Yakshagana

Karnataka > Yakshagana

Yakshagana, one among a number of folk theatrical forms of Karnataka is known by that name in recent times. In addition, earlier forms like 'Bayalaata', 'Bhagavatharaata' or 'Dashavatara ata' also existed . It acquired its present name because these plays were written in the form of musical dramas and that particular style of music was called Yakshagana. This term now has become a synonym for the theatrical form too.

We get rich harvest of Yakshagana plays from 16th to 18th Centuries in Karnataka. In about the 16th and 17th Centuries Siddendra Yogi the founder of the Kuchipudi School of dance wrote his plays in the Yakshagana style. Thirthanarayana Yati, the disciple of Siddendra Yogi took these plays to Tanjore. Later, most of the 300 and odd playwrights came from the coastal regions of Karnataka, mainly Dakshina Kannada. Old playwrights had exploited the Yakshagana style of music for every type of emotions and situations in their songs and dramas. Over 160 'ragas' were used in their compositions, though today Bhagavatas are rarely conversant with 30 ragas or so. There are few ragas that are not found even in classical music. Nepali, Gujarati, Madhavi, Panchagati, Gopanite, Huvu, Divali, Charite, Haradi, Mechale etc. are some of them. The themes for the play are selected from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and the Puranas. Barring a few narrative lines, all the rest was set to raga and tala. One essential element of depiction consisted of music and the other, dance. Both had simple literary material as their basic text. The dance elements had good support from percussion instruments like Chande, Maddale and cymbals. The characters of the play wore ankle bells (gejje) too. The essence of the drama was conveyed to the audience in prose which is dependent on the textual content of the songs.

To an audience not conversant with the Kannada language, the range of costumes and make-up seemed to capture the grandeur of a wonderland, which was ably supported by a rich musical background. In totality, Yakshagana theatre is one of the few rich theatre forms that has persisted even today. The ethical and religious background provided by temples have yielded to commercialism, bringing with it all the evits of popular entertainment.

Towards the beginning of this century, there were a number of Yakshagana troupes, sponsored by prominent temples in the district of Dakshina Kannada. Saukur, Marnakatte, Mandarthi in the north, Mulki, Dharamasthala and Koodlu in the south are prominent among them. The temples concerned used to maintain them from their funds and some devotee of the temple used to pay for each performance which was free to the audience. There were quite a number of local patrons in the villages too. The plays were staged each night on special request. The actors and dancers who were orginally agriculurists, served in the plays more as service to the deity than as a profession.

From 1940's things began to change very much in the institutional set up of the troupes. Temples began to auction the rights of conducting the shows. By then, the influence of the commercial drama troupes had attracted people very much and Yakshagana artistes began to copy the stage costumes and slowly discard traditional dance. Another feature, namely, the running of the troupes on a commercial basis with tents and allowing spectators entry into the tent by selling tickets, began to gain ground; with this the total attitude of Yakshagana theatre changed.

Now, there are a dozen commercial troupes and very few temple troups maintained by devotees that offer free performance. Yakshagana has become a fiancial success by catering to mass appeal. Many tradtional elements of the Yakshagana theatre have been left in the cold. Prose has eclipsed dance. Like the cinema's craze for novelty, new themes are gradually replacing all old popular themes based on puranic and epic ones. Vulgarity in dialogue has become the chief element in creating mass appeal. A few prominent Yakshagana troupes are from Ira, Surathkal, Saligrama, Amrutheshwara, Perdoor and Idugunji. Among old temple troupes those belonging to Mandarti, Dharmsthala, Katil and Maranakatte still thrive, but there too the trend of giving up old plays seem to gain ground. The M.G.M. College of Udupi has a Yakshagana Kendra where about a dozen students are taught traditional dance and Yakshagana methods. Two more training centres have been started at Kota and Dharmasthala in 1972. The creative art form of Yakshagana with its rich costumes, dance and music has great potential but the people have yet to realise its greatness. All efforts of bringing out Yakshagana as a sophisticated art form have received scant respect and encouragement.

Several artistes of Yakshagana have enriched the art by their efforts. Veerabhadra Nayak, Uppuru Narayana Bhagavata, Irodi Sadananda Hebbar, Polali Shastri, Malpe Shankaranarayana Samaga, Mowaru Kittanna Bhagavatha, Alike Ramayya Rai, Haaradi Krishna Ganiga, Haaradi Narayana Ganiga, Haaradi Rama Ganiga, Damodara Mandecha, Basava Naik, Bailpa Subbaraya, Hiriyadka Gopala Rao, Agari Srinivasa Bhagvata, Kuriya Vithala Shastri, Udyavara Madhava Acharya etc., are among the noted exponents of Yakshagana from Dakshina Kannada. Keremane Shivarama Heggade (Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Academy awardee in 1971), K. Sadananda Heggade, Ganapathi Bhatta, Mudkani Narayana Heggade (Kendra Sangeetha Nataka Akademy awardee), Babu Bhatta, etc., are among the noted artistes in Uttar Kannada.

Yakshagana is very popular even in other parts of Karnataka and it is identified as 'Mudalapaya'. Aparala Tammanna the author of 'Sri Krishna Parijata,' Kulagoda Tammana of Kulagodu in Belgaum district and Aliya Lingaraja of Mysore are famous Yakshagana poets. In the coastal region, Nanjaiah, Parthi Subba, Halemakki Rama, Hattiangadi Ramabhatta. Venkata Ajapura, Nityananda Avadhuta, Pandeshwara Venkata, Gerasoppe Shanthappaiah, Nagire Subrahamanya, Dhwajapurada Nagappaiah, noted Kannada poet Muddanna and Halasinahalli Narasimha Shastry are among the noted writers. In Dakshina Kannada there are two school of Yakshagana, called Tenkutittu (Southern) and Badagutittu (Northern). They vary in costumes, dance and other aspects differ from each other. Many Telugu Yakshaganas also came to be written in Karnataka and among these Kempe Gowda, the feudatory of Bangalore composed 'Ganga Gowri Vilasam', Many more such works were composed in the Mysore Court. In Puppet Theatre too, the text and theme is of Yakshagana itself. Uppinakuduru Kogga Kamath from Dakshina Kannada is an outstanding master of this art.

Mudala Paya is the variety of Yakshagana seen on the plateau, as mentioned above. An institute to foster it is functioning at Konchalli in Tiptur tq, by the efforts of Prof. J.S. Paramashivaiah, noted folklorist. The Mysore University Folk Arts Department also promotes this school. In Gulbarga and Dharwad areas it is called Doddatta. Karibhantana Kalaga, Sarangadhara, Kumara Ramana Kathe are popular themes. Basavaraja Malasetty at Hospet and Basavalingaiah Hirematha of Kittur are noted directors in the field. Narasappa Bhagavata of Konchalli, Puttashamachar of Bellur (Mandya dt.) Yatirajayya, (Gondetahalli) are some of the artistes from Southern Karnataka. Monappa Sutar from Afzalpur, Budeppa from Byahatti, Najundayya Hiremath from Talur (Sandur tq), Ganachari from Gogi and Chandanna Gogi from Hugar (Shahpur tq) are among the artistes of this school.