-----

p - ------------------ -----

'ATII ' BY 'ATTI' THE MUND:\SU GROWS ; RURAL CRAFTS~P,NSHIP

AND ART AT ITS BEST IS SEEN IN THE ~lUNDASU VESHA,

HARADI MAHABALA

•
► ·.
,
,
,
,
)

>
)

•,
t
t
,
•
'
',
)

~
;r..J
•
 ,
'r
(1 tr;.,
"'l
'.

FASCl1\ATI N(; ~1 UNOAS U , ,\;\ ELAUO H.,\TE I IE,\l )( ; EA R O F

PRINCES AN D COURTIERS, HARADI MAHABALA

' I

~ ... -
ll.
~ -
..... , -.........._ .

·-~·:-------
~'~~-

·~ - -
...,,_ --· ....
.
-..1'c ~ . . l't1 . ,
., . .-
- . ... r ..
~

·· - ·•:) .,_
-·
J

KIREETA V ES HA, CHERKADY MADHAV NAIK

I
1

1A£..~
I )

'·
. •s.~·•-•,, )'t·~•
'

.r "'!.r
l"llf-'
~
." ti
 I V , •
\ I ., ~
rt ·

RAKSHASA'S 'CHIITE' HERE TAKES ON A VARIATION WATCH THE

FOREHEAD ( SAKKAITU OF YAKSHAGANA KE:\lDRA TROUPE)

.. ·. '.a
-<< \ ~-- "'!°<
>.: :t-' ~

.. -~
. ~:
. -~j ~-.:..~
I 'RAKSHASA' OF TENKU-THITTU IS A FEROCIOUS MAKE-UP
CHANDRAGIRJ AMBU, A FAr--IOUS ARTISTE OF DHARMASTHAL
TROUPE

~
'1 ., ~

• J 4 ;
' ,,.: ~J II t.--
/l :' ~ill
,I
.;:
...- "
~

';M J(
.., , 1, r
. --
~ .. ;. ►~

\ ~) ·._
·• \/'
,,\. ....
.-:-,,_....
\ -~.T'
,, . \
GREEN ROO~l SCENE
l NILAVAR RAMAK.RISHNAYYA 66, A DISCIPLE OF

KUNJAL SHESHAGIRI BHAGWATH IS THE BHAGWATH IN THE

YAKSHAGANA KENDRA

,.r .
..
,_t~ ..
4r·--

-
·{' '' :.
-·
f
I --

I / -~,. ,:..
·(__ i/ ,.'.~. J 1::
.....!:.-

DR. KOTA SHIVARAMA KARANTH , THE PARAMAGURU OF

YAKSHAGANA WHOSE RESEARCHES AND EXPERIMENTS HAVE

RESURRECTED Y AKSHAGANA FROM OBLIVION

';~~ -

A~~
)~f;\··.
·-,-· -·s. ·
< .,.- ,. ...
~~ -..-.Fl .. ~::::-.,,1~ ,.~~'-~
. -.~~- . · ) ,, ~ :
,;,:rt~t
.

_ · t,: ,1 ,.. ) \ '

·' .....-

···
.,

.,, . {·.. ·, . . •"

.~~i¥r.-.--.
'-
. ' .
·; ·.:'?;-\ /:\ :i:}f. .· . '
~s •• .,••
:_v'P · 1·

. \,,·· .
, · :.t _._z~ .t ....... ,.
•-· .:'. ~ ;;_
c _.•.silllwlll.C= .:;k-;rn,~~~1-;\ ._. -~;'";7i_". ·, ~--__-....•_·~~?.;;.·:---~=-':,_,_ _;;;_~
 Elements of Yakshagana
Dr. K. Shivarama Karan th

