History and Music Style of Yakshagana In English

History and Music Style of Yakshagana In English

Yakshagana

• Yakshagan is a traditional theater form that has developed in the western parts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Chikmagalur districts in the state of Karnataka and Kasargod district of Kerala.
• It is believed to have evolved from pre-classical music and theater during the period of the Bhakti movement.
• It is sometimes called “ata” or āṭa (meaning “play”). This theatrical style is mainly found in the coastal regions of Karnataka in various forms.
• From Dakshina Kannada southwards to Kasaragod in Tulu Nadu region, the form of Yakshagana is called Thenku Thittu and from Udupi to Uttara Kannada northwards it is called Badaga Thittu.
• Both these forms are played equally throughout the region. Its stories are drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and other epics drawn from the Hindu and Jain and other ancient Indian traditions.

Etymology

• Yakshagana literally means people (gana) who are yakshas (nature spirits). Yakshagana is the scholarly name in Kannada (used for the last 200 years) for the art forms formerly known as Keshik, Aata, Bayalata and Dasavatara.
• The term Yakshagana earlier referred to a form of literature mainly in Kannada (starting from the 16th century).

Musical Style

• Yakshagan has a separate tradition of music, which is different from Carnatic music and Hindustani music of India.
• Yakshagan and Carnatic music may have a common ancestor, they are not descendants of each other.
• A Yakshagan performance usually begins in the hours of twilight, with the preliminary beating of drums of a number of fixed compositions, called abbara or pitik.
• Yakshagan is popular in the western parts of Dakshina Kannada, Kasaragod, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and Chikkamagaluru.
• Yakshagan has become popular in Bangalore in recent years, especially during the rainy season, when there are few other types. Recreation is possible in the coastal districts.

History

• The rakshasa (demons) depicted in Yakshagana performance are called Bannad Vesha. (Artist: Karki Krishna Hasyagraha)
• The first written evidence about the Yakshagana is found on an inscription at the Lakshminarayana temple in Kurugodu, Somasamudra, Bellary district, and is dated to 1556 CE.
• Experts place the origin of Yakshagana somewhere in the period from 11th to 16th century AD. Yakshagana was an established performance art form by the time of the famous Yakshagana poet, Parthi Subba (c. 1600). ,
• The Yakshagan form of today is the result of a slow evolution, taking its elements from ritual theatre, temple art, secular art (such as the Bahurupi), the royal courts of the past, and the imaginations of the artists – all of which interacted over a period of several years. are connected.

Early Poet

• The early Yakshagana poets included Ajpura Vishnu, Purandardasa, Parthi Subba and Nagire Subba. King Kanteerava Narasaraja Wodeyar wrote 14 Yakshaganas in different languages ​​in Kannada script.
• Mummadi Krishnaraj Wodeyar also wrote many Yakshagana episodes including Saugandhika Parinay. Muddana, a noted poet, composed many Yakshagana episodes including the very popular Ratnavati Kalyan.