PAPER: 3 CHAPTER - II Detail Study Of Bharatanatyam, Devadasis-Natuvnar, Nritya And Nritta, Different Bani-s, Present Status, Institutions, Artists Module 9 Contribution Of Thanjavur Maratha Court To Bharatanatyam Tanjore / तंजोर (Thanjavur / तंजाळुर) entered into another epoch- making stage in its cultural history when Ekoji / इकोजी (A. D. 1676) was succeeded by Sahaji / ऴाहजी in A. D. 1684, of the Maratha dynasty of Tanjore which lasted about 675 years. They had wealthy people to rule over, and a rich province to support them. In Tanjore the period of economic dislocation and political fragmentation were simultaneously seen, and were not characterized by cultural crises. In spite of everything there was continuity in the field of culture. If the Nayak / नायक period is the first stage in cultural florescence, necessarily the Maratha / मराठा period is the second stage of the phenomena. In the Nayak period there was an expanding agrarian economy, trade and cultural growth. The real process of perfection of this cultural production is witnessed under the Maratha rulers of Tanjore. Thus there was a powerful cultural continuity, though the economy of the Maratha period showing a declining trend. Maratha court culture assumed the pleasing burden of the Nayak culture and the king was still identified as an avatar (incarnation) of the Lord. In this period, though, the king who was personified as Rama was turned into Siva. The courtesans still continued to sing padams celebrating the king as her God and lover. The king even composed Telugu dance dramas for the court in a striking assimilation of cultural medium, with the conceptual contents. But the Maratha ruler could spend much less on these CHAPTER - II than his Nayak predecessor, since the political scene was almost on the edge of bankruptcy and crisis. Cultural energies that were conserved were more powerful than economic ties, and they reasserted themselves with greater vigor. Very few literary works on dance were written during this period. Many new items in dance were introduced and extensive performances were organised. The dancer followed a strict discipline of gurukula / गु셁कु ऱ system, where the technique of dance was concentrated upon more than its oral and practical aspect. This tradition was passed on to generations of dancers. Chronological Table The Tanjore Marathas (Reference: K. M. Venkatramayya -‘‘Administration and social life under the Maratha rulers of Thanjavur” Tamil University, Tanjore 1984) History Ekoj established the Maratha empire in Tanjore in A. D. 1676-1684. He was a renowned scholar in Sanskrit and Telugu. He wrote the Dvipada Ramayana / 饍वळऩद रामायण in Telugu. He encouraged arts and culture just like the Nayaks. Shahaji II (A. D. 1684-1712) ascended the throne when he was very young. He was a scholar in sangitha and sahitya. He was a linguist. His works in Sanskrit available are - 1. Chandrasekara Vilasa / चन्द्रसेखर वळऱास 2. Sabdaratha Samanvaya / ऴ녍दाथथ समन्द्ळय 3. Sabdartha Sangraha / ऴ녍दाथथ संग्रह 4. Sringaramanjari / �ींगारमंजरी He wrote a Tamil drama called Vishnu Saharaja Vilasain. The script available is written in Telugu. Many Tamil natakams like Manuniti / मनुननती, Nala / नऱ, Prahlada / प्रहऱाद, Meenakshi Kalyanam / मीनाऺी क쥍याणम, Harichandra / हररश्चंर were enacted by the Tamil dancers in his court. Serfoji I / सरफ़ोजी १(A. D. 1712-1728) succeeded his brother and continued to maintain the cultural traditions. He gifted a village named Sarabojirajapuram / सरबोजजराजऩुरम to eminent scholars. When Serfoji died at the age of fifty three, his youngest brother Tulaja I (A. D. 1728-1736) inherited the throne. He is remembered as a linguist and scholar. He wrote Sangitha saramritham / संगीत सारामतृ which dealt with rasas / रस and melas popular in his period. He promoted lots of padams, darns and svrajatis. He donated liberal gifts to scholars, musicians, dancers and poets. Apart from Carnatic music he gave scope for Hindustani musicians in his court. He strengthened the Maharashtrian tradition of bhajans and kirtans. He composed a Telugu dance drama Sivakama Sundari Parinayam / शऴळकाम सुंदरी ऩररननयम in the Yakshagana style. The darus and slokas are excellent in this dance drama. He also composed a Sanskrit nataka titled raja ranjana vidhyavilasa nataka / राजा रंजन वळ饍यावळऱास नाटक . The darus dvipadas / द셂 饍वळऩद reveal his mastery over music. Besides work on music, Tulaja wrote the following Sanskrit works on dance and medicine. 