Chakradhar Singh

🪔 About

Raja Chakradhar Singh (August 19, 1905 – October 7, 1947) was the Raja of Raigarh and Chief of Bargarh, ruling the princely state of Raigarh from 1924 until his death in 1947. Born to Raja Bhup Deo Singh, he was educated at Rajkumar College, Raipur. He is widely recognized as a profound scholar, an accomplished musician, and an extraordinary patron of the arts, whose reign marked the zenith of Raigarh's cultural history. Chakradhar Singh was a pivotal figure in Indian classical dance, particularly Kathak. He received basic taal training from his uncles and underwent diverse and authentic training from stalwarts of both the Jaipur and Lucknow Gharanas. He was a disciple of Pandit Jayalal Maharaj of the Jaipur Gharana and also trained under the Lucknow Gharana doyen Acchan Maharaj. Other gurus included Dhandhe Khan, Hanuman Prasad, and Shiv Narayan. He also learned tabla from Ustad Munir Khan and pakhawaj from Thakur Prasadji. His most significant contribution was the founding of the Raigarh Gharana of Kathak, which seamlessly blended elements from the Jaipur and Lucknow styles. He was not merely a patron but also a performer, musician (tabla and pakhawaj), and a prolific composer. He authored monumental treatises on music and dance, including 'Nartan-sarvasva' (a handbook for Kathak, though an unpublished manuscript), 'Taltoynidhi' (an ocean of tala), 'Muraj Paran Pushpakar' (a compilation of pakhawaj bol-bandish), and 'Raga Ratna Manjusha' (a collection of ragas and compositions). He composed numerous innovative paran compositions, such as Pakshi Paran, Dal-Badal Paran, Kadak-Bijli Paran, Brahmbeej, Madhu-Gunjan, Megh Pushp, Chamak Bijli, and Gajvilas Trichakri, and coined novel Sanskrit terminology for Kathak concepts. Under his patronage, Raigarh became a premier cultural center, attracting legendary classical dancers and musicians like Pandit Jagannath Prasad, Guru Kalaka Prasad and his sons, Achhan Maharaj, Shambhu Maharaj, Pandit Jaylal, Sundar Prasad, Sukhdev Prasad, and tabla wizard Ahmed Jan Thirakwa. He headed the first All India Music Conference in Allahabad in 1938 and was honored with the title 'Sangit Samrat' (King of Music) by Viceroy Lord Linlithgow in 1939 for his contributions, particularly after accompanying Kathak dancer Kartik Kalyan on tabla. He was also appointed Head of the Faculty of Music at Nagpur University. His legacy is honored annually through the prestigious 'Chakradhar Samaroh', a national-level music and dance festival held in Raigarh, and the 'Chakradhar Nritya Kendra' established by the Madhya Pradesh government in Bhopal. Awards & Honours: Sangit Samrat (1939).