Koteeswara Iyer

Koteeswara Iyer (1869 - 1938), was a composer of Carnatic music. He was a grandson of Kavi Kunjara Bharati(1810–1896). He was born in Nandhanur to Nagarathinam iyer who was a Sivagangai Samasthana Sangeetha Vidwan. His ancestors were initially lived in Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) and later lived in the Raja Hiranya Garba Thirumalai Sethupathi's village in Perungarai(Ramanathapuram). Koteeswara Iyer studied music under Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar (1860–1919) and Patnam Subramania Iyer (1845–1902). He composed mainly in the Tamil language and used the mudra Kavi Kunjara Dasan in tribute to his grandfather. While studying his BA in English Literature in Trichy, Koteeswara Iyer started performing in small Kutcheries singing Kavi Kunjara Bharathi's Skanda Puranam, Perinba Keerthanaigal.

He has worked as an English Professor in Mylai Venkatramana Dispensary Ayurveda College and Mylai Sanskrit college. Later, he worked as an English translator in the Madras High Court.

He is one of the first vaggeyakara who composed songs in all the 72 melakartha ragas.His contribution to the illustration of vivadhi ragas is invaluable. He published his grand father's works (Kandapuranam, Azhagar Kuravanji, Perinba Keerthanaigal).

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