Tansen was considered as one of the Navaratna, aka nine gems of Emperor Akbar’s court. I had this love for Carnatic music on and off when I was young. I learned a few kritis and was familiar with some of the greatest composers of yesteryear. It was during that time my history book had a page with the painting of Akbar’s court. 

The Mughal emperor seated with a turban and rose held in his hand, his court filled with people of similar attire, and Tansen too seated with a tambura in his hand and an unlit lamp in front of him. 

For someone familiar with seeing Purandaradasa and Muthuswamy dikshithar, Hindus, dressed in a simple attire and Carnatic songs written in praise of Hindu Gods, looked new to know a musician dressed well and singing Hindustani music. 

And the story that followed captivated all my attention to him

Tansen is such a great musician that he can set things on fire through his music and make the clouds pour. 

Once Akbar asks him to sing Deepak ragam, which will produce heat and set things on fire. 

Tansen is worried that the raga has the potential to burn the singer himself. He arrives at the court to sing Deepa ragam. All the lamps are unlit, and Akbar arrives at his throne. 

Tansen starts to sing the deepak raga. The court starts to get hot, and people begin to sweat. The birds that usually come to listen to his songs fly away due to heat. The leaves in the garden start to dry up, the rose in Akbar’s hand shrivels. The lamps begin to get lit, and the flames begin to rise. 

Tansen gets feverish and is dangerously hot. While the courtesans fear, Tansen has also trained and brought his daughter along. She starts to sing in Megh Malhaar raga, which brings rain. Soon the clouds gather, it pours, thereby restoring the temperature to normal. 

Such was the power of Tansen! 

I was in complete awe with the story that it got permanently etched in my memory.

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As a young girl, I was impressed with his story. But until I visited the tomb of Tansen, I was utterly ignorant of his history. 

The tomb of Tansen is housed along with the memorial of the great Sufi saint Muhammed Ghaus. It is the biggest in the complex, and at first, I mistook it to be that of Tansen’s. I was amazed to learn that Tansen was born with a speech impairment. 

He was born at Gwalior to a well-known poet in a Hindu family. I was surprised to learn that he was once a Hindu vaishnavite too. When even at the age of five, he could not speak, the parents brought him to Muhammed Ghaus. 

With his powers, he not only the power of speech and becomes his guru.

Tansen was initially part of the court of the Rewa king. On one of Akbar’s visits, he was mesmerized that he requested Tansen to be sent to Akbar’s court. Not able to deny the request or instead for fear of Akbar, Tansen was sent to his court. 

Nevertheless, he went ahead to a broader audience and lived through his remarkable compositions. 

Akbar then bestowed him with the title “Miyan”. 

The Muhammad Ghaus memorial is bigger, and at first, I mistook it to be the Tansen’s tomb. People walked in, offered their prayers to him, and kept moving on. The outside corridor has beautifully carved jhaalis. 

Jhaalis are ornated carvings on the walls that usually serve as a purpose for air circulation. There was hardly anyone in the mausoleum. A mongoose family was keeping the company as I walked around basking in the sun through the jhaalis.

The cluster of pigeons fluttered by, and the incense from his tomb whiffed by. 

I touched the tomb to take his blessings. “The tamarind tree behind you is as old as this tomb. Great musicians and people with speech disorders eat this leaf with the faith that they will also be able to sing as good as him”, said the caretaker. 

I looked back to see the tree which stood as testimony to time. The caretaker extended his hand for money in return for the information he just parted. I got down from the platform in a perplexed state.

The tomb and memorial are supposed to be constructed by Akbar among a lush Mughal garden. Today there is a lawn filled with people. 

The entry is free, and so there were pretty many people living there. Some taking naps, some having lunch, some having romantic encounters, some playing ludo, some to cool off in the shade. 

Yearly once there is a music festival held here to pay homage to Tansen. But the place does not seem to be maintained well. 

We don’t give much importance to art is a different thing. But he was not just a gem of Akbar’s court, and he was the gem of India. 

His contribution to the world is huge, and I wish the place is treated more like a temple than a leisure park.

Whiling away time at the grave

How to reach Tansen Tomb

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