Tamil Christian Keerthanai (Keerthanai meaning Songs of Praise) are devotional Christian lyrics in Tamil.
A century ago, this term would have immediately conjured up the names of three lyricists who formed the Triumvirate of Tamil Christian poets: Vedanayagam Sastriar of Tanjore, Krishnapillai of Palyamkottai, and N. Samuel of Tranquebar.
These are mostly a collection of indigenous hymns written by Protestant Tamil Christian poets. A few of them are translations of Christian hymns from other languages.
These hymns were written in the early stages of Protestant Christianity in India. These hymns are widely used in worship services by the Tamil Churches belonging to the "main-line" or traditional denominations. Some of the more popular hymns include "Mangalam Selikka" (used during wedding celebrations) and "Ellam Yesuve".
Read more about this topic: Music Of Tamil Nadu
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