Sopana Sangeetham

Sopana Sangeetham (Malayalam: സോപാന സംഗീതം) is a form of Indian classical music that developed in the temples of Kerala in south India as a classical style based on the singing of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda or Ashtapadis.

Ambalapuzha Vijayakumar singing Sopana Sangeetham in 2011

Etymology

The name derives from two Malayalam or Sanskrit words: Sopanam and Sangeetham. Sopanam refers to the sacred steps leading to the inner shrine (sanctum sanctorum) of a temple, and Sangeetham refers to music.

Performance

Sopana sangeetham, as the name suggests, is sung beside the holy steps (sopanam) leading to the sanctum sanctorum of a shrine. The temple musician typically stands by the steps, singing devotional songs in plain notes while the priest performs the rituals. The principal accompaniment is the small, hourglass-shaped drum called the 'edakka' (or idakka), often played by the singer himself, along with the chengila, a handheld metallic gong used to sound the beats. Because the singer beats the edakka himself while singing, the practice is also known as Kottipadi Seva (kotti – to beat, padi – to sing, seva – offering). Sopanam is traditionally sung by men of the Maarar and Pothuval castes of the Ambalavasi (semi-Brahmin) community, who performed it as a hereditary profession.

Notable exponents

Past exponents include the late Njeralattu Rama Poduval of the Thirumandhamkunnu bani (school), Janardhanan Nedungadi of Guruvayoor, Jyothidas Guruvayoordasan, Damodara Marar of Pazhoor (a practitioner of the temple art Mudiyettu), and the master percussionist Sadanam Divakara Marar.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Sopanam Sangeetam". Smithsonian Folkways. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  2. ↑ "Chat Corner – Singing for the gods". The Hindu. 7 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "Kathakali Music". Kerala Tourism. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  4. ↑ "Sopana Sangeetham and Idaykka | chintha". Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Divakara Marar". The Hindu. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2014.