Music echoes on the streets of Thiruvaiyaru during the aradhana of Saint Thyagaraja, one of the Trinity of Carnatic music, every year. If the tradition continues since 1908, the credit should go to brothers Narasimha Bhagavathar and Panchu Bhagavathar, of Thiruneithanam, known as Thillaisthanam, a small village near Thiruvaiyaru.
There is a copy of The Hindu bearing testimony to the celebration organised by the brothers since 1908. They were students of Rama Iyengar, a direct disciple of Thyagaraja. Narasimha Bhagavathar performed Harikatha, while his younger brother Panchu Bhagavathar preserved the kritis by singing them and teaching them to others. They together started the aradhana first. Differences of opinion between them resulted in separate events.
The supporters of the two groups were for long known as Periya Katchi and Chinna Katchi (big party and small party). The brothers secured a permanent place for Thiruneithanam or Thillaisthanam, situated on the northern banks of the Cauvery, in the world of music. The village and the temple acquire a beautiful look when the river flows to its capacity.
