Mallari, a form of music played on the nagaswaram, was widely prevalent in some temples in South India. Today sadly, there are few nagaswara vidwans who have specialised in this art, though it continues to be a tradition in temples like Chidambaram. What used to be an art involving intense practice and complex methods of playing has become a form involving some rhythmic exercises in a combination of a few notes. With the passage of time, the older generation of musicians is fading away and the younger generation may never get to hear mallari in all its glory, so it becomes imperative that details of this art form be documented both in writing as well as through audio sources.