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TRINITY AND CONTEMPORARIES
         
SWATI TIRUNAL : (1813 - 1847)
       

Musical Background:
Swati Tirunal was groomed to be a king and he was trained in various areas in which a king was expected to be proficient. He was fluent in 13 languages and was able to write poems and songs. He was also well-versed in other arts like painting and sculpture and was himself a great patron of these arts.

Region: He was born in Travancore, Kerala.

Contribution: He is believed to have composed around 500 songs. Besides Varnams, Kritis, Swarajatis, Padams and Javalis, he authored two musical plays. Besides these, he also composed Dhrupads, Khyal, Tappas, Thumris and Bhajans in the Hindustani style. Like Dikshitar, he composed a set of Navaratri kritis, one for each day of the Navaratri festival, in praise of Goddess Devi.

       

Theme: Mainly devotional and occasionally romantic. Most of his compositions are on Lord Padmanabha but as mentioned earlier, he has also composed on Goddess Devi (Parvati).

Languages used: His compositions were mainly in Sanskrit, but he has also composed in Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi.

Signature: He used the mudra Padmanabha and its variations, Jalajanabha, Pankajanabha and Sarasijanabha.

Popular compositions: Bhavayami (Ragamalika), Bogindra sayinam (Kuntalavarali), Deva deva (Mayamalavagowla), Kripaya palaya (Charukesi) and so on.

          

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