Nishagandhi Puraskaram is an annual award given by the Tourism Department of Kerala in India to those who have made significant contributions to the disciplines of music and dance.
The award was established in 2013. It's main aim was to promote the 7-day Nishagandhi festival, which takes place in the month of January in the Nishagandhi amphitheatre near the Kanakakkunnu Palace in Trivandrum, on a national and worldwide scale.
The award comprises a cash prize of ₹1,50,000, sculpture, and a citation.List of Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Contributions to |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mrinalini Sarabhai | Classical dance |
| 2014 | Lalith J. Rao | Hindustani Classical Music |
| 2015 | Padma Subrahmanyam | Bharatanatyam |
| 2016 | Ilaiyaraaja | Indian film music industry |
| 2017 | Bharati Shivaji | Mohiniyattom |
| 2018 | V. P. Dhananjayan & Shantha Dhananjayan | Bharatanatyam |
| 2019 | Kalamandalam Kshemavathy | Mohiniyattom |
| 2020 | C. V. Chandrasekhar | Bharatanatyam |
Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram
The Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram is also instituted by Kerala Tourism Department to recognize musicians who have made remarkable contributions to music.
The first Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram was awarded in 2019 to:
- Padma Shri Parassala B. Ponnammal: who the first female student of Swathi Thirunal Music Academy in Thiruvananthapuram, and the first woman vocalist to play at the legendary Sree Padamanabhaswamy Temple's Navarathri Music Festival, and
- Padma Bhushan Dr. T V. Gopalakrishnan.
Nishagandhi Sangeetha Puraskaram was a segment of the Tourism Department's five-day Monsoon Ragaas Music Festival (Trivandrum), which presented an unique treat of classical and ethnic musical traditions across the subcontinent.
The award comprises a cash prize of ₹1,50,000, sculpture, and a momento.