Araiyar Sevai

Araiyar Sevai(Tamil:அரையர் சேவை,romanized:araiyarcēvai,lit.'service of the cantors') is aTamil Hinduperforming art form, centered on the ritual singing and enactment of the hymns of theDivya Prabandham, the canon of theSri Vaishnavatradition. Araiyar Sevai is generally performed only insideVaishnavitetemplesin the presence of the templeutsavar— the temple's processional deity — by hereditary male performers called Araiyars.Although temple inscriptions suggest its performance was once widespread, it is today only performed in few temples inTamil Nadu: thetemple shrineofSrirangam, shrine ofAzhagiya Manavala Perumal Temple, the shrine ofAlvar Tirunagariand the temple ofAndalatSrivilliputhur. It is also performed in a different form at theMelkotetemple in southernKarnataka, where the hymns of theDivya Prabhandhamis sung, but not enacted.
Performing legends trace the origin of the Araiyar Sevai toNathamuni, a 10th-century Vaishnavite teacher, who according to tradition compiled theDivya Prabandham.  According to the legends, Nathamuni composed musical tunes (icaippa) for the hymns along with dance steps to bring out their meaning. He instituted three annual festivals, calledtiruvattiyayanamfor the performance of the hymns. These include the festivals ofPongal,Panguni Uttiram, and Adi Puram.
The art form is practiced principally by a few families of hereditary performers, called araiyars. An araiyar is attached to a temple as apriestand conducts certain prayers throughout the year, but only performs the araiyar sevai during thetiruvattiyāyaṉamfestivals instituted by Nathamuni. Araiyars are male and must spend several years studying the hymns of theDivya Prabandhamand the traditional commentaries on the hymns, particularly the commentary known asīṭubyVaṭakku Tiruvītippiḷḷai, in addition to studying the art form itself. The araiyars are regarded to represent the lovelornmilkmaidsseeking union with their divine lover,Krishna.
The traditional clothes worn during araiyar sevai performances are thepañcakacam(a style of wearing theveshti) and aconical hatcalledaraiyar kullai, which bears the Vaishnavite symbols of theconch,discus, andtirunamam. During the actual performance, a piece of cloth taken from a garment used by the temple deity is tied to the hat. The araiyar wears a garland and holds cymbals which he plays during the performance.
An araiyar sevai begins with a ritual summons, where the officiating priest using a ritual formula, calls upon the araiyar to come before the templeutsavar— the temple's processional deity. The araiyar replies with a formulaic response and puts on thearaiyar kullaias he approaches. He then sounds a few strokes on the cymbals and begins the performance.
Each verse is performed in three steps. In the first, the araiyar sings the verse. In the second, he dances a few steps which, through a system ofritualised gestures, give expression to the literal meaning of the verse. In the third step, he explains the inner meaning of the verse, as explained inTampirāṉ paṭi, a traditional commentary on theDivya Prabandham. On specific days, the performance of individual verses is followed by a dramatisation of specific scenes from Hindu mythology, such as thechurning of the ocean, the birth ofAndal, or the slaying ofKamsa. The final element of the performance is themutukkuri vaipavam, which depicts a worried mother consulting akattuviccifemale soothsayer about her daughter, who is lovelorn.
Srinivasa Rengachariar (1930 - 2014) was a leading exponent of Araiyar Sevai at the temple ofAndalatSrivilliputhur. Born in Srivilliputhur on Pooram day in the Tamil month ofPurattasiin 1930, Araiyar Srinivasa Rengachariyar, a descendant of Melaiyagath Alvar, was initiated into this special art of presenting the sacred verses by his father Araiyar Vadapatrasayee at the age of seven.Since then, till the time of his death in 2014, he has performed the Araiyar Sevai in various Vaishnavite shrines including that ofAndalatSrivilliputhur, Nambi inThirukkurungudi,Badrinath Temple,Alwarthirunagari Temple, etc. In 2014, he was posthumously conferred the prestigiousSangeet Natak Akademi Awardfor his services to the art form.He is now survived by his son, Araiyar Balamukundachariyar and grandson Srinivasa Rengan, who perform the Araiyar Sevai today.
In recent years, some Vaishnavites have attempted to broaden the range of temples in which Araiyar Sevai is performed and to teach it to non-hereditary performers in order to arrest its decline. Srirama Bharati is a noted proponent of a new enacted and sung form of Araiyar Sevai, which is a revivalist, modern form with no hereditary connection to traditional Araiyar Sevai performed at the Sri Vaishnava shrines.