 He also composed a "ragamalika" (garland of ragas - a song that utilises more than one "raga") with all the 72 melakartha ragas.Vaidyanatha Iyer was born in the village of Viyacheri in the Thanjavur districts of Tamil Nadu.His father Duraisami Iyer was also a musician and he trained Vaidyanatha Iyer as well as his other sons in Carnatic music.