Question

"Chaturdasa Ragamalika" is composed by

• A. Purandara Dasa
• B. Annamacharya
• C. Tyagaraja
• D. Muthuswamy Dikshitar

Hint:

Muthuswamy Dikshitar cleverly embedded the names of the ragas themselves into the lyrical text (Raga Mudra) as he transitioned through all 14 individual sections!

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Concept
A ‘Ragamalika' literally translates to a "garland of ragas." It is a grand musical format where different sections (charanams) of a single composition are set to different ragas. ‘Chaturdasa' means fourteen, indicating a composition featuring fourteen distinct ragas.


Step 2: Analyzing the Composers
- Purandara Dasa and Annamacharya primarily composed early devotional forms like Sri Krishna Kritis and Sankirtanas.
- Tyagaraja composed extensive single-raga Kritis and a few operational operas, but structural, multi-raga garland pieces were not his signature style.
- Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the fundamental Trinity of Carnatic Music, was a master of complex architectural patterns. He composed the famous Chaturdasa Ragamalika titled "Sri Visvanatham Bhajeham" in praise of Lord Visvanatha of Thanjavur. It transitions seamlessly through 14 ragas: Sri, Arabhi, Gauri, Natta, Gaula, Mohanam, Bilahari, Kedaram, Narayanagaula, Saranga, Varali, Bouli, Ramakriya, and Phalamanjari.


Step 3: Conclusion
The unique Chaturdasa Ragamalika was authored by Muthuswamy Dikshitar, matching option (D).
Final Answer: (D)