The Music of South India

Carnatic music is a form of classical music with roots in Southern India and one of the oldest musical traditions in the world. It began thousands of years ago with the chants of the Vedas and grew through devotional songs sung in temples.

During the Bhakti movement, poet-saints wrote songs full of love for God, which became the heart of this tradition. Later, great composers like Thyāgarāja, Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar, and Shyāma Śāstri created masterpieces that are still sung and performed today.

Carnatic music is built on rāga (melody) and tāla (rhythm). It is passed down from teacher to student and remains a living tradition, both an art form and a way to connect with the divine.

Carnatic music and Bharatha Natyam are deeply linked. Bharatha Natyam, the classical dance of South India, was traditionally performed in temples as an offering to the divine. The dancers expressed stories, emotions, and devotion through movement, while Carnatic music provided the melody (rāga) and rhythm (tāla) that guided every step.

The compositions of great Carnatic composers, like Thyāgarāja and others, are often danced as kritis, varnams, padams, and tillanas in Bharatha Natyam. In this way, music and dance are not separate arts, but two parts of the same tradition; working together to bring devotion, storytelling, and beauty to life.