The Kannada-speaking area of India, usually called Karna-

taka, has a rich theatre form known as 'Yakshagana'. In earlier
times it ·used to be called 'Bhagavatara ata', 'Dashavatara ata',
or simply 'Bayalata'. In Kannada 'ata' means a play. Originally
this form of theatre used to deal with the tales of Bhagavan
~shna and hence the name 'Bhagavatara ata.' Later on it
began to depict tales of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu;
hence the name 'Dashavatara ata'. Being an open-air theatre, it
came to be called 'Bayala ta'. The nomenclature 'Yakshagana'
I . came from a special style of music which accompanies these
-1 plays. It is a very ancient style, for there is mention of this
style in Kannada literature of the tenth and twelfth centuries.
The Chandraprabha Puran4 (1189) makes mention of the form.
Nagachandra's Mallinatha Purana (1105) refers to Yakshagana
as "pleasing to Lakshmi who stands on the lotus." In the ~ixteenth
century Kavi Ratnakar Varni speaks of rakkii!agana in his
Bharateshavaibhava. Since he belongs t0 tht:> !'e2"io!: 0f South
~ V .

Kanara, it may be surmise.cl that the Yakshagana form was

widespread by that time.
Yakshagana embraced in earlier ti~~s a form of music played
before royal personages. Later on, owing to the advent of more
evolved style . of music like Hindustani and Karnatic music,
Yakshagana receded very much into the background. \Ve would
have totally lost this form, but for the fact that opera-like plays
began to be written in this style and their stage success contributed
to its survival right to this day. In the Kannada country we ;have
over three hundred Yakshagana plays, written by a number of
writers, from at least the period of the sixteenth century. The

-- --- - - - ·- -- --· - --- ---- - --- ----- -

tradition of staging such plays has continued over the past few
centuries, evolving its own peculiar stage techniques.
An essential feature of these plays is that the play is conceived
as a fantasy dealing with heroes, gods and demons ; the n1aterial
chosen for depiction comes from our myths and legends. Such
stories are moralistic in outlook and often portray the victory of
good over evil. Most of our traditional drama leans heavily on
such legendary lore. The special distinction ofYakshagana consists
in its presentation of the story through the medium of n1usic,
dance and literature.
The very backbone of Yakshagana IS Its operatic nature;
songs and ver.ses are employed for the narration of its themes.
This is done sometimes in the third person, and often in the first
and second persons. The songs consist of many musical patterns,
composed to express every type of en1otion contained in the
puranic stories. The language is simple and direct, and can easily
be understood by lay audiences. The Bhagavatha, or conductor of
the play, has to sing all those songs (in addition to many narrative
verses) to the accompaniment of cymbals and wdrums. l
The purva ranga of the pe-rfor.µiance is known as Sabha-
lakshana. It begins with a prayer to Ganesha, Skanda and other
deities. The Bhagavatha is, of course, the leader. Next to him in
importance is the character who plays heroic or serious roles.
Those who perform the parts of demons are kno,vn as bannada
vesha. (Colour is banna (varna) in Kannada). The streevesha is
lower down in the scale, the Bhagavatha at the apex. The two
accompanying instruments, the chande and the maddale, are an
aid, but it is he who controls the rhythm and the pace. The
Bhagavatha introduces each character; when a character is alone
on the stage and seeks to express its feelings, it is the Bhagavatha
who listens to its problems. The Slzruti deternunes the note of the
Bhagavatha and the shruti box is by his side through out the perfor-
mance. Even when the music is silent, the dialogue continues to
,be based on this particular note and has its own mode of presen-

I
l•

- - - - -- - - - ~ ....... __,,l ' - -• ,

 tation . The din of the c/wnde becomes more pronounced during a
war sequence or in moments of elation or vigorous movement .
Another feature of the earlier part of th e perform ance is th e
Balagopala (Krishna-Balarama) dance. Then there is always a
comic interlude. Hanumanayaka comes with his band of urchins.
t
These young monkeys are the kondangis and their nayaka (leader)
t is Hanun1an. Even as the Blzagavat/za sings the praises of Ganesha,
) Hanu1nanayaka and his followers forge ahead with their own
) brand of hum.our. They repeat the pattern during the moments
.when Skanda and Shiva-Parvati are praised. Then the stree-

'• veshas enter; they dance and sing, concentrating on the shringara
rasa.
t The Sabha-lakshana terminates and the Prasanga proper begins.
It is introduced by the voddologa. The character, wlio is about to
•
I

enter, stands behind a curtain and he is pr~sented to the spectators.

