Sri Azhagiya Singar thiruther pathiula 2022 - Golden nadaswaram

சித்துக்காடு .. .. சித்தர்கள் தவம் இருந்த காடு -  சித்தர்காடு என்றழைக்கப்பட்டதாம். நாளடைவில் இது சித்துக்காடு என்று மருவிவிட்டது. சென்னை பூந்தமல்லியில் இருந்து 8 கி.மீட்டர் தொலைவில் உள்ள  சித்துக்காட்டில்  -  அருள்மிகு தாத்திரீஸ்வரர் கோவில் அமைந்துள்ளது.  தாத்திரீஸ்வரர் என்றால் சமஸ்கிருதத்தில் நெல்லி என்று பொருள் !!  இங்கே சிவன் சன்னதி எதிரேயுள்ள நந்தி, சாந்தமாக காட்சியளிக்கிறது. எனவே மூக்கணாங்கயிறு இல்லை. மன்னன் இங்கு கோயில் திருப்பணியைத் துவங்கியபோது, இங்கிருந்த பூந்தோட்டத்தில் அம்பாள் சிலை கிடைக்கப்பெற்றான். பூங்குழலி என பெயர் சூட்டி அம்பாளுக்கு சன்னதி எழுப்பினான்.  

Today morning it was grand Thiruther for Sri Azhagiya Singar at Thiruvallikkeni – the ther procession at 7 am and concluded by 8.20 am -  Thelliya Singar remained on thiruther and devotees worshipped Him on thiruther till 5.30 pm.  After that there was pathi ulavuthal and purappadu till Eastern arch on Beach road. 

In South Indian Culture and in Carnatic music, Nadaswaram plays a very prominent role.  The wind instrument is a mangala isai karuvi (auspicious one) and is played in all religious functions, marriages and all good events.  The Mangala vadhyam is usually played in pairs, accompanied by thavil.  Some of the famous vidwans would include :  Thiruvavadudurai Rajaratnam Pillai , Dr. Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai, Thiruvizha Jaisankar, MPM Sethuraman & Ponnusamy, Sembanar koil brothers,  Namagiripettai Krishnan, Karukurichi Arunachalam, Sheik Chinna Moulana, and many  more……….. there are so many vidwans in Mylapore, Thiruvallikkeni .. .. and we are spell-bound by their music. 

Nagasawaram-thavil music is so inseparably woven into the fabric of temple ritual that one is synonymous with the other.   Mallari is played by nagaswaram artists, with thavil accompaniment, when the processional deity (utsava murthi) sets out (for thiruveethi purappadu) from the gopura vaasal. As a prelude, alarippu is rendered in the prakaaram (outer corridor),   Mallaris are invariably set to Gambhiranattai raga in a specific tala.  Understand that mallari has a fixed laya structure which may be rendered in trikala, four speeds or even six, depending on the vidwans’ expertise. Of the nine known types of mallari, only five are chiefly in use today, namely, the chinna, periya, ther, kalasa and taligai mallaris !  

Every day during Pathi ula, Nagaswara vidwans from various places come and perform.  Today it was Vidwan Sithukadu TG Murugavel and his troup.   Murugavel hails from a music family of Sithukadu, Tiruvellore District. His gurus were Malayambakkam M.D. Mani, Tiruvarur Lakshappa Pillai, Tirucherai T.S. Sivasubramaniam, Mambalam M.K.S. Siva and M.K.S. Natarajan for more than a decade and a half. For more than 3 decades, Murugavel has been performing all over India receiving appreciation from discerning rasikas.  He has been an  honorary performer at the Kapaleeswarar-Karpagambal temple at Mylapore, the Murugan temple at Vadapalani, the Karumari Amman temple at Tiruverkadu, and the Mariyamman temple at Samayapuram, Trichy, and he also performs at the Thyagaraja aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru.”  Murugavel has also  performed in the Akashvani Sangeet Sammelan,   National Programme of Music, &  Nadaneeranjanam programme at Tirupathi.     

Perhaps you have noticed the ‘Golden nadaswaram’ in his hands !! – he holds a diploma in music and the Vadya Visharada title from the Tamil Nadu Music College, and conferred many titles.   Professor of Nagaswaram for some years in the Tamil Isai Kalloori at Raja Annamalai Manram, he is a familiar name in the sabha circuit.   

Today is was ‘magudi isai’ in Nagaswaram :  a small clipping is here :  https://youtu.be/IRji_JSqAiE  

.. .. . read that a raga associated with karuna rasa and snakes is Punnagavarali.   The raga’s regal presence is best felt in slow phrases. Most of us would have heard snake charmers play it. In wedding ceremonies, a piece called the ‘Odam’ usually played at the muhurtam, is often in Punnagavarali. This is an ancient raga and traditional Tamil pieces such as ‘Nondichindu’ are also set in this. 

 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
13.7.2022
PS: photos taken by me ..  .. details in the article collated from many articles in web (adiyen’s knowledge in Carnatic music is less than ‘O’)