Ilanjithara Melam is an assembly of percussion performance artists held at Ilanji (known as Bullet Wood tree Mimusops elengi) tree at the courtyard of the Vadakkunnathan Temple in Thrissur city during the Thrissur Pooram. It is considered one of the best platforms for traditional Kerala music and the largest assembly of percussion artistes in any other Poorams. The Melam in technical exactness and instrumental discipline are the best example of Pandi Melam . [1] [2] [3]
The Pandi Melam of Paramekkavu Bagavathi Temple is known as Ilanjithara Melam. The Melam begin at the Ilanjithara in the Vadakkunnathan Temple around 2.30 PM, and goes for around four continuous hours. The base of Pandi Melam is the Tripuda Thaalam. Correct number of instrumentalists participating in Melam is 222. But more than 250 instrumentalists assemble because of its prominence and various other reasons. 100 Chendas (In Edanthala and Valanthala categories), 75 Elathalams 21 Kombu and 21 Kurunkuzhal is the number of instruments in each category. There are 7 types of Melangal viz Panchari, Champa, Chempada, Adantha, Anchadatha, Druvam and Pandy. Adantha Thalam (14 Aksharas) is the Thalam performed in the Ilanjithara Melam. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Kizhakkoottu Aniyan Marar is the current Chief of Ilanjithara Melam. At the age of 17, Marar started performing in front of Ilanjithara melam. In 2006, he led the orchestra during the Paramekkavu Daylight Festival. In 2011, he was selected as the Melapramani (Head of orchestra) for the Thiruvambadi section for the Thrissur Pooram. In 2023, he replaced Peruvanam Kuttan Marar to become the lead performer (Pramani) of the Ilanjithara melam. Peruvanam Kuttan marar was the Chief for 18 years and had been associated with Ilanjithara Melam for 35 years. Kuzhoor Narayana Marar, another veteran percussionist, was also part of the Paramekkavu team for 41 years. He was its Chief for 12 years. [9] [10]
Pooram pronounced is an annual festival, which is celebrated in temples dedicated to goddesses Durga or Kali, held especially in the old Valluvanad area, and to a lesser extent in other places, covering Kerala State's present-day Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts) as also Kollam district, after the summer harvest. Harimattom pooram is one of the famous pooram in Ernakulam. An example of a famous pooram is Thirumandhamkunnu Pooram which has an active participation of 11 Lakh people across the country. Most pooram festivals have at least one ornately decorated elephant being paraded in the procession taken out of the temple precincts. However, there are some well known poorams, such as Anthimahakalankavu Vela, Chelakkara, Aryankavu Pooram at shoranur Palakkad and Machad mamangam near Wadakkanchery that do not use the caparisoned elephant, instead go for stilted mannequins of horses or bullocks. Vela is also a festival like pooram. Thrissur Pooram is the most famous of all poorams, known for fire works. The second-best-known Pooram in Kerala is Kollam Pooram. Kavassery pooram is well known for fireworks during afternoon. Some other well-known pooram festivals are Arattupuzha-Peruvanam Pooram, Chalissery Pooram, Anthimahakalankavu Vela, Nenmara Vallangi Vela, Chinakathoor pooram, Mannarkkad Pooram, Kavassery Pooram, Pariyanampatta Pooram, Harimattom Pooram and Thirumandhamkunnu Pooram. Peruvanam-Arattupuza pooram is celebrating its 1436th year in 2018.
The ThrissurPooram is an annual Hindu temple festival held in Thrissur, Kerala, India. It is held at the Vadakkunnathan (Shiva) Temple in Thrissur every year on the Pooram day—the day when the moon rises with the Pooram star in the Malayalam Calendar month of Medam. It is the largest and most famous of all poorams in India. Thrissur pooram is also one of the largest festivals in Asia with more than 1 million visitors.
Mattanur Sankarankutty is an Indian percussionist who plays the chenda, Thayambaka, Panchari melam, and Panchavadyam. He was born in Mattanur in Kannur district of Kerala. He was awarded the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1996, the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2012.
The Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva in Thrissur, in the Thrissur district of Kerala, India. The temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a koothambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkumnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.
Rama Varma Kunji pillai Thampuran (1751–1805), or Rama Varma IX, popularly known as Sakthan Thampuran, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin. The current southern Indian city of Kochi was part of the erstwhile princely state of Kochi. He resided at Vadakkechira Palace in Thrissur. The city of Thrissur is referred to as the Cultural Capital of Kerala owing to its many traditional festivals and historic temples. Sakthan Thampuran is considered the architect of the city of Thrissur. The festival Thrissur Pooram was started by him.
