Agramangudi and Chidambara Bhagwathar: Forgotten Villages and Musicians

A photograph of Chidambara Bhagwathar (centre) with some others at Agramagudi in Thanjavur. | Photo credit: M. idol

Agraharam in Thanjavur, Agramgudi, looks like a deserted village. Most of the houses on both sides of the Agraharam are abandoned as the owners have left the village.

Among them stood a house full of flora and which inspired awe in the field of Carnatic music. This Mangudi is the home of Chidambara Bhagavatthar Kathakalkashepam Exponent, who won the prestigious Sangeeta Kalanidhi Award of the Sangeet Academy in 1937.

“The house is still owned by his descendants. Today there is nothing to remember Chidambarababa Bhagavatthar except his old photo,” said Mahesh, a resident of the village, showing the photo which is now kept in the attic.

In it, his gigantic figure can be seen in all its glory. There is an apocryphal story that he used to buy two tickets for trains to accommodate his huge bulk. His disciples would carry with them a small bench, and this would be placed between the two seats, so that he could travel comfortably.

“Holy ash adorned his brow; He began his performance at the appointed time wearing Rudraksha Mala and Bhagavatthar. When he appeared on the stage, the audience was enthusiastic and there was a pin drop silence within five minutes, even if there was a crowd of more than a few thousand,’ writes Pramila Gurumurthy in her book ‘Kathakalkshepa: A Study’.

Bhagavadghar himself in his book Kalakshebam remembers Yendra Vyas How did he become a defendant in Kalakshebam? He passed the FA examination from St. Peter’s College, Thanjavur in 1899 and planned to join the government service but was initiated. Kathakalkshepa Poovanur Pradaba Ramaswamy Bhagwathar and Asukavi Agramangudi Saptagriswarar Shastri of the village and who saw a lot of promise in him. The book is dedicated to them.

“He used to imitate Thanjavur Krishna Bhagwathar, a famous harikatha exponent of the time. What started as a playful activity turned serious and within six months he started performing,” writes Durappa Bhagwathar in his book ‘Kalaksheba Bhagavatharklin Charithiram’ published by Alliance Publishers.

A polyglot, Chidambara Bhagavatar had a vast collection of books in various languages. He bought the entire library of Nadukkaveri Patta Srinivasa Shastri and enriched his knowledge.

His brother Mahalinga Iyer accompanied him in singing. Renowned mridangam player Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai was part of his troupe for many years. Bhagavatar later trained another brother, Sesha Iyer, in mridangam, and he accompanied him till the end.

“They were a strong group and Chidambara Bhagwathar’s performances became popular. As his brothers died one by one, Sulmangalam Sesha Bhagwathar joined him in his troupe as a singer. He also trained his brother and Thirupunthuruthi Vishwanath Bhagwathar’s sons Sami Iyer and Thirumalai Bhagwathar, ” writes Durappa Bhagwathar.

Pramila Gurumurthy says that when he expounded the Ramayana at Chennai’s Gokhale Hall in 1932, he enthralled the audience by singing about 300 works of Tyagaraja. He had a good knowledge of current political affairs and would include Ms. Gurumurthy to spice up his performance remarks, who reveals that he was part of the Chinna Kachi who conducted the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru for some time before settling the dispute.

In his presidential address at the annual conference of the Music Academy in 1937, Chidambara Bhagwathar said that the modern way of teaching music to students without the traditional Bhramar-Kita method and bringing them up in the lap of luxury was not conducive. It does not help to increase and bring them out gamakas, origais, jars and Doles, subtle and tonal grace of Carnatic music. ‘Each art requires 12 years of study to be perfected,’ he said at the academy.

He also insisted that musicians should study languages ​​for six years so that they can pronounce the literature correctly, understand its meaning and portray the expressions effectively.