Indian Classical Music dedicated to the timeless city of Banaras with its ancient musical and literary traditions.

7 MP3 Songs in this album (49:53) !
Related styles: SPIRITUAL: Mantras, WORLD: Indian Classical



Details:
Banaras or Varanasi is referred to as the eternalcity. The city of Banaras has seen it all, it has risen and fallen many times and its radiance as a keeper of ancient culture remains undiminished even today. Aadi Sankara,
one of the greatest spiritual leaders of India and the harbinger of the cultural and spiritual renaissance in the 1st millennium BCE is credited with the Viswanaathashtakam, Annapurnashtakam, the Gangaashtakam and the Kashi panchakam in praise of this center and the deities enshrined. Varanasi is known for its ancient temples dedicated to Viswanatha - (Shiva) and to the Universal mother portrayed as Annapurani - the provider of food and salvation from the cycle of birth and death. The master composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar of the 19th century composed kritis in praise of Annapurani and Viswanatha (enshrined at Kuzhikkarai in Tamilnadu) - alluding to the presiding deities of Varanasi. Dikshitar, who spent a portion of his life in Banaras is said to have been influenced by the ancient Dhrupad music tradition. Both Dikshitar and Aadi Sankara hailed from South India and their approach to Indian culture was one marked by a catholicity of faiths and a pan Indian nay universalist approach. The music in this collection is inspired by Dhrupad and the compositional style of Dikshitar. This album celebrates the spirit of the ancient city of Banaras and is a musical tribute to core of Indian culture that this spirit represents.

Kanniks is a rare visionary musician, composer and writer with numerous productions and recordings to his credit. His masterpiece cross-cultural, multimedia larger than life presentation Shanti-A journey of Piece has thrilled audiences in various venues in the United States. Based in the United States, he is the recipient of several awards and grants including the prestigious Individual Artist Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council. Kanniks has lectured extensively on Indian culture and has offered music workshops at several educational institutions, corporations and cultural organizations nationwide. Kanniks is a passionate educator and he teaches Indian Music at the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. Kanniks is also the Director of the American School of Indian Art â founded with the vision of bringing the best of the west and the east to the Indian diaspora in the United States. Kanniks is also the author and publisher of Templenet (www.templenet.com) a widely respected and well known source of information on the temples of India on the internet.