Sivanandam Pillai
Sivanandam Pillai✓
Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai
Pandanallur, India
26 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 ↓
Thiruvallaputhur Swaminatha Pillai (T.K. Swaminatha Pillai)
Chennai, India
3 students ↓
Ram Gopal
Bangalore, India
5 students ↓
Baroda Guru Kubernath Tanjorkar
Vadodara, India
13 students ↓
Pandanallur Chokkalingam Pillai
Chennai, India
5 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 29 countries.
- ✦Bharatanatyam is the primary style.
- ✦Avg. 267.7 students per direct shishya.
- ✦This lineage is 9 generations deep.
🪔 About
Sivanandam Pillai (1808-1863) was a pivotal figure in Indian classical dance, one of the illustrious Tanjore Quartet, which included his brothers Chinnayya, Ponnayya, and Vadivelu. Born into a family of hereditary nattuvanars (choreographers and composers), his lineage traced back to his grandfather Gangamuthu and father Subbarayan. The brothers received extensive training in Carnatic music for seven years under the tutelage of Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the revered Trinity of Carnatic music. The Tanjore Quartet served as esteemed court musicians and dance composers under the Maratha ruler Serfoji II (1798–1832) and his successor Sivaji II in Thanjavur (Tanjore), present-day Tamil Nadu. They also received patronage at the court of Maharaja Swathi Tirunal in Travancore. Their most significant contribution was the codification and reorganization of the traditional solo female dance, *sadir*, into the structured concert sequence known today as Bharatanatyam's *margam*. This standardized repertoire progresses from *Alarippu* to *Tillana*, incorporating *Jatiswaram*, *Shabdam*, *Varnam*, *Padam*, and *Javali*. They also formalized the basic dance steps, or *adavus*. Sivanandam Pillai himself was a versatile artist, excelling as a mridangist and nattuvanar. He was also a veena artist, vocalist, dancer, polyglot, and an expert in temple dance rituals. He was renowned as a skillful teacher, training numerous Tanjorian courtesans, temple dancers, and male dancers. Among his notable compositions are the *sabdam* “Venyuda” and the *Thodi Pada Varnam* “Danike Tagu Jaanara,” as well as the celebrated *pada varnam* “dāni ké” in rāgam tōḍi. Sivanandam was the only brother in the Quartet known to have had sons, continuing their artistic lineage. He is distinct from the 20th-century veena player and descendant, T.K.P. Sivanandam (born 1917). Awards & Honours: Bharata Sreshtar.
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