About Ksetra - Kashi
Ksetra – Kashi is a Carnatic vocal album by Indian classical vocalist Bombay Jayashri. The studio recording was released in December 2003 under the label Charsur Digital Workstation as an official commercial production. The album centers on devotional compositions dedicated to the sacred city of Kashi (Varanasi) and its presiding deity, Lord Vishvanatha (Shiva).
The album comprises six tracks that feature a mix of kriti, stotram, and abhang formats. Bombay Jayashri performs works by prominent composers including Adi Shankara, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, and Swati Tirunal, alongside a Marathi abhang by the 17th-century poet-saint Tukaram. The repertoire spans ragas such as Punnagavarali, Sindhubhairavi, and Jhenjhuti, with rhythmic structures in Adi and Khanda eka talas.
Notable tracks include Vishvanathashtakam, an eight-verse hymn by Adi Shankara in praise of Lord Vishvanatha, and Ehi Annapurne, a kriti by Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Punnagavarali raga set to Adi tala. The album also features Kala Bhairavashtakam, another composition by Adi Shankara, and Ganga Stotram (Gange Mam Pahi), a Dikshitar kriti in Jhenjhuti raga with Khanda eka tala. Vishveshvar Darshan Kar, composed by Swati Tirunal in Sindhubhairavi, and the abhang Pari Sevo by Tukaram in Ekam tala complete the selection.
The release date aligns with the 2003 Kashi pilgrimage season, though specific recording details or accompanying instrumentalists remain undocumented in available sources. The album reflects Bombay Jayashri’s interpretation of traditional devotional repertoire within the Carnatic classical framework.