Karaikudi Mani, who revolutionised role of ‘Mridangam’, no more
- Category
Art and culture
- Published
12th May, 2023
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Context
Eminent mridangam artiste Karaikudi Mani, who had dominated Carnatic music, died of age-related issues in Chennai.
About
- Born on September 11, 1945, in Karaikudi to T Ramanath Iyer and Pattammal, Mani shifted from vocal training to learning mridangam.
- He was considered as one among the all-time greatest mridangam vidwans.
- He had played alongside Carnatic giants like M S Subbulakshmi and D K Pattammal.

About Mridangam

- Mridangam is a percussion instrument made of leather and jackwood.
- A cylindrical body tapered at both the ends.
- This traditional instrument is found in various parts of South India.
- It is a popular bifacial drum of Carnatic music and is used as an accompaniment in South Indian Classical music.
- In modern times, Mridangam is used in Carnatic music performances.
- History
- Sangam Period: Mridangam is known as Tannumai in Tamil culture.
- In ancient Tamil literature, Sangam literature there is the earliest mention of the Mridangam.
- There is a detailed reference of the instrument in the Natyasastra. It was the most used and primary percussion instrument in the Sangam period.
- Silappatikaram (epic): After the Sangam period, it is mentioned in the epic ‘Silappatikaram’.
- Hindu religious scriptures: It is said that it was one of the favorite instruments of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva’s bahana, Nandi.
- Mridangam is very close to another classical percussion instrument Pakhavaj that is mostly used in the Hindustani traditional music in Northern India.
- Mridangam schools: The most famous and prominent Mridangam schools then and now are the Thanjavur School and the Puddukottai School.
- Most notable Mridangam players: Guruvayur Dorai, Anoor Anantha Krishna Sharma, Karaikudi Mani, Bombay C N Balaji, Kovai Venugopal, Mannargudi Easwaran, Prapancham Ravindran, Srimushnam Raja Rao, N. Lakshmi Ganesh, Rohan Krishnamurthy, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman, Vasudevan Govindarajan, K. Murthy, Palghat R. Raghu, Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam, and more.
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