If a Mahabharata story is to be enacted, the Pandavas are pre-
sented through the voddologa. For example, Hanumanayaka
speaks birudavali of Dharmaraja.
Various metres fulfil a particulat function. For instance,
the Kannada metre Kanda, based on the Sanskrit Arya, helps to
speed up the pace of a narrative. Vritta is used when deities
are praised. Dvipadi and Bhamini Shatpadi are employed for telling
a ·story. Yakshagana is never too ornate and some of the songs
like those in .the Shrikrishna Balaleea borrow heavilv, fr0~ f0!k
songs. The famous prasanga of Chandravali composed by Kavi
Nagappaya of Dhwajapura has elements of love and pathos, and
a touching simplicity of mood. The Bhagavatha rcs0rts to prose
particularly when something exciting is expected to happen.
Yakshagana music at one time employed as . many as one
hundred ·and fifty ragas and about seven talas in its musical
.patterns (Dhatis ). Today's Bhagavathas have forgotten most of
these ragas; even so the musical patterns that have survived are
numerous enough to depict forcefully the many different moods
of these plays. If all the earlier ragas could be revived now, we
would experience again the operatic excellence of this form.

I
There is a richness and potency in the ragas and talas used; they
are able to conYcy various shades of thought and feeling. In
classical 1nusic, both I--Iindustani and Karnatic, we have numerous
ragas, but their thought content is generally devotional or sad
in its nature. It embraces the wail of a devotee, self-castigati9n
or praise of one's personal deity. Even in the aspect of love, it
is the viraha elen1ent (the pangs of separation and the yearning
for the presence of the lover who has vanished from sight) that
predon1inates. A dra1na cannot restrict itself to these emotions
alone. It has to deal ~ith other human feelings like anger, jeal-
ousy, rage or joy. It cannot limit its emotional core to pathos,
devotion or praise. The Yakshagana composer, therefore, found
greater opportunities for composing expressive patterns which
could also · lend themselves to rhythmical dance expression.
The characters speak out their words in dignified prose
after each song; this art has to be cultivated over long years of
experience. The prose passages cannot be learnt by rote. A speech
is delivered extempore and often improvised on the spur of the
rr..oment after the Bhagavatha has sung one stan~a after the other
during the course of the play. Two opposing characters, or a
courting couple, can thus develop a fascinating dialogue between
themselves; this is often handled with dexterity by veterans of
the Yakshagana stage.
Kathakali, with its strong acci:-n.t 0!: !::1.!~i:. ~~d. the language
of ges tw·e, allows no dialogue spoken by actors. In Yakshagana
the story unfolds itself through the words spoken by the actors.
Th~ dance is supported by the ~b.-ythrri of the chande and maddale
and the pace of the Bhagavatha. The simple metre of the Bhamini
Shatpadi provides the dancer with the right tempo. The stree-vesha
concentrates on the lasya element of the dance. The male ·
characters display valour and fury. Hanumanayak's movements
embrace humour and joy. .
Y ~kshagana surpasses many Indian forms in one particular
field that is in the matter of costumes and make-up. These plays
. '
were originally conceived as fantasies, and practitioners of the

