Rudrapatna is a small village on the banks of the Cauvery river in Arkalgud taluk of Hassan district in the Indian State of Karnataka. It is also the place which has produced world renowned musicians.

The hub then has provided for an annual music festival.

The 11th edition of the Rudrapatna Music Festival is planned from May18 to 20 at Sri Rama Mandira.

And for musicians and rasikas seeking a unique experience this is an event to explore. Music concerts through the day, dips in the Cauvery river off and on, walks through the villages and simple huts as abodes!

The village is known for its rich musical heritage. The village was an abode of Veda, Nada, and Taranga, according to the renowned Bangalore-based Carnatic vocalist, R K Padmanabha.

Rudrapatna stands apart as it has the honour of having contributed many artistes to the Carnatic music world.

The village has had a rich musical history. Bhaskar Avadhani, an authority on the History of Rudrapatna calls the place the confluence of Veda Brahma and Nada Brahma.

He recounts that the people of the village migrated from Sengottai in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu. They came in two groups. While one group settled down at Koushika village in Hassan, another came to Bettadapura.

People from there started inhabiting places on the banks of river Cauvery and one such village formed as Rudrapatna. Sanketis, as they were known, practised Vedas and music. While Dikshitars and Somayajis performed Yajna and Yaga, others spent most of their time learning Shathavadhana, chanting of Veda and music. It was a place of Ghanapaathi, Shathavadhani, Asthavadahani and musicians. The Channakeshava Temple of this village is more than a thousand years old.

Unlike other contemporary musicians, it is claimed that musicians from this village did not aspire for Rajashraya (patronage of royalty). Renowned musician from Rudrapatna Vidwan R K Padmanabha adds that a mass desertion of the village took place following a plague. He also claims that nearly 60 per cent of the Carnatic musicians in Karnataka today hail from Rudrapatna.

Several noted musicians such as R.S. Keshavamurthy, R.K. Srikantan, R.K.Srinivasamurthy, R.K. Suryanarayana, R.N. Thyagarajan and R.N. Tharanathan (also known as Rudrapatnam Brothers), R.K. Raghavan, R.K. Prakash, R K Prasanna Kumar, R.K. Padmanabha, R.S. Ramakanth, R.N. Sreelatha and Rathnamala Prakash (a renowned light music artist also), who have carved a niche for themselves, hail from this village

R.K. Krishna Shastry was another noted vocalist and Harikathe vidwan, who hailed from Rudrapatna. Venkataramiah, popularly known as Thimmappa, was a renowned Veena vidwan. Shathavadhani Venkataraya was another popular veena vidwan. Veene Shamanna, Veene Shrikantaiah, Veene Ranganath and R.S. Keshava Murthy, who was a disciple of the legendary Veene Subbanna are all from Rudrapatna.

Music critic Mysore V Subrahmanya has noted that the village has produced several musicians and scholars, including Veena Rangashastry, who have occupied the position of court musicians at the Mysore palace

Vidwan R K Padmanabha started the “Rudrapatna Sangeethotsava Samithi Trust” & the Trust is organizing the current music festival in Rudrapatna.

The Trust has built a unique Sapthaswara devatha mandira (A temple in from of a Tambura).

This festival is open to all rasikas. Besides conerts, there is a quiz and some soft events besides puja by the riverside and gosti singing.

Interested rasikas who want to come to Rudrapatna can head to Mysore (100 kms to the village from here) or Hassan (60 Kms ffrom here to Rudrapatna).

For more details contact R K Phalguna - 9980197141