The Conestoga atrium echoed with traditional Indian music as hundreds  gathered to sing and listen at the 2026 Philadelphia Tyagaraja Aradhana. Tyagaraja Aradhana is an annual Carnatic music festival that celebrates the works of Tyagaraja, a composer of Carnatic music, or Indian classical music. This year, the Philadelphia Tyagaraja Aradhana occured on Jan. 7 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Conestoga atrium.

Senior Bhavika Marabathula founded the Philadelphia Tyagaraja Aradhana. Marabathula and Carnatic music teacher Priya Balaj led this year’s festival. The attendees comprised roughly 200 people, many of whom were Carnatic singing students who sang during the festival.

“A lot of people are listeners of (Carnatic music), so it was just an event for the music lovers and also just to honor culture and bring people together,” sophomore and attendee Tejal Jayamurugan said.

India holds the Tyagaraja Aradhana every year on Bahula Panchami, the fifth day of the waning moon in the Hindu month of Pushya. Indian communities all over the world celebrate the tradition, including those living in the Philadelphia area. Sophomore Dhruti Gaddameedi attended the event with her music teacher.

“There’s more than 1,000 singers who go and sing at his (Tyagaraja’s) resting place, but having it (his work) spread here means that a lot more people can enjoy it,” Gaddameedi said. “I just think it is really important for people to be a part of how amazing the performance and everything is.”

The festival began with a short introduction, followed by the opening song “Maha Ganapatim.” After that, the group sang six introductory songs called the Utsava Sampradaya Kritis. Five longer songs followed, collectively called the Tyagaraja Pancharatna Kritis, which included songs such as the Jagadananda Karata, Kanakana Ruchira and Endaro Mahanubhavulu. Finally, the festival ended with Ramachandraya Janakarajaja as the closing song, as well as a boxed dinner provided by the Telangana Spice Kitchen, a restaurant that serves traditional recipes from Telangana in India.

“We’re just trying to promote and help spread Tyagaraja and his compositions so that kids here can also learn about how important he was in India,” Gaddameedi said. “A lot of kids here don’t really go to India that much, so it’s just like preserving the culture.”

According to Gaddameedi, approximately 50 to 60 of the participants attend Conestoga. People of all ages, ranging from younger children to older adults, all gathered to commemorate and perform group renditions of the works of Tyagaraja.

“Celebrating brings people together,” Jayamurugan said. “It just creates an impact within the circle and values our personal beliefs.”

Raymond Wu can be reached at [email protected].