His pupils include Palani Subramania Pillai,Thanjavur Ramadas, Palghat Mani Iyer Devakottai Sunder Raj and Thangavellu Pillai of Malaysia.
Before Mani Iyer’s arrival in the music scene, the two mridangists Alaganambi Pillai and Dakshinamurthy Pillai (who played the kanjira also), dominated the art of percussion playing.
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai | Vishalakshi Dakshinamurthy | Changampuzha Krishna Pillai | V. Surendran Pillai | Pillai | Pattom A. Thanu Pillai | Palani Subramaniam Pillai | N. R. Pillai | Dakshinamurthy | Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai | S. Ramachandran Pillai | Rajan Pillai | P. Govinda Pillai | Dakshinamurthy Pillai | C. V. Raman Pillai | C. Muthiah Pillai |