Though the work of the Tamilisai Moovar (Tamil Trinity) — Muthuthandavar, Marimutha Pillai, and Arunachala Kavirayar — who composed traditional kritis in Tamil and made invaluable contributions to the evolution of Carnatic music, is well known, no one knew what the three musicians actually looked like, as there was no photographic evidence to rely on.
The trio had to be depicted wearing a white dhoti worn up to the knee, appearing calm, and holding a palm leaf manuscript. They could wear a rudraksha or a simple garland of beads around their neck. This was the brief given to R. Rajarajan, retired professor of fine arts at Bharathiyar Palkalai Koodam, Puducherry, by P. Purushothaman, president of the Tamil History and Heritage Society in Singapore, who commissioned the trio’s portrait.
After extensive research and careful reading of books on the Tamil Trinity, Mr. Rajarajan began working on the portrait on acrylic canvas (5 feet x 3.5 feet) in March. He had to get the contours of the trio’s body and faces right, as Muthuthandavar’s life roughly dated back to the 15th century, while Arunachala Kavirayar (1711-1779) and Marimutha Pillai (1712-1787) came two centuries later.
It was difficult, says the 68-year-old artist, as he had to recreate the real and imagined features of the three musicians who had nurtured the continuity of classical Tamil music.
According to Mr. Rajarajan: “There was no photographic evidence to fall back on since there was no such facility then. Similarly, there were no portraits of the trio that was designed or created during their lifetime. After extensive research on the historical records of the trio at Tamil University in Thanjavur, I had to imagine their character, and their contribution to classical Tamil music.”
Extensive research
Mr. Rajarajan worked on at least 30 sketches to start the painting. It took him nearly two months to complete the portrait, which has now been unveiled and displayed at the Tamil History and Heritage Society in Singapore.
“Apart from looking at existing templates from descriptions in literature to extensive research of their biographies, their birth periods, family environments, learning facilities, and information about their religion and costume helped in recreating their portrait,” Mr. Rajarajan says.
Mr. Rajarajan added: “The oldest of the trio is Muthuthandavar, while Marimutha Pillai and Arunachala Kavirayar are contemporaries. All of them lived and achieved success in Sirkazhi. It was for this reason that the portrait was created with the Sri Sattainathar Swamy Temple in Sirkazhi featured in the background. The challenge was to bring out the multiple identities, since the contours, body, and the facial features were different. The portrait was created without changing the tradition and maintaining a realistic look.”
According to R. Komagan, chairman of Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council, “Recreating the portrait of the Tamil Trinity is really tough since they belonged to different periods. The existing and available portrait of the trio only shows them with the same characteristics.”
He added, “The artist has used centripetal colour representation and his rigour and effort is evident in the portrait, especially in the detailing — be it the Sri Sattainathar Swamy Temple in the background or their clothing accessories. The portrait is a product of his extensive research and is a fitting tribute to them.“
Published – June 10, 2025 05:49 pm IST
