Thrissur: The annual Chembai music festival at Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple was inaugurated at Melpathur auditorium near the eastern entrance tower of the temple on Saturday morning. The 15-day music fest will end on Guruvayur Ekadesi day on December 10. The representative of the temple thantri (vedic head priest) family, Chennas Hari Namboothiri, lit the traditional lamp at the specially decorated dais marking the official inauguration of the fest.
The flame to light the lamp was brought from sreelakam (sanctum sanctorum) of the Sree Krishna temple. The inaugural event was followed by ‘nagaswaram’ concert by Guruvayur Murali and his team. Vigneshwara stuthi, the song praising Lord Ganapathi, was rendered by Manikandan Madakkavil, Thiruvizha Sadanandan and others by offering the best keerthanam of Chembai Bhagavathar ‘Vathapi Ganapathim’ in Hamsadwani ragam.
The music fest was started by Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, an exponent of Carnatic music, nearly 60 years ago. This year as many as 3,000 artists will take part in the event, an official of Guruvayur Devaswom said. The fest will start at 6 a.m. and will go on till midnight. There will be special concerts by well-known artists on the first 10 days of the fest and they will begin at 6 p.m. Rendering a song or conducting a concert at the fest is considered as an offering to the deity.
