Timila maestro Peringode Chandran to receive Sree Guruvayurappan Kshetra Kala Puraskaram

Eminent timila exponent Peringode Chandran has won Guruvayur Devaswom’s prestigious 2025 Sree Guruvayurappan Kshetra Kala Puraskaram. The award will be presented by Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan at a cultural meet scheduled for September 14 at Melputhur Auditorium as part of the Ashtami Rohini Mahotsavam.

The award jury comprising Devaswom chairman V.K. Vijayan, governing body member Brahmashri Mallisseri Parameswaran Namboothirippad, percussion maestro Mattannoor Sankarankutty Marar, and T.K. Narayanan unanimously recommended Mr. Chandran for his contributions to the world of Panchavadyam.

A commanding presence in Kerala’s traditional percussion for over four decades, Peringode Chandran hails from Peringode, Chazhikattiri Mathupulli in Palakkad. His illustrious career has been recognised with several honours, including the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award (2020–21), the Kerala Kalamandalam Deemed University Award, and the Ambedkar Award (2003). A recipient of the Union government’s cultural scholarship, Mr. Chandran has also served as a Visiting Professor at Kerala Kalamandalam since 2017. His life and artistry are chronicled in Thimilaile Jathikkalam, a biography authored by P. Vasudevan.

Instituted in 1990 to encourage and honour temple arts, the Sree Guruvayurappan Kshetra Kala Puraskaram carries a cash prize of ₹55,555, a 10-gram gold medallion engraved with the deity’s image, a plaque, and a citation.