1. Natayavedagamam / नाटयळेदगमम 2. Dhanvantrivilasa / धन्द्ळंतरीवळऱास 3. Dhanvantrisaranidhi / धन्द्ळंतरीसारननधध The distinguished Tamil composers Arunachala Kavi / अ셁णाचऱ कवळ and Marimuthapillai / मारीमुथा वऩ쥍ऱाई were his contemporaries. Ekoji II / एकोजी २ (A. D. 1736-37) came to throne when he was forty years old and ruled only for a year before he died. His brother Sayaji / सयाजी ruled till the end AD 1738 and passed it on to Pratap Simha / प्रताऩ शसंह. He is ranked with the eminent scholars of his time. He has composed eighty five padams in the category of nitipadam / नीनतऩदम,् srigarapadam / ध�गं ारऩदम,् bhakti keertan / भजतत कीतथनs and maratti padams / मराजतत. Pratap Simha / प्रताऩशसंह (A. D. 1739-1763), the son of Tulaja I, came to throne in very confused political atmosphere and anarchy. He was a great ruler of the Maratha period. He was a scholar and wrote many padams and plays. He composed twelve plays in Marathi selecting themes from puranas. The musical form tarana / तराना from north was popular in his court as tillana / नत쥍ऱाना. His court musician Mellatur Veerabdraya / मे쥍ऱातुर ळीरभर was the pioneer in introducing tillana. He was the follower of the Advaita philosophy. On Pratap Simha’s death Tulaja II (A. D. 1763-1787) ascended the Tanjore throne. Like his predecessors he was also competent in literature, music, dance and poetry. He was also proficient in playing veena. His court was filled with galaxy of musicians and dancers. According to Tulaja II's wish after his demise Amarsingh / अमरशसंह (A. D. 1787-1798) ruled over Tanjore till Tulaja'’s son Serfoji II attained the powder of governing. After crowning Serfoji II on the Tanjore throne he moved to Madhyarjun and set a small court. He encouraged musicians and dancers in their innovative works. Gopalakrishna Bharati was a contemporary of Amarsingh. He wrote songs and dramas in Marathi. Serfoji II / सरफ़ोजी २ (AD 1798-1832) like his uncle honoured scholars, composers, musicians and dancers. Serfoji II established the Saraswathi Mahal / सरस्ळती महाऱ library at Tanjore with his own collection of books and palm leaf manuscripts. The archive will speak for generation of the excellent patronage and contribution of the kings of the two dynasties which ruled over Tanjore. Shivaji II / शऴळाजी २ (A. D. 1832-1855) was the last emperor of the Maratha dynasty at Tanjore. Like his predecessors he showed great interest in the development of literature and culture, especially in the growth of Tamil language and Tamil compositions. The Maratha rule offered a peaceful atmosphere for the art to grow and nourish which reached the highest point. They left behind for the generations a scientific base for music and dance tradition transcending the barriers of language. Literature There are many dance dramas and yakshaganas available during this period from which the technique of performing these items can be traced. The artists followed the grammar from already existing dance texts and the tradition of gurukula system. The literary works available are: Sahendra Vilasam / सहᴂर वळऱासम - Sridhara Ayyaval Sangita Saramritha / संगीत सारामतृ - Tulaja Rukmangatha Caritra / 셁तनन्द्गाथा चररत -Venkatagiri (1684 -1711) Abhimayadarpana / अशभमायादऩथण- Venkatagiri (1684 - 1711) Sangitasampradaya / संगीतसनप्रदाय Pradarshini / प्रदऴथनी - Subbaramadikshidar King Sahaji who was conferred the title Abinavaboja / अबबनाळबोजा- अशभनळभोज, was a great patron of art and letters. A perusal of Sahaji's work on sangita shows that music and dance had reached a high level of excellence. Sahaji was a great scholar in sangita and sahitya. He patronised distinguished composers of padas, Yakshaganas and dramatic works and made Tanjore the seat of pada sahitya. He was the author of a number of works on drama, poetry, prabandha, padas and the scientific work on ragalakshanas. Of about twenty such literary productions only the music of Sankarapallaki seva prabandham / ऴंकरऩा쥍ऱकी सेळा प्रबन्द्धम is traceable today. The four famous prabandhas of Sahaji are Vishnu Pallaki Seva Prabandham / वळष्णु ऩा쥍ऱकी सेळा प्रबन्द्धम , Sankara Pallaki Seva Prabandha, Pancharatna Prabandha / ऩंचरतन प्रबंध and Tyagaraja Vinodha Chitra Prabandha / तयागराज वळनोद धचत्र प्रबंध . These are prabandha natakas with beautiful padas in rakti ragas and gana ragas - depicting bhakti, sringara and vairagya / ळैरा嵍य themes. Padas of such themes, collectively called Tyagesa Padas / तयागेऴ ऩद are in Sanskrit, Marathi and Telugu languages. These collections of padas are classified as bhakti, bhava, vairagya, sringara, hasva padas, neethi padamulu / नीनत ऩदमेऱु and mangalamulu / मंगऱमुऱू. The padas of Sahaji so far identified and available reveal his mastery over the languages and his deep scholarship in music and sahitya. An important landmark cognizable during the reign of Sahaji is the musical opera known as geyanatakas. The birth of geyanatakas brings in new vistas to many musical forms. For example the four prabandhas (Sankara pallakiseva, Vishnu pallakiseva, Pancharatna, and Tyagaraja vinodha chitra) represent a new class where the dramatic, literary, musical and dance elements are happily blended. It is clearly evident that Sahaji was the innovator of a new variety of prabandha compositions to highlight musical and dance significance. Raghunatha Nayak's work like Valmiki Charitam / ळा쥍मीकक चररतम and Raghunatha Ramayana / रघुनाथ रामायण were also examples of prabandhas.