The composition of the Gita Govinda has inspired many classical music traditions. Its living continuity has contributed to the creation of a repertoire of contemporary classical music across every region of India. Its influence can be felt in Gwalior school; Odissi, which incorporates elements from both Hindustani and Carnatic styles; Sopanam in south Kerala, which originated in the temple theatres of Kerala; Carnatic music in south India systematically composed by Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri and Radhakalyanam from Tamil Nadu.
The Gita Govinda is also sung as daily offerings in the Puri temple, the Guruvayoor temple and temples of Manipur. Except for one or two, most of the ragas and talas mentioned by Jayadeva are still used in the Odissi music tradition. The original and its derivatives that evolved in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bengal and Manipur make it evident that the singing of the Gita Govinda was popular in Vishnu temples throughout India.
Even today, in Odisha, it is also sung in Shiva and Shakti temples. The singing styles of bhajans vary. Still, the singing style of the Gita Govinda, corresponding to the dance and dance drama traditions, is peculiar only to Odisha and Manipur.
Eight-hundred years ago, a wandering poet in the eastern parts of India composed a devotional song in Sanskrit about...
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