Panchavadyam, literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four — timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka — belong to the percussion category, while the fifth, kombu, is a wind instrument.
Pandi melam is a classical percussion concert or melam (ensemble) led by the ethnic Kerala instrument called the chenda and accompanied by ilathalam (cymbals), kuzhal and Kombu.
Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam, is one of the major forms of Chenda Melam, and is the best-known and most popular in the kshetram vadyam genre. Panchari Melam, comprising instruments like Chenda, Ilathalam, Kombu and Kuzhal, is performed during many temple festivals in central Kerala, where it is presented in arguably the most classical manner. Panchari is also traditionally performed, albeit with a touch of subtle regional difference, in north Kerala (Malabar) and south-central Kerala (Kochi). Of late, its charm has led to its performance even in temples in Kerala's deep south.
Thayambaka or tayambaka is a type of solo chenda performance that developed in the south Indian state of Kerala, in which the main player at the centre improvises rhythmically on the beats of half-a-dozen or a few more chenda and ilathalam players around.
Cherpu is a suburb of Thrissur city in the Kerala State of South India. It is 12 kilometres south of Thrissur town and is on the Thriprayar road. It is dotted by a number of temples and has quite a few rivers flowing by its vicinity.
Arattupuzha Pooram is an Indian temple festival held at the Arattupuzha Temple in Arattupuzha, Thrissur district of Kerala. Visitors from nearby and far off places reach the village of Arattupuzha during the festival days. The pinnacle of the seven-day festival is the last two days. The evening prior to the last day of the festival would have an assembly of caparisoned elephants and staging of percussion ensembles as part of the ceremony called Sasthavinte Melam. The pancharimelam of Aarttupuzha Sasthavu is the largest assembly of percussion artists in any other night Poorams. More than 200 artists perform in sasthavinte melam. This can only be seen at Sree Poornathrayeesa Temple, Tripunithura other than in Arattupuzha Pooram
Peruvanam Pooram is one of the most popular temple festivals of the South Indian state of Kerala. It is held at Peruvanam Temple in Cherpu, Thrissur District. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of this temple.
Peruvanam Kuttan Marar is a chenda artist. He leads several popular traditional orchestra performances in Kerala. He received Padma Shri, India's third highest civilian award, in 2011 for his contributions in the field of art.
Kuzhur Narayana Marar was an Indian musician, considered to be one of the masters of Panchavadyam. He was awarded Padmabhushan by Government of India for his contributions to the propagation of Panchavadyam in 2010. He is the first Panchavadyam exponent to receive Padmabhushan award.
Sadanam Divakara Marar was an Indian percussionist, known for his scholarship on sopana sangeetham, marappani, parisha vadhyam and thimila paani and his mastery over various temple and ritual percussion instruments of traditional Kerala music.
Pallavur Appu Marar (1928-2002) was an Indian percussionist, widely considered to be a maestro in the Pallavur (Palakkad) style of thayambaka, edakka, sopana sangeetham, melam and panchavadyam. He was the eldest of the three brothers, the other two being Pallavur Manian Marar and Pallavur Kunhikuttan Marar, who formed the famed Pallavur trio.
Kelath Aravindakshan Marar is an Indian Chenda artist. He hails from Ollur in Thrissur district of Kerala, India. Aravindakshan Marar is a regular presence in Thrissur Pooram's Ilanjiththara Melam, Peruvanam Pooram, Arattupuzha Pooram, Thrippunithura temple festival, Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple festival and other major temple festivals.
Paramekkavu Rajendran was an elephant from Kerala, who holds the record of participating in the most number of Thrissur Poorams for more than 50 years.
Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award is an award given by the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, an autonomous organisation for the encouragement, preservation, and documentation of the performing arts of Kerala, set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Instituted in 1962, the awards are given in the categories of music, dance, theatre, other traditional arts, and for contribution/scholarship in performing arts. The award consists of Rs. 30,000, a citation and a plaque. The recipients of the award are also conferred the title Kalasree.
Kizhakkoottu Aniyan Marar is an Indian chenda artist from Kerala. He leads several popular traditional orchestra performances in Kerala, most notably the Thrissur Pooram. He is a recipient of several awards including the Kerala Government's highest musical award, Pallavoor Puraskaram.
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