Giriraja Kavi

Giriraja Kavi ( te, గిరిరాజ కవి) was a noted composer of

Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is ...

, who lived in the 18th century in the kingdom of

Thanjavur Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...

. His hometown,

Tiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

, lies in the present-day state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

. Born into a pious but impoverished family belonging to the Mulukanadu sub-caste, Giriraja Kavi rose to occupy a place of eminence in the court of the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

of Thanjavur, which in that era was a fountainhead of cultural talent. The great trinity of Carnatic music,

Tyagaraja Thyagaraja (Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...

Shyama Shastri Shyama Shastri (; 26 April 1762 – 1827) or Syama Sastri was a musician and composer of Carnatic music. He was the oldest among the Trinity of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar being the other two. Early life and career ...

and

Muthuswami Dikshitar Muthuswami Dikshitar (Mudduswamy Dikshitar)(, 24 March 1776 – 21 October 1835), mononymously Dikshitar, was a South Indian poet, singer and veena player, and a legendary composer of Indian classical music, who is considered one of the musical ...

were all born in this area in the latter half of 18th century. Giriraja Kavi was among those who nurtured the cultural environment that produced these greats. Giriraja was born in Kakarla village, Cumbum taluk in present-day Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. Giriraja has produced many of the important cultural figures of

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. Among the greatest of those was

, whose mother was a daughter of Giriraja Kavi. He was named after the presiding deity of the main temple of that town. Giriraja Kavi played a major role in influencing the formative years of his celebrated grandson Tyagaraja. He was instrumental in securing a place at court for his grandson, a position that Tyagaraja soon abjured. It is to Tyagaraja's credit that Giriraja Kavi's musical work, created during an era that was dominated by the trinity of

, has secured him a lasting place of honour among the greats of Carnatic music. Carnatic composers Musicians from Andhra Pradesh Telugu people People from Prakasam district 18th-century Indian composers {{India-singer-stub