Merch
News
Panchangam
Apps
Downloads
For Teachers
Resources
About
PEOPLE
IDEAS
PLACES
CULTURE
CREATE
STORIES
GAMES
Papanasam Sivan
பாபநாசம் சிவன்
The Tamil Tyagaraja — the composer of the devotional song
Years
1890 – 1973
Known as
Papanasam Sivan — the composer and singer
Birthplace
Papanasam, Tamil Nadu
Field
Artists & Performers
“The song is the prayer of the South — let it be sung in the language of the people.”
— Papanasam Sivan
The Story
Born in 1890 in Papanasam, Sivan was trained in music and Sanskrit and became a master of the Carnatic tradition. His devotion was the soul of his art: he was a worshipper of the Lord and a singer whose songs were prayers, and his fame as a composer grew across the Tamil land.
He composed more than a thousand kritis, mostly in Tamil, in which he carried the depth of the Carnatic tradition into the language of the people. His songs — including the beloved compositions of the classical ragas — are sung in every concert of the South, and he is honoured as the Tamil Tyagaraja.
He also acted in the early Tamil cinema, singing his own compositions on the screen, and died in 1973, honoured as one of the greatest composers of the tradition. His songs remain the treasure of the South, and his name is remembered with devotion.
Core Ideas
The Tamil Tyagaraja
The title of the great Tamil composer.
The Thousand Kritis
His compositions are sung in every concert.
The Devotion
His songs were prayers born of worship.
The Tamil Voice
He carried the music into the people's language.
The Cinema
He brought his art to the early Tamil film.
Why it matters today
Papanasam Sivan is honoured as one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music — the Tamil Tyagaraja whose devotional kritis are sung in every concert of the South. His songs remain the treasure of the tradition, and his name is remembered with devotion across the Tamil land.