South Indian classical music is integrally linked with temples. In the past, it was nurtured by them and centred around temple activities. Its great patrons as well as its audience were deeply pious people. The golden age of Carnatic music was the era of the Trinity – Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastry. They lent a fullness and an exuberant richness to Carnatic music, leaving behind a treasured tradition for posterity.

Muthuswami Dikshitar was not only a genius in music but also well versed in agama, mantra, tantra and jyotisha sastra-s as well. A Devi upasaka, he became a vaggeyakara with hundreds of compositions to his credit, with the blessings of Guru Guha or Lord Subrahmanya. He visited several kshetra-s and composed kriti-s detailing with the deities and the unique aspects of the temples such as sthala teertham, sthala vriksha, vimana, and utsavam. Minute details regarding specific features such as vimana are known only to those conversant with agama and silpa sastra.