Kavi Kunjara Bharati

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Kavi Kunjara Bharati (1810-1896) was a Tamil poet and a composer of Carnatic music. he was born in a family with long involvement in musio and scholarship. Kunjara Bharathi was fluent in Sanskrit and Tamil. His contribution include Skanda purana keertanas on Muruga, Azhagar Kuravanji on the Azhagar and the philosophical Perinba Keertanas. His compositions were popularised by his nephew Atmanatha Bhagavatar and grandson Kunjaram Iyer. Kavi Kunjara Bharati also taught his other grandson Koteeswara Iyer who later became a famous composer.

At 12 Kavi Kunjara Bharati composed padams and kritis influenced by his relative Madurakavi Bhaaratiyaar, the well known composer of Tamil padams. He was a contemporary of the Carnatic music Trinity, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. Kavi Kunjara Bharati composed in Tamil and his compositions were devotional in nature. some of his popular compositions are, Elloriayum polave (Suddhasaveri), Ennadi penne unakku (Begada) and Sannidhi kandu (Mohanam)