Muttu taandavar

[venkatakailasam]

“Muttu taandavar - In a town named Seerkaazhi, normally associated with the Tamil composer tirugnanasambandar, another Tamil composer, muttutaandavar was born in 1560 into a family that traditionally constructed and played musical instruments for temples. They belonged to a community named the Isai velala community. The child was named tandavan (one who dances) after nataraja, the god of dance, the presiding deity at neighbouring Cidambaram.
When he was young, tandavan was afflicted with an incurable disease which severely affected his appearance and his health. He was unable to follow his family's profession, and many in the town shunned him. So, he found relief in listening to the songs sung on Lord Shiva, by a lady called Shivabhagyam, who belonged to a family devoted to the arts. He would go everyday to her house and listen to her despite protests from relatives and family, who eventually stopped feeding him. As a result, he took the prasaadam (blessed food offered) at the temple once a day. But this weakened him.
One day, while worshipping, he found himself near the room that contained the vaahanams (the mounts and vehicles of the gods), and crawled in and fainted. No one knew, and soon the priests extinguished the lamps and left for the day. Guards locked the temple doors. When taanDavan awoke to consciousness, he realized he was locked in and cried out loud to the god of the temple, Brahmapureeshawa, asking him for help. Soon the temple priest's young daughter approached with a vessel of food. She fed him and asked him what his trouble was. When he told her, she told him to go to Cidambaram and compose a song a day on the Lord. When taandavan protested, saying he could never find words for so many songs, the little girl asked him to use the first words he heard from devotees as he entered the temple.
The child then disappeared. It was dawn. The guards came in and so did the priests. They could barely recognise the effulgent being they found in the sanctum. Gone was the emaciated figure. He was iridescent like the mother of pearl. They renamed tandavan muttutandavar. Then Muttutaandavar realised that the girl was Lokanayaki, the presiding Goddess of Seerkazhi who had come in the guise of the priest's daughter.
Muttutandavar began his journey to Cidambaram, an act that soon became a daily ritual. On the first day, he reached the sanctum there and heard the words Bhooloka kailaya giri Cidambaram. He used the words as the opening line of his first kriti. As he finished singing the piece, five gold coins appeared on the steps below the deity, which he took as the Lord's reward for his composition. Muttutandavar gratefully accepted the coins and also found that his illness was cured. Muttutaandavar continued to compose daily at the temple. But one day, when he entered the sanctum, Muttutandavar found complete silence. No one spoke. He waited patiently, hoping that someone would say something and he could use the words. But all the devotees remained silent. Muttutandavar could only hear his heart speaking, crying out in desperation. Thus sprang the composition - pesade nenjame (O mind! Do not speak!) . He realised that his dependence on the words of others had ended. He now began composing on his own.
Once, on his way to Cidambaram, he was bitten by a snake. To cure the poison, he composed "Arumarundondru tanimarundidu" (in mohanam, made popular by D.K. Jayaraaman). Another day, the river Kollidam was in spate and muttutandavar could not cross to reach Cidambaram. Out of sorrow sprang the piece - kanamal vinile kalam kazhittome. The speciality of this song is its graphic description of the Cidambaram Temple. Then, the river parted and on reaching the sanctum, out of gratitude, he sang - darisanam seivene.
He continued to compose songs, daily. The story is told that in 1640AD, in the month of aavani, the day of the star poosham, muttutandavar appeared in the sanctum and sang the piece manikkavacagar perenakkutaravallayo ariyen. A great light emanated from the sanctum and in that light, muttutandavar was gathered into the arms of the Lord and became one with him.
Very few of muttutaandavar's songs have survived. Annaamalai University, under the auspices of Sangita Kalanidhi Tiruppamburam N Swaminatha Pillai, collected sixty of them and set them to ragas. These are sung by many today and the kritis have been rescued from near oblivion.”VIKNESH WAREN
LISTEN TO A FEW OF HIS COMPOSITIONS:
E'-SWARA-Sudha Ragunathan-Adikondar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnn3Wik70S0
E'-SWARA-06-MIX-Padma Vibushan DK Pattammal-ayyane natanam sAvEri-Muthu Thandavar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIrUYRYn9E
E'-SWARA-08-Padmabushan DK Pattammal-Aru marundhu oru thani-kAmbOdhi-Mutthu thAndavar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGstzVsjmTw
01 Carnatica Brothers Sevikka Vendum Ayya - Andolika
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv_zFYJk6x0


venkatakailasam

[cacm]

I am literally in tears as I write this.....How moving are your eloquent sentences....... More than that just listening to Sevikka Vendum Ayya
& Sada Nanda Thandavam rendered by Madurai Mani Iyer and having the great luck of him desribing his attempts& emotions has been the ultimate HIGHLIGHT of my life so far......THANKS FOR SHARING THE DETAILS VKV

[satyabalu]

* A vivid description of an ardent devotee of "Bhooloka kailasam " by "Venkata kailasam".Thanks for the link.
Who among the musicians have popularised muttuthandavar padams?I think Sanjay includes MT songs in his concerts.
* Adiyapadathai kanare pirndandampoonare set in Charukasi -Is it his composition?
*Buddarum siddarum munivarkalum -I remember nice niraval by TVS &MSG @ Kalarasana some years back during season.

[venkatakailasam]

Earlier concert:

121-Compositions of Muthu Thandavar
http://myblogkumara.blogspot.in/2014_02_01_archive.html
Concert details:
001-sivachidambarame-NAgaswarAli-Sanjay
002-Arumarundhu ondru-Suryaprakash with an extra song on Muruga
003-Ayyane natanam sAvEri- DKP
004-Eeshane Kotisuriya nalinakanthi-Nityashree
005-Darisitalavil mukti-Lathangi- Sanjay Subrahmanyam
006-Adikkondar-Mayamalava Goula- Sudha Ragunathan
007-Tillai chidambaramE-kApinArAyani- Sanjay Subrahmanyam
008- Sevikka Vendum Ayya – Andolika- Carnatica Brothers
009-Thandhye ThAi shanmukha priya- Dhanya Subramanian
010- Ambara chidambara- Sugandha Kalamegham
011-ithenaithulambaram-dhanyasi- ??
012-chidambarame_ninai_maname-nadanamakriya- Alathur Brothers
013-maravAdiru nenjamE-malayamArudham

Posted now...

concert 289-MuthuThandavar compositions
Listen at:

http://myblogkumara.blogspot.in/2014/11 ... rt-xi.html

01- Bhooloka kailasam-Trichur Ramachandran
02- Sevikavendum ayah- Ragam Andholika-G N Balasubramaniam
03- Sivanda Padathai - Kothamangalam Seenu.
04- sivachidambarame-NAgaswarAli-Sanjay subramaniam
05- Darisitalavil mukti-Lathangi-Sanjay Subrahmanyam
06- chidambarame_ninai_maname-nadanamakriya-Alathur Brothers
07- innum_oru_stalam-simhEndramadhyamam-P Unni Krishnan
08- thenaithulambaram-dhanyasi-S Sowmya
09- 009-Adikondar-KBS…ends abruptly

[satyabalu]

Theruvil Varano -Kamas to be added to the list.