Thirukodikaval Krishna Iyer

Krishna Iyer hailed from Tirukodikaval, a small village known for an environment that nurtured culture and music. After initial training from his father Kuppuswamy Ayyar, he studied further with Kothavasal Venkatarama Ayyar, a renowned composer of tana varnams.

He also benefited from advanced training under stalwarts such as Sathanur Panchanada Ayyar and Fiddle Subbarayar. His playing style was characterised by masculine grandeur and a touch of genius.

Krishna Iyer accompanied great maestros such as Maha Vaidyanatha Ayyar, Patnam Subramanya Ayyar, and Sarabha Sastri. He was also one of the pioneers of solo violin playing and helped shape a technique known as izhaittu vasippu, producing ascending and descending glides with great effect.

His students included Semmangudi Narayanaswami Ayyar and Tirukodikaval Ramaswamy Ayyar. With contemporaries such as Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar and Patnam Subramanya Ayyar, he belongs to the golden era of Carnatic music.