Poorvaranga - the prelude to a Yakshagana performance.

Photograph by Purshottama Bilimale. Courtesy of the Purushottama Bilimale Collection at ARCE.

An episode from the Ramayana of a Tenkutittu Yakshagana performance.

Photograph by Purshottama Bilimale. Courtesy of the Purushottama Bilimale Collection at ARCE.

Oddalagu - a court scene with which most Yakshagana plays begin. The musicians can be seen in the background. Photograph by Purshottama Bilimale. Courtesy of the Purushottama Bilimale Collection at ARCE.

The famous Bhagwat Balipa Narayana.

Photograph by Purshottama Bilimale. Courtesy of the Purushottama Bilimale Collection at ARCE.

Yakshagana(the song of the Yaksas-the divine beings) is the traditional theatre form of Karnataka and has a history of more than four hundred years. Yakshagana is essentially a folk theatre form, but elements of classical Sanskrit dramaturgy can be discerned. Yakshagana has been the popular theatrical form in the whole of Karnataka. In the yakshagana performed today, two main variants are recognized. The style that is prevalent in the south of coastal Karnataka is called tenkutittu. This album contains a performance by Balipa Narayana Bhagwat. He is the last of the traditional yakshagana singers, who, not having microphones, sing in a typical high pitch to project to an audience of hundreds in the open. The traditional style is now popularly known as balipa style. The Bhagwat is the main singer and narrator in a Yakshagana performance.

Track Listing