King Serfoji II as a Patron and Composer

 He was a great writer of many fine works, author of many Kathas and Natakas as well.He was master in the science and art of music and dance.He had himself composed special dance compositions in Marathi for being utilised in the bharatanatyam program.

 Himself an author of many sabda, varna, pada, svarajati, abinaya pada, tillana, gita, prabandha,  kavuttuvam, alaru, jatis and korvais, he patronised the famous exponents of dance (nattuvanars) during his life time namely Gangaimuttu, Sabhapati, Subbayan,  Ponnayya, Vadivelu,Cinnayya and Sundari. During his time, music and dance were also viewed as regular careers. He started a school for imparting oriental learning and this was the 'Nava Vidya Kalanidhi'. The Sangeet Mahal was used for holding the music concerts, dance performances and for artistic purposes. Sangeet Mahal was been alloted with Rs.5208  in the state budget for its maintenance.

 One of his favorite court dancer named Sundari had a privilege to perform on Vijaya Dasami and was honoured with Rs. 20 (those days it was a huge amount). She had also the unique honour of performing on special occasions like Navaratri, Diwali and so on. Lavani was flourished during his reign. He was also the composer and writer of many Lavani songs. His Devendra Kuravanji and Tristalli Tirthayatra Lavani are interesting compositions. His interest in western music, both in its theoretical and practical aspects, is also evident.

Source: TMSSML

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