Nirmala Sitharaman Unveils ₹250 Coin Honouring Carnatic Music Legend Muthuswamy Dikshithar At IIT-BHU In Varanasi
Varanasi, Nov 3: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday released a Rs 250 commemorative coin marking the 250th birth anniversary of Carnatic music maestro Muthuswamy Dikshithar at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi.
The event was organised by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-BHU), according to a statement issued here.
Smt @nsitharaman today released a commemorative coin marking the 250th Janmotsava of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar at @IITBHU_Varanasi, honouring the enduring legacy of one of India’s greatest composers and a pillar of Carnatic music.One of the revered members of the Carnatic Music Trinity, alongside Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri, Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar enriched Indian classical music through his mastery of ragas, Sanskrit literature and spiritual traditions.His compositions, including the Navagraha Kritis and Kamalamba Navavaranam, bring together musical excellence, literary richness and devotion.His timeless works continue to inspire generations of musicians and remain an important part of India’s rich cultural heritage.The coin will be available for purchase at https://t.co/fQOjrCtgVO.Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi, Vice Chancellor; Prof Amit Patra, Director; and Prof V Ramanathan (@vraman16), Associate Professor, Head and Coordinator of the institute's Centre of Excellence in Indian Knowledge Systems (CoE-IKS) at IIT (BHU), were also present on the occasion.
— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) November 3, 2026
Sitharaman recalled Dikshithar's contribution to Indian classical music and the country's cultural heritage. She also interacted with students at IIT-BHU, taking on the role of a teacher to explain Indian classical music, musical instruments and their distinctive features, the statement said.
FM Nirmala Sitharaman Urge Tata Group, Tata Trusts To Resolve Differences Through Dialogue, Avoid Public DisputeSitharaman Pays Tribute To BHU Founder
Before the event, the finance minister paid floral tributes to the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of BHU.
Carnatic music researcher and exponent Dr Sumitra Vasudev from Karnataka gave a musical performance at the programme.
Dikshithar's Contribution To Carnatic Music
Dikshithar, Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri make up the trinity of Carnatic music. Dikshithar's compositions, largely in Sanskrit, are known for blending devotion, Indian philosophy and classical musical traditions. He is believed to have composed around 450–500 works, many of which continue to be performed at classical music concerts.
Also Watch:
Dikshithar spent a considerable period in Varanasi, where he composed several works dedicated to temples and Hindu deities.
Commemorative Coin Price And Availability
Utkarsh Srivastava of IIT-BHU's public relations department said the commemorative coin was issued by the Reserve Bank of India. Such coins are minted in limited quantities using precious metals and collected as memorabilia rather than used for regular transactions.
According to the government mint's website, the coin was available for purchase at Rs 6,985, with 238 pieces listed in stock on Tuesday evening.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
This content is published by Free Press Journal and has not been created or edited by Hello Headlines. View original
