{ "id": "ep684p6488", "slug": "t-chowdiah", "title": "T. Chowdiah", "updated": "2026-09-30", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history" }, { "id": "society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india", "label": "India and South Asia", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india" }, { "id": "society.history.asia.india.raj", "label": "British Raj (1858 to 1947)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.asia.india.raj" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india.raj", "label": "India · 1800 to 1945: British Raj (1858 to 1947)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india.raj", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800", "label": "India · 1800 to 1945", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.history" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia", "label": "Asian history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india", "label": "India and South Asia", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india.raj", "label": "British Raj (1858 to 1947)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1800.society.history.asia.india.raj" } ] } ], "excerpt": "T. Chowdiah (ಟಿ. ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ; Tirumakudalu Chowdiah, 1895-1967) was a Carnatic violinist from Mysore who served as court musician to the Maharaja and re-fashioned the four-string violin into a seven-string instrument.", "snippet": "T. Chowdiah (ಟಿ. ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ; Tirumakudalu Chowdiah, 1895-1967) was a Carnatic violinist from Mysore who served as court musician to the Maharaja and re-fashioned the four-string violin into a seven-string instrument.", "node": "society.history.asia.india.raj", "markdown": "# T. Chowdiah\n\n**T. Chowdiah** (ಟಿ. ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ; Tirumakudalu Chowdiah, 1895-1967) was a Carnatic violinist from Mysore, who served as Asthana Vidwan (court musician) to the [Maharaja of Mysore](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharaja-of-mysore) and re-fashioned the four-string violin into a seven-string instrument.[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) • [2](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece) He was one of the leading accompanists and solo performers of twentieth-century [Carnatic music](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnatic-music).[3](https://indiaartreview.com/stories/vintage-vignettes-v-s-n-on-t-choudiah/)\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Born | 1895, Tirumakudalu Narasipura, near Mysuru[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) |\n| Died | 1967, aged 72[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [9](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml) |\n| Court appointment | Asthana Vidwan of Mysore, 1939[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) • [5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) |\n| Instrument | Seven-string violin, adapted from the standard four-string model[2](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece) |\n| Compositions | Nearly 50 krithis and thillanas under the pen name Trimakuta[6](https://starofmysore.com/kala-kaustubha-a-book-on-the-life-and-contribution-of-legendary-violinist-mysore-t-chowdiah/) |\n| Principal honors | Sangita Ratna from the Maharaja of Mysore, Presidential Award (1956), Sangita Kalanidhi (1957)[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) |\n\n## Origins and family\n\nChowdiah was born in 1895 to Agastye Gowda and Sundaramma at Tirumakudalu Narasipura, a town about 30 km from Mysuru where the rivers Kaveri and Kapila merge.[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) His mother first placed him under violin classes with Pakkanna, the step-brother of Vidyakantha Acharya, which did not go well.[7](https://starofmysore.com/tirumakudalu-chowdaiah-mysores-own-violin-virtuoso/) In 1910, his mother's brother took him to Mysore and entrusted him to the musician Bidaram Krishnappa.[7](https://starofmysore.com/tirumakudalu-chowdaiah-mysores-own-violin-virtuoso/) \n\nHis first wife Ramamma died within a year of their wedding; five years later he married Nanjamma, with whom he spent most of his later years.[7](https://starofmysore.com/tirumakudalu-chowdaiah-mysores-own-violin-virtuoso/)\n\n## Career\n\nChowdiah's first public appearance came at age 17, when the intended violinist failed to appear and Bidaram Krishnappa asked him to accompany on stage.[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) He went on to accompany leading vocalists including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Musiri Subramaniya Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, G.N. Balasubramaniam, and the Alathur Brothers, while also developing a solo repertoire.[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [8](https://www.kuralmagazine.in/sections/know-your-masters/mysore-%C5%9Br%C4%AB-t-chowdiah) He gave solo violin concerts alongside musicians such as Gururajappa, C.R. Mani, and Mysore Doraiswamy Iyengar.[9](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml)\n\nThe seven-string violin was his characteristic contribution: he re-fashioned the original four-string violin into a seven-string one so that it could render the nuances of the saptaswara, the seven notes of the scale.[2](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece) The adaptation was intended to increase projection in large halls before electronic amplification.[8](https://www.kuralmagazine.in/sections/know-your-masters/mysore-%C5%9Br%C4%AB-t-chowdiah) Chowdiah also held that the violin was not of Western origin but an ancient Indian instrument like the veena, citing a fiddle-shaped string instrument carved on a pillar of the Agastyeeshwara temple.[2](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece)\n\nIn 1939 he was appointed Asthana Vidwan of Mysore by HH Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar.