SOPANA SANGEETHAM

Sopana Sangeetham is a form of Indian classical music that developed in the temples of Kerala in south India . The name derives from two Malayalam or Sanskrit words : Sopanam and Sangeetham. The word Sopanam refers to the sacred steps of main shrine of a temple and Sangeetham refers to music. Sopana sangeetham (music), as the very name suggests, is sung by the side of the holy steps (sopanam) leading to the sanctum sanctorum of a shrine ie. a temple. It is sung, typically employing plain notes, to the accompaniment of the small, glasshour-shaped ethnic drum called 'edakka' or idakka, besides the chengila or the handy metallic gong to sound the beats . Sopana sangeetham has its essential features born out of a happy blending of the Vedic, folk and tribal music of the regions of Kerala . The structure of the Sopanam music is believed to reflect the experience of the devotee in scaling the heights of devotion