhinaya Lakshanam. Chinnayya is said studied with Dikshitar. to have composed a few javalis in praise of Mysore’s ruler

14 l SRUTI October 2017 Chamaraja Wodeyar. However, this cannot be correct as place. The Sami neepai (Dhanyasi), found in the Chamaraja Wodeyar was born in 1863, eight years after family’s manuscripts as that of Ponnayya, has no mudra. Chinnayya died, and came to power on 23 September Pantamela, the varnam in has ‘Mallarji’ 1868. Chinnayya married Jnyanambal, daughter of as its mudra. Ponnayya composed not only on Siva and Ammachatram Abhiramisundara Nattuvanar, and lived in Ambika, but also on ; examples are Ranganathude Mysore till his death. Even when Raja Shivaji ascended (Saurashtram) and Deena rakshaka (). Some beautiful the throne after Serfoji II, Chinnayya was adamant in ragamalikas like Madana (four ) and Sami his resolve not to return to Tanjavur. His last rites were ninnu (12 ragas) are also to Ponnnayya’s credit. The device performed by one of his disciples at Paschima Vahini in of echoistic syllables or swarakshara is not uncommon in Srirangapatna. Chinnayya had no children. his works. The ettukkada swara in the varnam in khanda jati Ata tala (Papa jati marudu) is one. Ponnayya Similarly the ettukkada swara in his varnam in he second son of the same has dha as the primordial note, as well as TSubbaraya Nattuvanar the sahitya syllable. Ponnayya composed many padams in was Ponnayya (1804-1864). honour of Serfoji, before the brothers left Tanjavur. Ninne He learnt vocal music and kori () and Ee viraha (Ahiri) are among them. As from Muthuswami Marathi was prevalent in Tanjavur, Ponnayya composed a Dikshitar and served the Marathi padam Nareemani in Huseni. Tiruvarur Kamalam, Tanjavur court for some Mannargudi Meenakshi (great grandmother of vidwan years. It was he who Mannargudi Rajagopala Pillai), Tirunelveli Manikkam and composed the music for Madras Jagannatha Nattuvanar were among Ponnayya’s the Sarabhendra Bhoopala disciples. Kuravanji of Kottaiyur In most Bharatanatyam programme sheets we find the Sivakozhundu Desikar. He name of the composer mentioned as the Tanjavur Quartet also left Tanjavur with his in general, it is the duty of the teacher and the dancer brothers and went to many to identify which of the brothers composed a specific places, but when King composition. Very often Shivaji sent a message the composer’s name is to the brothers seeking mentioned as Ponnayya or forgiveness for the mistake committed by his father as Ponnayya Pillai, perhaps Serfoji, and asking them to return to Tanjavur, Ponnayya without knowing the and Sivanandam acceded to his request. A considerable difference between Ponnayya number of jatiswarams, sabdams (for example, Sreekara of the Quartet and the later K. sugunakara), varnams like Sadayuda, Niratamuna and Ponniah Pillai (see my article Sami ninne, and many and javalis were composed by in Sruti 243). Ponnayya. Curiously the varnam Sami ninne has the mudra ‘Kodandapani’. The famous in raga Huseni, Orattanadu is a village E mandayanara, as well as its replica E mayaladira, are about seventeen kilometers said to be the compositions of Ponnayya. The common from Tanjavur. There Meenakshisundaram Pillai mudra found in most of Ponnayya’s compositions is lived a traditional family ‘Brihadeesa’ though he also employed other mudras. A of natyacharyas and one of them was Kodandarama higher official in the Tanjavur palace during the reign of Nattuvanar. His eldest daughter (name not known now) Shivaji was Muttoji Appa and his son was Ramalingam. was given in marriage to Ponnayya and the couple had Ponnayya’s varnam Atimoham (Sankarabharanam) praises four daughters. The eldest, Kutti Ammal was given in Ramalingendra. When he went to Tiruvarur, Ponnayya marriage to Pandanainallur Sooryamurti Pillai (1843- presented the same varnam but changed the mudra from 1897) and she gave birth to Meenakshisundaram, who ‘Ramalingendra’ to ‘Tyagesa’. When he went to Madurai, became a famous nattuvanar (1869-1954). Chinnakutti, he composed the varnams Samini in (which also the second daughter of Ponnayya, was the wife of Madras has a Tamil sahitya version Samiyai) and Sarasa ninnu Jagannatha Nattuvanar (1836-1907) and the mother of (). He composed the Bhairavi varnam Mohamana at Nelliyappa Nattuvanar (1859-1905). Ponnayya’s third the Tanjavur Brihadeeswara temple, when the deity came daughter married Ammachatram Subbaraya Nattuvanar. in procession as Tyagaraja; his Anandabhairavi varnam Pandanainallur Chokkalinga Nattuvanar was the grandson Sakhiye is in praise of the Mannargudi deity Rajagopala. of this Subbaraya Nattuvanar. The last daughter of Sudati ninne (Kalyani) was also composed at the same Ponnayya died when she was only three years old.

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