We were driving on the ECR and took a little detour to visit Sri Nityakalyana Perumal temple at Thiruvidandhai. It is one of the 108 Divyadesams where the Lord is worshipped as Nityakalyana Perumal and the Goddess as Komalavalli Thayar. As it is an ancient temple, we were curious to know about the musical instruments that were played during the temple festivals here.
Priest Rama Bhattachar informed us that the Kal Nagaswaram was played during Brahmotsavam when the ‘Oyara nadai’ is performed during the procession of the Lord.
The instrument roughly weighs around three-and-a-half kilos to four kilos and is around two ft long. The body of the instrument is made of granite, while the anasu is joined by vengalam or brass and the seevali holder is made of brass. The kal nagaswaram has six holes unlike the wooden ones which has seven. Hence pratimadhyama ragas such as Kalyani, Shanmukhapriya, Dharmavati, and Hemavati, and Madhyama-varja ragas such as Mohanam and Hamsadhwani can be rendered with ease, while suddha-madhyama Mela ragas such as Sankarabharanam, Kharaharapriya and Thodi can be difficult.
“As the instrument is heavy, one has to hold it carefully. Controlled blowing technique with the required force is to be practised along with right fingering to perform this instrument,” says Swaminathan, who plays this nagaswaram at Sri Adi Kumbeswarar temple, in Kumbakonam.
The instrument is performed at ‘E scale’ sruthi (three kattai).The Kal Nagaswaram was earlier performed during the Masi Makham utsavam and Maha Maham. But it stopped in the last 15–20 years. Swaminathan revived the practice in 2017 and played the instrument during Saraswathi puja at the Adi Kumbheswarar temple.
“Nagaswaram vidwans Kunchithapatham Pillai and Pakkirisami Pillai used to play this instrument in those days at the temple,” said Swaminathan.
It has become just a showpiece at the Adinadhar Alwar temple in Azhwar Tirunagari, Thoothukudi district, as the instrument is no longer played. Parthasarathy, the internal supervisor said that the Kal Nagaswaram at the temple was donated by Krishnappa Nayakar, who ruled 350 years ago.
The Kal Nayanam (Kal Nagaswaram) here is around 1 ft long and was performed only during the Margazhi Pagal Pathu as an accompaniment to the Nammazhwar procession from the pagal pathu mandapam to his shrine.
One of the stone carvings at the Raktha Kandaswamy Temple in
Omallur Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, depicts the Kal Nagaswaram. There are many references about the instrument being used at the Chidambaram temple and Padmanabhaswamy temple. Hope this musical legacy is carried forward by some of the present nagaswaram artistes.