HOW CARNATIC MUSIC SUFFERED during Mallic Kafur’s invasion of South India upto Rameswaram. Shri Vidyaranya who has done so much for reviving Carnatic music does not find a mention today anywhere in the history of music. Please read and share. Sri Vidyaranya coming five centuries after Shankara Bhagavatpada was the 12th Jagadguru of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham from 1380 to 1386 A.D. He brought fame and glory to the Mutt by his dynamic leadership and unique contributions to spiritual and Vedantic thought. Contribution of Vidyaranyato Carnatic Music is found in Thanjavur Saraswathi Mahal publication of Sangita Darpana by Chaturadamodara. Unfortunately, I am worried such records are either internationally misplaced or destroyed. Many scriptures written by Govinda Dikshitar, who invented the epoch making Thanjavur Venai and fathered the great Venkatamakhin are not now available in this library. I am afraid anti Sanskrit lobby may be responsible for this destruction. Another painful degradation of the mind set of persons responsible to safeguard the national treasures is despicable. This Sangitha Darpanam, an invaluable publication has not found many buyers though it was printed and published as early as in 1952 at a low price of Rs.30/= per copy. This valuable publication should have been sold like a hot cake, had enough publicity was given. I am afraid those responsible are inimical and hostile to Sanskrit language and the great cultural heritage of India as they are harbouring the wrong notion that Sanskrit and cultural heritage of India is of Aryan origin. Even some of the young successful musicians call Sanskrit VADAMOZHI. They claim Tamizh music IS the original heritage but they have done nothing to revive it, because there is no evidence or are there any scholars to explain the nonexistent heritage. Many invaluable publications such as Sangitha Sudha by Govinda Dikshitar, referred to in this Darpana have disappeared from the library! It is perhaps the secret agenda of anti Sanskrit group! Now let us see Vidyaranya’s contribution to Carnatic Musice. Shri K. Vasudevachariar, publisher at the Saraswathi Mahal Library of Sangitha Darpanam dated 15.8.1952 after a thorough research has given these details in his preface. “…pagexxiv …The barbaric marauding tribes from central Asia who invaded the North after the 10th and the South after the 13th century were not content with destroying temples and looting treasures. They did not leave our invaluable hoary cultural artifacts and scriptures. They mercilessly dragged away our artistes and scholars too to their capital. Fearing forceful religious harassment and conversion, in their scramble to hide and protect the scriptures our artistes and scholars either burnt or buried them…” In Deivathin Kural Mahaswami tells us how Vidyaranya managed to undo the damage done by the invading Delhi Sultanate right upto Rameswaram at page 763 Vol.1. I give hereunder a brief sketch of the atrocities done by the Musilm invaders. Biography of Malik Kafur Biography of Malik Kafur Pragati Sen Malik Kafur was originally a Hindu eunuch of Gujarat. He was very handsome and intelligent. In 1297, he was purchased for 1,000 Dinars by Nusrat Khan. That is the reason why Malik Kafur is sometimes called Hazar-Dinari. Ala-ud-Din was very much impressed by the personality of Malik Kafur and within less than ten years he was given the rank of Naib Kafur also took up the title of Malik Taj-ul-Malik Kafuri.Malik Kafur was responsible for the conquest of the South. Ala-ud-Din put Malik Kafur in charge of the Deccen campaigns and the latter brought him victories, wealth and reputation. In 1306-07, Kaftir brought about the subimission of Devagiri. In 1309, he led an expedition against Telingana. Warrangal was besieged and its rulers were forced to surrender. Kafur took back to Delhi a lot of booty. In 1310, he was sent to conquer Dwarsamudra. Dwarsamudra was captured and Malik Kafur got lot booty. From Dwarsamudra, Kafur proceeded against the Pandy kingdom of Madura. Madura was looted and occupied and a mosque was built there.Malik Kafur went to Rameshwarm and built a mosque there. He got so much booty that it would have made Mahmud turn in his grave with wistful eyes. Even the spoils of Devagiri could not compare with those of Madura. Malik Kafurs success in the Deccan made his so powerful that Ala-ud-Din became merely a puppet in his hands. This Evil genius of the Sultan told Ala-ud-Din that his wife and sons were conspiring against him and consequently Malik-i-Jahan and Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan were imprisoned. While the princes were put in the Gwalior fort, Malik-i-Jahan was put in the old Delhi fort. Alp Khan was executed. The view of Elphistone is that Malik Kafur went to the extent of even poisoning Ala-ud-Din and thereby brought about his death. After the death of Ala-ud-Din, Kafur placed Shihab-ud-Din Umar on the throne and himself became the regent. As a regent, he was responsible for the execution of all those princes of the royal blood who had- any claim to the throne. He ordered that the eyes of Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan be cut out from the sockets with a razor like of melon. All the supporters of Khizr Khan and Shadi Khan were dismissed. Although an attempt was made to kill Prince Mubarak, the latter succeeded in escaping through his own cleverness. Thirty-six days after the death of Ala-ud-Din, Malik Kafur and his associates were killed. It goes without saying that Malik was a great military genius. He accomplished what no Muslim before him had been able to do. He was the person who paved the way for the further permanent conquest of the Deccan by the Muslims. The misfortune was that he became over ambitious and began to dream of becoming king himself and forgot the interests of the dynasty which was responsible for his rise. While trying to dispose of his rivals, he himself was killed. The foolish mistake done by a Khsatriya King by ditching Dhanurveda, did inexplicable damage to the nation. It made it easy for the barbaric tribe to subjugate the great nation into a slavery and all the great treasures and temples were irretrievably lost. After establishing the Vijayanagar empire, Vidyaranya appointed Harihara Bukkas’ cousin Kempanna as the Army chief, who liberated all the areas from the Muslim marauders. After the 14th century Vidyaranya and his successors succeeded in retrieving some of the lost traditions, manuscripts and scriptures. Nevertheless, it was a great loss as the period during which the destruction was carried out left a big yawning gap that the efforts to revive art and tradition suffered a lot.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:25:14 +0000