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The
primacy of the maddalam in a Kathakali performance can be gauged from it
being the first to be sounded before the performance. 'Maddala keli' is
a term used for the ritual of 'announcement' made to the public that a
Kathakali performance will take place later on. The first stroke is on
the maddalam, the left side of which produces the Omkara dhwani. Later,
when the musicians enter the stage, before the play begins, the maddalam
is again the first to be played in the segment known as the 'Arangathu
keli.'
('For rituals and art' by Anjana Rajan, The Hindu, Jan 18, 2008) |
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Out
of the sixteen upacharas offered to God in temples, the fourteenth was
music and instrumental music and the fifteenth was Nrittam. More than eighteen
kinds of Nritta were being performed in the Vishnu temples and dances like
Ajappanatanam and Kukutanatanam were performed in the Shiva temples.
('Bharatanatyam in History' by T S Parthasarathy) |
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Muttuthandavar, the composer of the popular compositions Theruvil Vaaraano, Sevikka Vendum Ayya and Ambara Chidambaram, was popularly referred to as one of the Tamil Moovar (Tamil Trinity). He has composed 25 padams and 60 songs, dedicated primarily to Lord Shiva with special reference to the deity at Chidambaram. |
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