The Thyagaraja Aradhana is an annual five-day classical music festival held each January or February in Thiruvaiyaru, a small town 13 km north of Thanjavur, on the anniversary of the composer Thyagaraja's death. Thyagaraja (1767–1847) is one of the three Carnatic music Trinity — alongside Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri — and his compositions remain central to the south Indian classical repertoire. The festival draws hundreds of musicians from across India and thousands of listeners, making it one of the most significant classical music events in the country.
The main event is a mass performance of Thyagaraja's famous Pancharatna Kritis (five gems compositions) by hundreds of vocalists and instrumentalists simultaneously, held at dawn in the open air near the saint's samadhi (memorial shrine) by the Cauvery river. The effect — hundreds of trained musicians performing in unison at sunrise by a sacred river — is extraordinary and unlike any concert hall experience. For serious listeners, attending the Aradhana is a reason in itself to visit Thanjavur in the right season; the surrounding days of the festival feature individual recitals of very high standard at no charge.