The doyen of Kathakali, Chavara Parukkutty Amma, 76, died at a private hospital at Chavara here on Thursday night.
She was a strong female presence on the stage for five decades and made significant contributions to the art form.
After her formal training in classical dance, she developed interest in Kathakali during her pre-degree days at SN Women’s College in Kollam.
She later completed her bachelor’s degree in economics from Fatima Mata College, Kollam. She performed Kathakali under the guidance of Muthupilakkadu Gopala Panikar.
Her maiden performance was in Poothanamoksham story at Kottamkulangara temple.
She later joined Kathakali Yogam at Poruvazhi and donned several female characters. She was the first female presence on the stage while the art form was a male monopoly then.
She was honoured with several awards, including Kerala Kalamandalam award, Gurupooja award by Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, Hyderali memorial Kathakali award and Pannisseri Nanupilla memorial award to mention a few.
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