Panchavadya great, Annamanada Parameswara Marar passes away

THRISSUR: Annamanada Parameswara Marar, one of the greats of Panchavadya and Thrissur Pooram, passed away at a private hospital in Ernakulam. He was under treatment for age-related ailments.

Parameswara Marar was born June 6, 1952 in Annamanada as the son of Raman Nair and Parukutty Varasiyar. A regular visitor at Annamanada Mahadeva Temple, Parameswara Marar showed great interest in temple art and percussion instruments right from his childhood. This interest later made him an expert in ‘Thimila’. He studied Panchavadya at Kerala Kalamandala in 1965, in the very first batch of the course. In 1972, Marar was a part of ‘Madathil Varav Panchavadya’ of the Thrissur Pooram. He presided ‘Madathil Varav Panchavadya’ for around 11 years. A recipient of several accolades including the 2007 Sangeetha Nataka Akademi award, he also served as the President of Kerala Kshethra Kala Academy.