[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) • [5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) He initially hesitated to accept the position, fearing it would confine him to the Mysore court and curb his concerts elsewhere, such as in [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu); the Maharaja agreed to his musical freedom and retained him as court musician.[2](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece)\n\nIn 1943 he produced the Kannada film *Vani*, in which he acted in a dual role and directed the music.[6](https://starofmysore.com/kala-kaustubha-a-book-on-the-life-and-contribution-of-legendary-violinist-mysore-t-chowdiah/) • [4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) He composed nearly 50 compositions, mainly krithis and thillanas, under the pen name Trimakuta, in Kannada, Telugu, and Sanskrit.[6](https://starofmysore.com/kala-kaustubha-a-book-on-the-life-and-contribution-of-legendary-violinist-mysore-t-chowdiah/) His students included R. K. Venkatarama Sastry, V. Sethuram, Palghat S. R. Mani, V. Ramaratnam, K. S. Alagiriswamy, H. R. Seetaram Sastry, and H. S. Anasuya.[5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah)\n\n## Political influence\n\nChowdiah's standing at the Mysore court gave him a public role beyond music: he was nominated to the Mysore Legislative Council in 1957-58.[9](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml) His lasting institutional legacy was the Ayyanar College of Music, which he established with the help and support of K. Puttu Rao to fulfill his guru Bidaram Krishnappa's wish; the college functioned from the premises of the Prasanna Seetha Rama Mandira, whose construction Chowdiah helped complete, and has trained hundreds of vocalists and instrumentalists.[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [6](https://starofmysore.com/kala-kaustubha-a-book-on-the-life-and-contribution-of-legendary-violinist-mysore-t-chowdiah/)\n\n## Death and successors\n\nMost sources place Chowdiah's death in 1967, at age 72, with one giving the date as 19 January 1967.[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [10](https://www.discogs.com/artist/3655899-T-Chowdiah) One memorial source gives 19 January 1972 instead.[5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) His students carried his teaching lineage forward, and the Ayyanar College of Music continued his work as an institution.[5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) • [4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/)\n\n## Historians' assessment\n\nSerious sources describe Chowdiah as one of the outstanding violinists of the country, both as an accompanist and a solo performer, and one of the distinguished Asthana Vidwans of Mysore.[3](https://indiaartreview.com/stories/vintage-vignettes-v-s-n-on-t-choudiah/) A music-history magazine calls him one of the most influential Carnatic violinists of the twentieth century.[8](https://www.kuralmagazine.in/sections/know-your-masters/mysore-%C5%9Br%C4%AB-t-chowdiah)\n\nOn his death, most give 1967 while one memorial page gives 19 January 1972.[4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) On the Sangita Ratna, two sources say the Maharaja of Mysore conferred it in 1940, while one says the royal family awarded the Sangeetha Rathna felicitation in 1947.[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) • [9](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml) • [5](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah) On the Sangita Kalanidhi, three sources give 1957 and one gives January 1, 1958, on his birthday.[1](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece) • [4](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/) • [9](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml)\n\n## Legacy\n\nHis memory is commemorated by the [Chowdiah Memorial Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/chowdiah-memorial-hall) in Bengaluru, built in the shape of a violin.[8](https://www.kuralmagazine.in/sections/know-your-masters/mysore-%C5%9Br%C4%AB-t-chowdiah)\n\n## References\n\n1. [T. Chowdiah: The man behind the seven-stringed violin, The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/the-man-behind-the-seven-stringed-violin/article32104645.ece)\n2. [A peek into the violin legend's life, The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/a-peek-into-the-violin-legends-life/article5867207.ece)\n3. [Vintage Vignettes: V.S.N on T. Choudiah, India Art Review](https://indiaartreview.com/stories/vintage-vignettes-v-s-n-on-t-choudiah/)\n4. [About T Chowdiah, Chowdiah Memorial Hall](https://www.chowdiah.com/About/)\n5. [T. Chowdaiah, Srikanta Sastri memorial page](https://www.srikanta-sastri.org/post/t-chowdaiah)\n6. ['Kala Kaustubha,' a book on the life and contribution of legendary violinist Mysore T. Chowdiah, Star of Mysore](https://starofmysore.com/kala-kaustubha-a-book-on-the-life-and-contribution-of-legendary-violinist-mysore-t-chowdiah/)\n7. [Tirumakudalu Chowdaiah: Mysore's own Violin Virtuoso, Star of Mysore](https://starofmysore.com/tirumakudalu-chowdaiah-mysores-own-violin-virtuoso/)\n8. [Mysore Śrī T Chowdiah, KURAL Voices in Music](https://www.kuralmagazine.in/sections/know-your-masters/mysore-%C5%9Br%C4%AB-t-chowdiah)\n9. [Royal Carpet Carnatic Composers: T. Chowdiah](https://www.karnatik.com/co1063.shtml)\n10. [T. Chowdiah, Discogs](https://www.discogs.com/artist/3655899-T-Chowdiah)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › India and South Asia › British Raj (1858 to 1947)*\n\n*Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"T. Chowdiah\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[T. Chowdiah](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah](https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"T. Chowdiah\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/t-chowdiah. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "T. Chowdiah was a Carnatic violinist from Mysore who served as court musician to the Maharaja and re-fashioned the four-string violin into a seven-string instrument." }