Swathi Thirunal was a poet, musician, composer, patron of arts, modernist, administrator, nationalist and a great human being. He was a contemporary of the trinity from Kerala, who through his own music and royal patronage, established Carnatic music in Kerala. His fame was established in 19th century itself. Chinnaswami Muthaliar who published notation of a few Swathi songs in 1893 mentions how Swathi could produce songs “at once” with Swarakshara. He introduced the ragas Behag and Mohana Kalyani (notated compositions published in 1919). Swathi’s detailed biography appeared in English in 1878 in “Travancore History” by Sangunni Menon and soon after in “Vaggeyakara Charithamu” section of Sangeetha Sampradaya Pradarshini in 1905. I would place Swathi Thirunal along with Thyagaraja, Deekshithar Shyama Sasthri, Puandara Dasa, and Annamacharya as the most important icons of south Indian music.

Researcher on Swathi Thirunal and former Director of C-DIT