தமிழிசை – வளர்ச்சியும், இலக்கியமும், கர்நாடக இசையின் தொடர்ச்சியும்: Thamizh Isai – Evolution, Literary Foundations, and Continuities within the Carnatic Tradition

இராகவன் பிருந்தா

doi:10.63300/kijts06022026.04

Authors

Ragavan Brindha Instructor, Department of Music, Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63300/kijts06022026.04

Keywords:

Thamizh Isai, Sangam literature, Cilappatikāram, Tolkāppiyam, paṇ, Carnatic music, Tamil Isai movement

Abstract

Thamizh Isai holds a truly special place in the cultural side and musical history of South India. It is much more than just a regional style of music. It is an ancient way of understanding and experiencing beauty, sound, and emotion. From the earliest Tamil poets to today’s Carnatic concerts, its influence can be traced through literature, music theory, and performance.

Long before the term “Carnatic” came into common use, ancient Tamil texts already had a deep grasp of paṇ, tāḷam, poetic form, and how music should be performed. Concepts like paṇ, yāḻ, varipāṭal, and paṇṇamaippu show just how experienced that early understanding was.

This study follows the journey of Thamizh Isai through time from the Sangam and post-Sangam eras, through the devotional verses of the Bhakti period and the grand epics, all the way into the Carnatic tradition we know today. Along the way, it also looks at the social and political forces that shaped it, the royal support of the Cholas, Pallavas, Nayaks, and Marathas, and the modern Tamil Isai movement, which fought to bring Tamil language and Tamil musical sensibilities back into the concert spotlight.

Ultimately, this paper discusses that Thamizh Isai is not a small footnote to Carnatic music. Instead, it is one of Carnatic music’s deep historical roots and a living, foundational tradition in its own right.

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Author Biography

Ragavan Brindha, Instructor, Department of Music, Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka.

இராகவன் பிருந்தா, போதனாசிரியர், இசைத்துறை, சுவாமி விபுலானந்த அழகியற் கற்கைகள் நிறுவகம், கிழக்குப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், இலங்கை.

மின்னஞ்சல்: brindhar@esn.ac.lk, கைப்பேசி எண்: +94761101887

Ragavan Brindha^*, ^*Instructor, Department of Music, Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies, Eastern University, Sri Lanka.

*Corresponding Author Email: brindhar@esn.ac.lk, Mobile No: +94761101887

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63300/kijts06022026.05

References

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[2.] Mahalingam, N. "Tamizh Isai" (தமிழிசை). 9th Annual Souvenir (9ம் ஆண்டு மலர்), Pollachi Tamizh Sangam (பொள்ளாச்சி தமிழ்ச் சங்கம்), 1979.

[3.] Perumal, A. N. Tamizhar Isai (தமிழர் இசை). Institute of Asian Studies (உலகத் தமிழாய்வு நிறுவனம்), 1984.

[4.] Swaminatha Iyer, U. V., editor. Cilappatikaram (சிலப்பதிகாரம்). University of Madras (சென்னைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்), 1989. Originally published in the 1930s.

[5.] Terada, Yoshitaka. "Tamil Isai as a Challenge to Brahmanical Music Culture in South India." Music and Society in South Asia: Perspectives from Japan, edited by Yoshitaka Terada, National Museum of Ethnology, 2008, pp. 203–226.