Srirangam is a treasure house for various instruments that are used in the different rituals. Around 18 instruments are being used for various rituals and Beri Maddhalam is one of them.
The Beri Maddhalam is an instrument that is seen and used only at the Sri Ranganathar Temple in Srirangam. It belongs to the category of the Avanaddha Vadhyas or Membranophones. It is made from the jackfruit tree, the two sides of the instrument covered with goat’s skin. The circumference of both the heads are the same unlike as the mridangam, where one side is small and the other head is slightly bigger. Straps are attached connecting both the faces.
Beri Maddhalam is played with a one-foot long stick, made from Aralikuchi. The player, in a standing posture, wields the stick with one hand only on one face of the instrument, which is strapped on his shoulder. The body of beri maddhalam is slightly longer than the mridangam and has a shorter circumference than Suddha Maddhalam.
According to Srirangam Sri Ranjit Kumar, Beri maddhalam is used only for 27 days in a year, at the Srirangam temple when Brahmotsavam take place. This is played during 9 days in the Tamil months of Thai, Panguni, Chitirai thus making it to 27 during the Brahmotsavam.
During the festival, before Lord Aranganathar is taken out in procession, Bali Sadam is placed for the devathas in all the directions. Before this takes place, about five measures of paddy is poured in front of Lord Namperulal. On top of this, the Beri Maddhalam is kept and prayers are offered. Food offering is pongal prepared without salt. Then camphor light is offered.
After this ritual, the player wears a sacred thread (kaappu) in the hands and the poonal. He is also adorned with a new towel and a turban. The priests first play the instrument after puja and ritual. Then the performer takes over.
a wind instrument that was played during the opening of the ‘Paramapada Vaasal.’ We found out that it was the Velli ekkalam, unique to a few temples. It is an aerophone musical instrument played during temple festivals and processions. It is also played during the ten-day Manavala Mamunigal festival celebrated during Purattasi at Sri Soundararaja Perumal temple, Nagapattinam. It is usually played along with a drum or with another ekkalam.
Ekkalam is a trumpet made of brass or copper. It consists of four valves that are fastened to each other, with a bell at one end. The sound emanating from it is produced by the vibration caused when the performer blows it. The pitch is changed by altering the lip tension and the power of air blown into it.
At Srirangam temple there are two varieties of this instrument — one in silver (velli ekkalam), played along with Tiruchinnam during the Vaikunta Ekadasi festival, and the other in brass (Sembu ekkalam). Besides the Vaikunta Ekadasi utsavam, the five-ft long Velli ekkalam, is played during the Pagal Pathu and Kaisika Ekadasi utsavams, the Navaratri utsavam for Thayar and during Lord Ranganatha’s procession.
THANJAVUR, INDIA, December 10, 2004: More than 100 musical instruments of the stringed, wind and percussion varieties have been mentioned in the Thevaram, Divya Prabandham, Tiruppugazh, Karaikkal Ammaiyar's verses, the Kanda Puranam and other Tamil works. They are discussed in the recently released book, Alaya Vazhipattil Isaikkaruvikal by Raama Kausalya available from Minambikai Padippakam, Jatavallabhar Illam, 6/78, Tillaisthanam, Thanjavur-613203. Rs. 125 (it is not clear from this report if the book is in Tamil or English). Most of them are still being played only in temples during daily worship, festivals and processions. The percussion-cum-music instrument Gottu Vadyam is played in the Ambal temple in Avudaiyarkoil during evening worship and no other instrument is allowed to be played inside this shrine. The Veena is said to be played in the morning and late night service at the Srirangam Ranganatha temple by the descendent of a particular family which has been rendering this service for 45 generations. It may be news to many that the North Indian stringed instrument Sarangi was being played as accompaniment to Thevaram singing in temples only in the Madurai and Tirunelveli districts. No temple worship can be imagined without the ubiquitous instrument Nagaswaram, which is played according to a specific pattern from morning till night. No less than 18 instruments are played at the Tyagaraja temple in Tiruvarur. Numerous instruments, including a clarinet, were being played at the Sarvavadyam ritual at Cheyyur near Chengalpattu. Many have, however, become obsolete with the passage of time for want of funds and players.
Srirangam Navarathri Utsavam,Aandal(Temple elephant)playing the music instrument 'mouthorgan
https://youtu.be/4S9FMW3XoHw
to be continued.
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