On Kshetra Sangeetham

History, religion and culture
Post Reply
satyabalu
Posts: 915
Joined: 28 Mar 2010, 11:07

On Kshetra Sangeetham

Post by satyabalu »

KSHETRA SANGEETAM
VIJISUBRA......CARNATIC MUSIC AND MORE OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS!
Science and music are quite similar in many ways. Science pursues understanding the unknown –unravelling the universe and its various dimensions. Technology looks at putting it to use in a lucrative manner. Science is now under pressure to only look for things that technology can make worthwhile. Understanding the universe may not be so important after all……

Mystics have tried to understand the Universe through their spiritual paths. Another system that opens up wider dimensions is Music. What splendor in the seven notes that it appeals universally to the pandit and the layman! It’s incredible how a rendition can melt you to tears or reduce you to putty in just a few moments. It’s the power and appeal of melody, rhythm and in the Indian context, the words too.

One of the fine things about being an artist is the liberty to contemplate and work on anything that appeals to your sense of aesthetics. Of course, it is very much like science in that, it can be satisfying from a creativity point of view and not much else, if you know what I mean!

I started off on an exciting journey some years back – Kshetra Sangeetam. With a fairly good repertoire, I found that I could conceive of and present a concert on a ‘Kshetra’

Sangeetam, everybody knows but what is a Kshetra?

A Kshetra is an important place of worship. It could be a whole town with many temples — like Kanchipuram, or it could be a place with one significant temple –like Tirupati. I started putting together a list of Kshetras. Off the top of my head I rattled of—Kanchi, Madurai, Chidambaram, Tirupati, Kasi, Thanjavur, Guruvayur and Srirangam.

I got thinking about what actually goes into making a place a Kshetra. While every temple evokes bhakti or devotion in various degrees in the devout, what is different about a Kshetra? Why do people plan trips or pilgrimages to Kshetra? Why are we not content with the Pillayar Kovil at the end of our street? This brought up a number of interesting possibilities. If you believe, it is in Chidambaram that Nataraja did his cosmic dance. It is in Srirangam that Ranganatha is reclining. It is in Kanchipuram that Kamakshi actually did Tapas and eventually married Ekambresa and so on….. These temples have stood the test of time not only physically but have virtually become a part of the DNA of our culture. These Kshetras, are storehouses of spiritual energy.

Often the Kshetras are rich in history with kings having built these temples and patronized them. The architecture and the style of these temples are major aspects of pride for the rulers and they create structures that live to tell their tales. A significant example would be the Thanjavur Brihadeeshwara temple built by King Raja Raja Chola. These Kshetras gain importance over time and have more popularity and visibility with thousands of devotees thronging the place, in addition to curious tourists.

It is the spiritual vibrations in these places that prompted great saints to build the expansive temples of yore there and that have made these temples what they are.

In addition to these tangible features, what really makes a temple great and stand the test of time is the intangible factor of devotion. Devotees flocking to them over hundreds of years have added their collective spirituality to the town, generating a very intense and deep spiritual experience. Great saints have lived in these kshetras and sung in ecstasy of their ‘Ishtadevathas’ or personal Gods. These hymns have come down to us through the oral tradition that India and Indian Music is famous for. The Kshetras have also attracted numerous music composers to visit these places and sing of the glory of the Kshetra or a specific God therein.

The temples, deities and the spiritual energy of these sacred spaces have inspired not only devotion but also creativity in great music composers, who bridged art and spirituality. Kshetras have been celebrated in poetry, music and devotional hymns.
Kshetra Sangeetam-Thanjavur.

Post Reply