Let’s call out the immortal daughter of the Himalayas who is known to imbibe the spiritual strength and divine bliss to her devotees. Yes, I’m talking about Parvati, the one who performed deep penance to marry Lord Shiva and eventually melted HIS heart. The meaning of the kriti, Himagiri Thanaye Hemalathe, is The daughter of snowy mountains (Mt. Kailash – the abode of Lord Shiva). Let’s look in depth at the true significance of this beautiful Keerthana composed in Shuddha Dhanyasi, set in Adi Thalam ( 4/4 time signature in Western Notation ) along with the song’s translation.
Himagiri Thanaye Composer: H N Muthaiyah Bhagwathar
H N Bhagawatar or Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar is a renowned twentieth-century composer and philosopher born in Harikesanallur, Tamil Nadu. Though his journey began in the Vedic studies, he moved into music that he loved the most. Luckily, he found a gifted musician as his guru, Padinaindumandapa Sambasiva Iyer at Tiruvarur who saw a spark in him and taught him the nuances of this art for more than 20 years.
Over the years, he started playing to Zamins and Nawabs across India with more than 400 songs in the form of kritis, and elaborate varnams, to his credit in four South Indian languages – Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Sanskrit. Vijaysaraswathi, Karnaranjani, Budhamanohari and Niroshta are some of the ragas Carnatic musicians sing honoring this musical prodigy apart from invoking interest in Shanmukhapriya and Mohanakalyani to his listeners from then to now. He is also the first guru to the late musician, MS Subbulakshmi, who has put Carnatic Music in the global map as a genre revered by many.
Himagiri Thanaye Raga: Shuddha Dhanyasi
The song Himagiri Thanaye is aptly composed in Shuddha Dhanyasi a.k.a., Udayaravichandrika. It is an audava raga (pentatonic scale) consisting of 5 notes and a scale that stems from the 22nd Melakartha raga, Kharagarapriya.
Here are the swaras of this melodious scale that invokes deep devotion and romance:
Arohanam – s g2 m1 p n3 S
Avarohanam – S n3 p m1 g2 s
The swaras used here would be shadjam, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam, kaisiki nishadham that continues to the next scale of shadjam. Note that the lowest Sa in this scale is represented by ‘s’ and the highest as ‘S’ respectively.
Himagiri Thanaye Notation
Sometimes, you may not be a vocalist but might want to perform the Himagiri Thanaye song. You can use the following notes to guide you, apply it to your desired instrument and get drenched in the world of Shuddha Dhanyasi. It is quite similar to sheet music of the Carnatic industry that you will understand if you have mastered all the 12 keys of an octave.
Himagiri Thanaye Lyrics In English
Let me share the full song’s lyrics that are transliterated in English from the original Sanskrit. Read through the entire blog to find the lyrics in Tamil too.
Pallavi
Himagiri thanaye hemalathe amba
Eeshwari sree Lalithe mamava
Anupallavi
Rama Vani samsevitha sakale
Rajarajeshwari ramasahodari
Charanam
Paashaankusheshu danda kare amba
Paaraathpare nijabhakta pare
Ashambare hari kesha vilase
Aanantha roope amrutha prathape
Himagiri Thanaye Lyrics In Tamil
பல்லவி
ஹிமகிரி தனயே ஹேமலதே – அம்பா
ஈஸ்வரி ஸ்ரீ லலிதே – மாமவ
(ஹிமகிரி)
அனுபல்லவி
ரமா வாணி ஸம் சேவித சகலே
ராஜ ராஜேஸ்வரி ராம சஹோதரி
(ஹிமகிரி)
சரணம்
பஷாங்குசேஷு தண்டகரே- அம்பா
பராத்பரே நிஜ பக்த பரே
ஆசாம்பர ஹரி கேஷ விலாஸே
ஆனந்த ரூபே அமித ப்ரதாபே
(ஹிமகிரி)
Himagiri Thanaye Lyrics Meaning
When someone asks you to translate a song, it is important to know the deeper meaning of the song and what the poet expresses in the form of the universal language, music.
