Kishan Maharaj the well known tabla player has passed away in Varanasi after a brief illness. He was 84 years old. He died at a private hospital at Khajuri at 11.45 pm on Sunday late night. The tabla maestro was admitted to the hospital after he suffered a paralytic attack on April 29.

Maharaj suffered the attack while eminent sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan & his family were visiting him. The sarod exponent was in Varanasi with his sons, Aman & Ayaan, to attend a music function.

Maharaj, who was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2002, was one of the finest tabla players of the country & had a career which spanned over half a century. He began playing tabla at a tender age of 11 years.