Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker

Who is Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker?

Guru Mampuzha Madhava Panicker was a traditional Kathakali dancer and instructor. He was the former principal of the Kerala Kalamandalam University of Art and Culture in Cheruthuruthi in Kerala State in India. Panicker was of the Kalluvazhi school of Kathakali.

He was born in Kottappadi, near Guruvayur, in Thrissur district in 1900. Panicker was one of the first pupils of Pattikkantodi Ramunni Menon. He became an expert in handling heroes like Arjuna, Bhima, and Daksha, and villains like Ravana, Duryodhana, and Herod. His main contribution lay in presenting Biblical stories, compressing full-length productions, and even introducing Hindi songs. He was chief artiste in several palace troupes at Punnathur, Katathanad, and Nilampur, and art centres in Kerala and beyond. He taught at Kerala Kalamandalam and the International Centre for Kathakali, New Delhi, where he also served as principal. Mampuzha Madhava Panicker died in 1973.