[1] Leela Omchery was born on 31 May 1929 in Mankoyikkal tharavdu in Thiruvattar in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu to Parameswara Kurup and Lakshmikutty Amma.

[2] She started learning music from an early age under a Karnatic music guru, Thiruvattar Arumugham Pillai Bhagavathar, along with her younger brother, the late Kamukara Purushothaman, a classical and playback singer in Malayalam.

[citation needed] After early schooling in Kanyakumari, she obtained a graduate degree in Carnatic music from Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram and continued her studies in Hindustani music at Punjab University, obtaining another graduate degree.

[citation needed] Omchery was an accredited Supervisor and Guide to Ph.D and M.Phil candidates from various universities including Delhi, Kerala, Calicut, Baroda, Nalanda, and Mumbai.

She was also a member of the Selection Board of AIR, Doordarshan, ICCR, IGNCA, SNA (Delhi), the Ministry of Culture and IGNOU.