Carnatic, the classical musical tradition of South India, derives its name not directly from the state of Karnataka, but from the word “Karnāṭaka Sangītam”. In Sanskrit, Karnāṭaka means “traditional” or “well-structured.” The term was used in medieval musicological texts to distinguish the southern style from Hindustani music of the north. Thus, Carnatic does not exclusively refer to Karnataka, though the region was historically called Karnāṭaka-deśa, a broader cultural-geographical zone that extended beyond today’s Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.
The name’s strong association with the southern style began to take shape around the 15th–16th centuries under the Vijayanagara Empire, which patronized music. Purandara Dasa, hailed as the “Father of Carnatic Music,” codified its basic lessons during this period. Since he hailed from Karnataka, this provides another historical link between the name and the region.
Interestingly, the celebrated Trinity of Carnatic music—Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama Sastri—were from Telugu-speaking families in Tiruvavur, then part of the Madras Presidency (present-day Tamil Nadu). Their prolific compositions shaped the modern identity of the art form. Yet Carnatic music transcends state or language; it is a shared South Indian classical heritage.