The Pallavi or the first verse’s meaning refers to the poet, Muthiah Bhagavatar, calling out to the daughter of the icy mountain that represents the abode of Lord Shiva, her husband. He refers to her as Lalitha which is another name amongst the million names given to Shakthi apart from being a golden climber and the mother who protects her devotees like her children.
The Anupallavi or the bridge of Himagiri Thanaye translates to Shakthi as a goddess who is served and helped by other goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Rajarajeshwari (the sister of Lord Rama).
Finally, the last verse of Himagiri Thanaye kriti describes the daughter of Himalayas as the mother who holds onto to a rope, a goad and a stick in her hands holding out a divine helping hand for her true devotees crossing the ocean of birth, the one who is dressed with desire, as the lustrous shiny hair of Lord Vishnu and an endless form of strength and immortality.
Famous Versions Of Himagiri Thanaye
Himagiri Thanaye in Carnatic concerts and other semi-classical performances is quite common. If you want to listen to this melodious kriti, you can find it on YouTubeor go to concerts, especially if it deals with Goddess Parvati. Some of my most-loved renditions of Himagiri Thanaye will include the one sung by Nandini Rao Gujar in a concert, a Bombay Sisters version and the KS Chitra version in Devigeetham Vol 2 album that tops the list. There are karaoke versions of this treasured track for you to practice with ease too.
Final Thoughts
Tuesday is considered as the day dedicated to the all encompassing Shakthi. However, I’d advise you to take up this song on any day and try to render it with utmost devotion to in case you are finding ways to win Devi’s heart and be in Her good books or just want to learn a new Carnatic keerthana as a personal challenge.
FAQs
Who composed Himagiri Thanaye?
The composer of Himagiri Thanaye is H N Muthiah Bhagavatar who has composed more than 400 keerthanas, varnams and Geethams apart from inventing 20 new ragas in Carnatic Music.
What is the meaning of Himagiri Thanaye?
Himagiri Thanaye means ‘the daughter of the icy mountain’. The meaning of the entire song is as follows:
The Pallavi or the first verse of the song refers to the poet calling out to the daughter of the icy mountain that represents the abode of Lord Shiva, her husband. He refers to her as Lalitha which is another name amongst the million names given to Shakthi apart from being a golden climber and the mother who protects her devotees like her children.
The Anupallavi or the bridge of Himagiri Thanaye refers to Shakthi as a goddess who is served and helped by other goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Rajarajeshwari (the sister of Lord Rama).
Finally, the last verse describes the daughter of Himalayas as the mother who holds onto to a rope, a goad and a stick in her hands holding out a divine helping hand for her true devotees crossing the ocean of birth, the one who is dressed with desire, as the lustrous shiny hair of Lord Vishnu and an endless form of strength and immortality.
Which raga is Himagiri Thanaye set in?
Himagiri Thanaye is set in Shuddha Dhanyasi. It is also called Udayaravichandrika and is a janya or derivation of the 22nd Melakartha raga, Kharagarapriya.
What taal is used in Himagiri Thanaye?
This euphonious song is set in Adi Thalam. It is the equivalent of the 4/4 time signature in Western Classical Music and has 8 counts in the total to complete a bar.
Where can I find the lyrics for Himagiri Thanaye?
You can find the lyrics of Himagiri Thanaye on many websites. Some of the most authentic sites that Carnatic enthusiasts refer to include Karnatic, Smule and JioSaavn.
What is the significance of Himagiri Thanaye in Carnatic music?
Himagiri Thanaye is a song that calls out the daughter of icy mountain, Shakthi. It is significant when performed in a Devi temple or the first Keerthana you can teach on Vijayadasami for an intermediate level student.
Are there any popular renditions of Himagiri Thanaye?
There are many popular renditions of Himagiri Thanaye including a version Nandini Rao Gujar in a concert, a Bombay Sisters version, the KS Chitra version in Devigeetham Vol 2 and the instrumental version of the late violin maestro, Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan.
How to learn to sing Himagiri Thanaye?
I highly recommend you to learn this song from a teacher in person. Other sources include YouTube and music schools you can join that have renowned Gurus to impart their journey while teaching you this enchanting piece of music.
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