...-....-·, .:.
· - -- - . - · -- · . --
 form cvolvr.ct ;1 rid1 .· . . . .
. . · · var, cty of rnq 11 n w<;. Th ~1r ci r:s1~n was n 0t
. by an cien t p,u11t111
inspired ,· · · ·
gs or .c.;r 11lp t11rc: ,t .
,s based o n th e
cssc nua l na ture· of tl 1c•~ c·l• 1,u r·
. o 1 1r: 1rst catego r y b c1o n g
, .ac t crs . --,-, l
heroes Jikc K::trna, an d A l:JUna
•
· or Auatara Jnaurlws hkc
• (C
: R a ma or·
Knshna. The second type consists of characters of heroic mould
w_ho arc _a trifle too proud of their prowess and consequently
slightly immature. To this class belongs Indra or Gaya
(Gandharva). The third group includes those like Kirata who
are fearless, yet somewhat uncultured and even stupid. Then
there are demons like Ravana and Kumbhakarna who are brave
in their own right but, on the whole, quite destructive in their
ways. Another group includes those who are born among demons
but have a code of right and wrong. Among ·these are Ravana's
brother Vibhishana or Ravana's son Atikaya. A special kind of
costume is designed for them . .Then there are those deities like
Veerabhadra and Narasimha who are entrusted with the difficult
task of annihilating demons. Apart from the characters of this
deva-danava~manava group, there are others like Hanuman, Vali
and Jan1bava. Then there are straight characters, like rishis
or gurus. The stree-vesha includes queens, princesses and attendants.
The Yakshagana perforriiances used to take place at night.
Oil torches were used to light the area. The dim, yellowish
flames flickered and the dazzling costumes imparted to the
atmosphere a suggestion of fantasy. In the olden days aradala
(yellow pigment) was mixed with coconut oil and smeared over
uncovered parts of the body. With the introduction of petromax
lamps, a whiter shade, with a slight crimson colouring, was
substituted. The area of the temples near the eyes is covered
with white and outlined with streaks of red. A white tilak is painted
on the forehead and a black line is dra,vn in the middle. The
stree-vesha has red tilak on the forehead. Balagopala, Lava-Kusha,
Krishna have no moustaches.
The main colours for the rakshasa characters are red, green
and black. The face is multi-coloured. Rice paste is used to outline
the contours and after many such layers, the face begins to have

J' nc:irc blb .... . +er d·i>•· .. - i . . - .... _ __· · · - - - · ·-- · - "' - -- - - - - · · ·· - -- - -- - - - - -- ·--. - · - - - ..

~
 -~------- -- -· - -.--t
~
~ \.
(

. three-dimrnsional effect. The face looks even larger

a so ic'1 1 r.
. is iran1c . of paper, cut into
d IJ~- a strip . s I-1arp, Lee t I1-li·.k e '
1
wh1en it d tic . d bcl11n
. d t I1e ears. '
s ap~l :se1
11
playing the roles of rishis or purohits are usually
I
' <
. clad. The clothing for all the characters is effective; the I

1 ~
simp y 11 ts are elaborate and dazzling. Special types of headgear I
orname .
d to the nature of the characters portrayed 1n the play.
corresp OJ1
E foreign student of the theatre, who has witnessed Yaksha-
very. Jays, h as gone into . . costume an d ma.k e-up.
raptures over its
gltana p stand comparison with the best in their Balinese, Javanese
can d'
d C J11bo 1an counter-parts.
an T~e village audiences, who for centuries appreciated and
tr nised the traditional Yakshagana, now find it stale; their
O
pat age has shifted to those cheap and garrulous productions
f: :°nrofess .to be Yakshagana. Lack of aesthetic perception has
at ~buted to this state of affairs. In earlier days. traditions ,vere
1
~on ~d red sacred and nobody dared to .tamp~r with a given
cons1
£ eA JJ1.0re sens1'bl e government or t h e e:x'.lstence
. of dis cermng .
I
or;n. could have helped in the task of pres erring Yakshagana II I
5
pa ron tional asset. State troupes should corrie into existence and I

. I

ahs .ahn:itage (,vhich is now in the hands of commercially-minded

t. 15
.1n a·1vi.edt1tVs
· _1 an d nove1ty-c has1ng · au d'1ences, wh o regard 1t · as a
, , , , , d . . .
r. f escape) snouia oe conserve 1n its aut11entic state.
1orm o

I I
l,
l~
' .

! I