Meenakshi sundaram pillai biography channel

Meenakshisundaram Pillai (1869–1964) is a classical dance guru considered as the prominent founder of Pandanallur style of Bharatanatyam, Indian dance.

He lived in the village of Pandanallur, in the Thanjavur district in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.^[1]

Background

Meenakshisundaram Pillai, whose ancestors were nattuvanars, was a descendant from the Thanjavur Quartet, which comprised four brothers: Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivel.^[2] The works of these four brothers, who were court composers in the early 19th century in Thanjavur, form the main classical masterpieces of Bharatanatyam.

Baroda Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar (1916 - 2007), a disciple of Pillai, later established Tanjor Dance Music & Art Research Centre in Baroda, Gujarat. Thiruvallaputhur Swaminatha Pillai, also known as atha Pillai, was one of the leading disciples of Pillai.

He learned Bharathanatiyam under the Gurukula of Pillai for more than