About the book
The Haridāsas of Karnataka were pioneers of Karnataka music pedagogy, propagating bhakti through music. This book examines their role in revitalizing the fading prabandha traditions through accessible musical forms such as gēya rūpakas, vṛttās, nāmāvalis, padās, and folk-inspired compositions, thereby reaching a wider audience.
Through an analysis of themes, prosody, musical structure, narrative interpretation, and folk influences, the study highlights how the Haridāsas reimagined earlier musical traditions through Dāsa Sāhitya.
The book further explores the reconstruction of these musical forms and proposes interdisciplinary approaches for presenting them through music, dance, and drama, offering new perspectives on preserving and bringing these historical traditions to contemporary audiences.
The chapters in the book have been designed as independent units of study, allowing readers to select and explore individual chapters according to their interests. This approach makes the book accessible to readers and learners of different age groups who are interested in Haridāsa Sāhitya and its musical traditions, whether from literary, musical, historical, or cultural perspectives.