Background
Govinda Marar was born in 1798 in Ramamangalam in Kerala.
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Govinda Marar
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He was a contemporary of Saint Tyāgarāja and Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma. He was also adept in playing musical instruments like Chenda, Edakka and Thimila. His expertise in singing in the six degrees of geometric speed earned him the title Ṣaṭkāla.By legend, Endaro Mahanubhavulu, one of Thyagaraja"s most famous compositions, was composed after he heard Marar sing.
He took to singing from a very early age.
He received his musical lessons from Haripad Ramaswamy Bhagavathar. He is said to have used a Tamburu having seven strings.
At the age of 21, he left his home to begin a life of wandering. He is believed to have sung in many important temples all over Kerala.
After leading a wandering life for a long time, he reached the temple of Panduranga in Pandharpur, Maharashtra.
He was revered as Paramahamsa Govinda Das. Professor M. P. Manmadhan (late) – the eminent sarvodaya leader and social worker came to know about Sri. Govinda Marar from a speech delivered by the great Malayalam poet Ulloor South. Parameswara Iyer.
He decided to set up a suitable memorial to the saint musician at his birthplace at Ramamangalam.
The Shatkala Govinda Marar Smaraka Kala Samithy took birth under the chairmanship of Professor M. P. Manmadhan in 1980.
The Samithy engages in the establishment of several institutes to promote the study of traditional music and temple arts of South India with facilities for advanced research in all branches of arts and music After the death of Professor
M. P. Manmadhan, Sri.
C. Radhakrishnan (writer, film director), Sri. M. P. Gopalakrishnan (Rtd R Doctorate O) and Professor Mavelikkara Prabhakara Varma (musician) lead the Samithy.
Professor
George South. Paul (art journalist and columnist) is presently leading the Samithy. A memorial building consisting of class rooms and auditorium was set up with the help of Central/State Governments, Local Self Government Institutions and well-wishers in the vicinity of the Narasimhamoorthy Perumthrikkovil. Classes have been arranged to impart training in classical music (vocal and instrumental), classical dance and temple arts website:
A musical festival dedicated to the memory of the musical prodigy is being conducted under the auspicious of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy from 1992.
Several famous artists from South India came to Ramamangalam to pay their homage before the saint musician during the last two and a half decades. were some dignitaries among them.
