Subbaraya Nattuvanar
Subbaraya Nattuvanar✓
Mahadeva Nattuvanar
Thanjavur, India
3 students ↓
Thanjavur Kandappa Pillai
Madras (Chennai), India
6 students ↓
K. Ponniah Pillai (Sangita Kalanidhi)
Thanjavur, India
3 students ↓
Jatti Tayamma
Mysore, India
7 students ↓
Noorcni Parameswara Bhagavatar
Thiruvananthapuram, India
1 student ↓
Mahadeva Bhagavatar
India
Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai
Pandanallur, India
27 students ↓
Tanjore Gnyana
Tanjore, India
1 student ↓
Chennai Nelliappa Nattuvanar
India
Kalanidhi Narayanan
Chennai, India
14 students ↓
T. Balasaraswati
Chennai, India
39 students ↓
Ganeshan Pillai
Chennai, India
1 student ↓
Kancheepuram Ellappa Pillai
Chennai, India
1 student ↓
Amala Shankar
Kolkata, India
Rukmini Devi Arundale
Chennai, India
21 students ↓
K.J. Govindarajan
Delhi, India
28 students ↓
Ram Gopal
Bangalore, India
5 students ↓
Baroda Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar
Vadodara, India
13 students ↓
Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai
Chennai, India
5 students ↓
Thiruvallaputhur Swaminatha Pillai (T.K. Swaminatha Pillai)
Chennai, India
3 students ↓
Mahavidwan Konetirajapuram Sri Vaidyanath Iyer
Konerirajapuram, India
2 students ↓
Karaikkal Dandayudhapani Pillai
Chennai, India
5 students ↓
Adyar K Lakshman
Chennai, India
18 students ↓
C.V. Chandrasekhar
Chennai, India
9 students ↓
Leela Samson
Chennai, India
15 students ↓
Sarada Hoffman
Chennai, India
7 students ↓
Ambu Panikkar
India
1 student ↓
Anjali Mehr
Vadodara, India
2 students ↓
Chandu Panikkar
Chennai, India
3 students ↓
Khagendranath Barman
Kolkata, India
9 students ↓
Ramli Ibrahim
Kulalumpur, Malaysia
16 students ↓
Dr Chandrabhanu
Melbourne, Australia
13 students ↓
Mavin Khoo
London, United Kingdom
13 students ↓
Roja Kannan
Chennai, India
7 students ↓
C.P. Shanta
Chennai, India
3 students ↓
Ambika N.
Chennai, India
5 students ↓
Jayanthi Subramaniam
Chennai, India
2 students ↓
M.S. Ramadevi
Secunderabad, India
2 students ↓
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Lineage Stats
Lineage Overview
- ✦This lineage spreads across 27 countries.
- ✦Bharatanatyam is the primary style.
- ✦Avg. 101.8 students per direct shishya.
- ✦This lineage is 10 generations deep.
🪔 About
Subbaraya Nattuvanar was a highly renowned Natyacharya (dance master) in the Thanjavur (Tanjore) court in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, playing a pivotal role in the lineage that shaped modern Bharatanatyam. He was the son of Gangamuthu Nattuvanar, who was also a celebrated dance expert invited to the Tanjavur court by King Tulaja II. The family's artistic heritage can be traced back to Gopala Nattuvanar, who served in the Rajagopalasvami temple at Mannargudi and the court of King Vijayaraghava Nayaka in the seventeenth century, with the family later moving through Madurai and Tirunelveli before settling in Thanjavur. Subbaraya Nattuvanar himself was patronized by Maratha rulers such as Tulaja II (1763-1787) and Serfoji II (early 19th century). He was responsible for overseeing female dancers in the royal court and held an appointment at the revered Brihadisvara Temple. He received his training in Bharatanatyam from his father, Gangamuthu Nattuvanar. His most significant legacy is being the father and primary guru of the four brothers known as the Tanjore Quartet—Chinnayya, Ponnayya, Sivanandam, and Vadivelu. He guided his sons in foundational artistic practices, including vocal music and Bharatanatyam, and involved them in temple rituals and court performances. The Quartet, under his tutelage and their Carnatic music training from Muthuswami Dikshitar, went on to codify the present-day Bharatanatyam repertoire, establishing the structured performance format of the art form.
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