Yakshagana

Yakshagana is the famous art in Tulu Nadu.It is an art form which involves song, dance, speech, instruments and much more. In fact, it is a combination of all these. Different stories are performed overnight.

There is Himmela which is a group of people which gives the background music and Mummela which is a group of people performing the acts. There are two styles of yakshagana, tenkutittu, which is performed in the south and badagutittu, which is performed in the north. It is called as gandukale which means 'the art of men'. But today even women are into this. It is an art form which requires a lot of strength and communication ability and scholarship.

Usually, the stories are from the Hindu Puranas and sometimes imaginary stories are also performed. There is Bhagavata, who sings the songs which are written by the poets, especially for yakshagana. There are two people who play the instruments Chende and Maddale. Two other instruments Chakrathala and Harmonium are also played. Then there are artists who put up the costumes and perform the acts. There is a unique set of costume for each of the character.The number of artists involved in a play depends on the requirement of characters by story.

Yakshagana is usually performed in tulu or kannada language. But today, it is also being performed in English, Hindi and other languages in different parts of the country and also the world. It is called aata in tulu and kannada which means play. It is popular in the districts of Uttara Knnada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga and Kasaragod. But today, it is gaining popularity in various parts of the world as a result of the contributions by various organisations and people. This traditional form of art constitutes a huge part of the tulunadu traditions.