Bidaram Sri Krishnappa
Sri Krishnappa was born in 1866 to the couple Sri Vishwanathiah and Smt. Saraswathi Bai in the village of Nandalike in southern Karnataka. His father, who was a drama artist, worked for the troupe that specialised in mythological musicals. His father was known for his performance in the role of Sita. This drama troupe normally performs in pilgrimage centres of southern Karnataka. On one occasion, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, then Maharaja of Mysore, was impressed with the troupe’s performance and had invited the drama troupe to come to Mysore.
At Mysore, the drama troupe was lodged in a palace guest house known as Bidrara in Kannada. The drama troupe members who stayed at the guest house became known as "Bidaradavaru." Since Krishnappa was also from Bidrara, he came to be known as Bidaram Krishnappa.
Devotee of Sri Anjaneya
As his father Vishwanathiah was ageing, the family had to sustain with whatever little they got. Therefore, his mother Saraswathi Bai prompted him to go about in the city singing the Dasara Padagalu and collect alms.
Krishnappa nourished an ambitious goal of building a temple for Sri Rama where the illustrious musicians from all over the country can come and perform.
Sri Krishnappa was a great devotee of Anjaneya [Hanuman] and would sit in front of the famous Anjaneya Temple at the northern gate of the Mysore Palace [Kote Sri Anjaneya Swami Temple], singing the Dasara Padagalu. The devotees visiting the Anjaneya temple would drop some coins. Many devotees were attracted by the divinity in the voice of Krishnappa. Of them, two people came forward to nourish the rich and cultured voice of Krishnappa: Dr. Najunda Rao and Sri Thimmayya. Sri Thimmayya introduced Sri Krishnappa to Karur Ramaswamy for receiving professional training in Carnatic music. Later, Bidarm Krishnappa received training from Shri Giribhatta Thimmayya, Karigiri Rao, and Vidwan Veena Sheshanna of Mysore Palace. These formal trainings in Carnatic music and his devotion to music had made him an excellent musician.
Gana Visharada Sri Krishnappa
Thenafter the drama troupe was taken over by the palace administration. At the first performance at the palace after the accreditation, the troupe gave Krishnappa the role of the sutradhara, or narrator. The ruler Chamarajendra Wodeyar X was captivated by the reverberating voice of Krishnappa, and many honors were heaped on him. Patronage under the succeeding ruler Krishnarajendra Wodeyar IV continued. Krishnappa was conferred the title 'Gana Visharada' in 1903 by the Maharaja. He was showered with gold in 1908.
Sri Rama Mandira, the passion of Krishnappa
Sri Krishnappa, the great devotee of Lord Anjaneya and Sri Rama, had been nourishing an important goal of his life. He wanted to build a temple for Sri Rama where the illustrious musicians from all over the country can come and perform. He opined that Sri Rama Mandir should be the nodal place where the main activity should be towards the advancement of Carnatic music. As a disciplined person who had attached a lot of value to the tradition, his view about Carnatic music is that it is not just "art for art sake," but indeed, it is "art for God's sake." It is no wonder that “building of Sri Rama Mandira” was his life’s ambition. He donated all his earnings towards this cause of building a Rama mandira. He was a strict teacher who gave freely of his repertoire to many learners. Sri T. Chowdiah was one of his disciples and later became a great violinist.
Tribute to Tyagaraja
His disciple Nagarathnamma introduced him to Madras; thus, his fame continued to flow throughout the South. He was an active member of the experts' committee of the Music Academy, founded in 1928. He had influenced Nagarathanamma to construct the temple over Tyagaraja's Samadhi in Tiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu.
Sri Sitarama Mandiram
The ambitious project of building Sitarama Mandiram, completed by this great devotee, is now standing at Narayana Shastry Road, Mysore. It has a main hall where the musical performances are given. There are four rooms in the four corners. On the western side there is a beautiful oil painting of Sri Rama Pattabhishekam, which serves as the main deity. One can see the paintings and photos of many of the Carnatic music giants who had contributed their might to the music.
It is no wonder that the Sitarama Mandiram remains a monument to his passion and perseverance.
|| Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram ||
|| Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram ||
Ed [April 2011]