The Palakkad Bhajanotsavam is an annual devotional music festival held at Kalpathy (also spelled Kalpathi) in Palakkad, Kerala. As of 2025, the event is celebrating its 27th year .

This indicates that the festival has been organized 27 times up to 2025. Therefore, to determine when it started, we subtract 26 from 2025 (since the first occurrence would be counted as year 1):

2025 − 26 = 1999


So, the inaugural Palakkad Bhajanotsavam most likely took place in 1999, making that the starting year of the festival, according to available records.

If you’re interested, I’d be happy to help you find more details about its origins—like who founded it, early highlights, or changes over the years.

I couldn’t find definitive information on who founded or initiated the Kalpathy Bhajanotsavam (Bhajan Festival) in Palakkad. Established to commemorate the jāyanti of Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal, the 68th Acharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, the festival was being held in its 14th year as of 2012 . While it’s clear that the festival gained importance around that time, there’s no explicit reference to an individual or group credited as its founder.

It’s quite possible that the festival was organized by local temple or resident associations in Kalpathy in collaboration with the Kanchi Peetham, especially around the time of the Acharya’s commemorative day. However, without a clear source, it’s difficult to name a specific founder.

If you’re interested, I could help you explore local archival sources, temple committees, or news articles that may delve into the historical beginnings of the Bhajanotsavam. Just let me know how you’d like to proceed!