The Nishagandhi Puraskaram was first awarded to the classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai in 2013. Hindustani musician Lalith J Rao and Bharata Natyam artist Padma Subrahmanyam won the awards in the next years (2014 and 2015). The most recent recipient of the award in 2016 is the music director Ilayaraja.