Nayak Period (A.D. 1532 - 1675) :-
The golden era of the Chola dynasty followed the rule of the Nayak Kings, who were equally great lovers and promoters of art and literature. Though initially appointed as viceroys under the Vijayanagar empire, with the Talikota war of 1565 there came an end to the Vijayanagar empire and the Nayaks formed their own separate autonomous kingdom in Tanjore and their glorious rule lasted for more than a century.
The culturally vibrant atmosphere of the Thanjavur during the rule of Chola dominance was further enhanced by an even more pulsating artistic activity that triggered on account of the bountiful patronage extended by the Nayak rulers. The cultural traditions of the famed Vijayanagar empire seems to have …show more content…
It is in reverence to the generous king's endowment of Unnatapuri, that the village was renamed as 'Acyutapuram" or 'Acyutabdi'(1). In due course, the Bhagavatars who were the practitioners and promoters of the art of Nrtya natakas or dance dramas, made the village, the centre of the famous Bhagavatamela natakas. It is this privileged place, which later produced many illustrious composers in the field of music and dance, whose names have been prefixed with the name of the village Melattur and are remembered by the dance world as Melattur Verikatarama Sastri, Melattur Virabhadrayya,
Melattur Kasinathayya and so on.
Raghunatha Nayaka (A.D. 1600 - 1634):- The glory of the Nayak rule reached its zenith during the reign of Raghunatha Nayaka, son of King
Acyutappa Nayaka. Highly proficient in Sanskrit and Telugu languages, the King was a versatile composer, musician and of all a musicologist of high repute. Raga 'Jayantasena'(l) and 'Ramananda tala'<2> were the inventions born out of his creative faculties is inferred from 'Sarigita
Sudha', a treatise on the theory and practice of music, the …show more content…
He had been accredited with the formulation of the 72 melakarta scheme contributing to the systematisation of the South Indian raga system.
Another eminent poet of his court was Cengalvakala Kavi, author of
'Rajagopala Vilasamu'(:), a fine prabandha in Telugu which gives a complete picture of music, dance and literary activities of the royal court of King Vijayaraghava as well as the biographical details of the royal patron. The work describes in five cantos the sportive deeds of Lord Krsna with his Asta Nayikas and vividly glorifies the origin of Manriargudi, which is proudly referred to as 'Daksina Dvaraka' or the Dvaraka of the South.
The work also gives a detailed picture of the cultural scenario of King
Vijayaraghava's period. The author describes the palace 'Vijaya Vilasa' adorned with the literary banner 'Saradadhvaja' which signifies to the rare genius of King Vijayaraghava in the field of music, dance and literature. The work further reveals that the king seated on the throne with the 'Sahityaraya pendera' adorning his ankle (indicative of his unsurpassed skill) witnessed the beautiful dances performed by the court dancers. The existence of different kinds of dances performed by
The golden era of the Chola dynasty followed the rule of the Nayak Kings, who were equally great lovers and promoters of art and literature. Though initially appointed as viceroys under the Vijayanagar empire, with the Talikota war of 1565 there came an end to the Vijayanagar empire and the Nayaks formed their own separate autonomous kingdom in Tanjore and their glorious rule lasted for more than a century.
The culturally vibrant atmosphere of the Thanjavur during the rule of Chola dominance was further enhanced by an even more pulsating artistic activity that triggered on account of the bountiful patronage extended by the Nayak rulers. The cultural traditions of the famed Vijayanagar empire seems to have …show more content…
It is in reverence to the generous king's endowment of Unnatapuri, that the village was renamed as 'Acyutapuram" or 'Acyutabdi'(1). In due course, the Bhagavatars who were the practitioners and promoters of the art of Nrtya natakas or dance dramas, made the village, the centre of the famous Bhagavatamela natakas. It is this privileged place, which later produced many illustrious composers in the field of music and dance, whose names have been prefixed with the name of the village Melattur and are remembered by the dance world as Melattur Verikatarama Sastri, Melattur Virabhadrayya,
Melattur Kasinathayya and so on.
Raghunatha Nayaka (A.D. 1600 - 1634):- The glory of the Nayak rule reached its zenith during the reign of Raghunatha Nayaka, son of King
Acyutappa Nayaka. Highly proficient in Sanskrit and Telugu languages, the King was a versatile composer, musician and of all a musicologist of high repute. Raga 'Jayantasena'(l) and 'Ramananda tala'<2> were the inventions born out of his creative faculties is inferred from 'Sarigita
Sudha', a treatise on the theory and practice of music, the …show more content…
He had been accredited with the formulation of the 72 melakarta scheme contributing to the systematisation of the South Indian raga system.
Another eminent poet of his court was Cengalvakala Kavi, author of
'Rajagopala Vilasamu'(:), a fine prabandha in Telugu which gives a complete picture of music, dance and literary activities of the royal court of King Vijayaraghava as well as the biographical details of the royal patron. The work describes in five cantos the sportive deeds of Lord Krsna with his Asta Nayikas and vividly glorifies the origin of Manriargudi, which is proudly referred to as 'Daksina Dvaraka' or the Dvaraka of the South.
The work also gives a detailed picture of the cultural scenario of King
Vijayaraghava's period. The author describes the palace 'Vijaya Vilasa' adorned with the literary banner 'Saradadhvaja' which signifies to the rare genius of King Vijayaraghava in the field of music, dance and literature. The work further reveals that the king seated on the throne with the 'Sahityaraya pendera' adorning his ankle (indicative of his unsurpassed skill) witnessed the beautiful dances performed by the court dancers. The existence of different kinds of dances performed by