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377 dance, music, theatre, puppetry and martial traditions across 35 states and union territories — filter by state, or by how you'd like to take part.
36 performing arts
Performing ArtKarnataka
Yakshaganaಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ
Coastal Karnataka's night-long dance-drama, blending stylised movement, live percussion and sung narration to stage the Hindu epics.
Performing ArtKarnataka
Ramayana Dramaರಾಮಾಯಣ ನಾಟಕ
Episodes from the Ramayana are staged across Karnataka through dance-drama traditions like Yakshagana, brought to life through stylised movement, song and dialogue.
Performing ArtKarnataka
Mahabharatha Dramaಮಹಾಭಾರತ ನಾಟಕ
Episodes from the Mahabharata are staged across Karnataka through dance-drama traditions like Yakshagana, bringing the epic's battles and dilemmas to life.
Performing ArtKarnataka
Mahishasuramardini Dramaಮಹಿಷಾಸುರಮರ್ದಿನಿ ನಾಟಕ
A dance-drama depicting the goddess Chamundeshwari's battle with the buffalo demon Mahishasura, performed especially around Mysuru's Dasara.
Performing ArtKarnataka
Gombeyaataಗೊಂಬೆಯಾಟ
Karnataka's traditional string-puppet theatre, staging the Ramayana and Mahabharata through metre-tall wooden marionettes carved, painted and voiced by a single family of puppeteers.
Performing ArtGujarat
Bhavaiભવાઈ
A dance-theatre of Gujarat (and Rajasthan) in which performers balance earthen pots, brass thalis and the edges of swords while dancing and singing.
Performing ArtMaharashtra
Tamashaतमाशा
The traditional folk-theatre of Maharashtra — a combination of Lavani song-dance, dramatic skits and comedy performed by travelling troupes.
Performing ArtKerala
Chavittu Nadakamചവിട്ടുനാടകം
A Latin Christian musical dance-drama of Kerala — noted for its flamboyant costumes, heavy foot-stamping on a raised wooden stage and martial storytelling drawn from European chivalric romance.
Performing ArtKerala
Kakkarissi Natakamകാക്കാരിശ്ശിനാടകം
A satirical dance-drama of southern Kerala, performed by a troupe that enacts the comic adventures of Lord Shiva and Parvati in disguise as nomadic fortune-tellers.
Performing ArtRajasthan
Kathputliकठपुतली
The string-marionette puppet theatre of Rajasthan — performed by the Bhat community of Nagaur and surrounding districts for more than a thousand years.
Performing ArtRajasthan
Bhavaiभवाई
A balancing dance of Rajasthan — women balance up to a dozen brass or earthen pots on their heads while dancing nimbly on the edges of swords, glass bottles and brass plates.
Performing ArtTamil Nadu
Therukoothuதெருக்கூத்து
The Tamil street-theatre folk form — open-air dramatic dances on themes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, performed at village festivals.
Performing ArtTamil Nadu
Bommalattamபொம்மலாட்டம்
The Tamil puppet-dance tradition — string and rod marionettes representing Hindu gods and epic characters, operated behind a white screen lit by oil lamps.
Performing ArtUttar Pradesh
Raslila (Braj)रासलीला
The devotional dance-drama of Braj (Brij) — performed in the temples and courtyards of the Braj region (Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon) enacting the night-dance of Krishna and the gopis.
Performing ArtUttar Pradesh
Nautankiनौटंकी
The folk opera-theatre tradition of northern India, particularly of Uttar Pradesh — a dance-and-song theatre of popular romantic, mythological and historical tales, performed in villages and towns.
Performing ArtUttar Pradesh
Ram Leela (Ramlila) Danceरामलीला
The dance-drama tradition of Uttar Pradesh — the enactment of the Ramayana through song, dance and staged combat, particularly famous in Varanasi and Ramnagar (the Ramnagar Ramlila is the world's longest-running open-air theatrical version).
Performing ArtBihar
Jat-Jatraजाट जात्रा
The folk-dance-drama of Mithila (Bihar) — an overnight all-night folk-dance cycle performed in Kishanganj and neighbouring districts during March-April and at the weddings of the Mithila region.
Performing ArtBihar
Bidesiaबिदेसिया
The Bhojpuri folk-theatre / dance-drama of Bihar — a Bhojpuri-language song-and-dance form in which the 'Bidesia' (the migrant) is the central male character, performed in the Bhojpuri-speaking regions of Bihar and eastern UP.
Performing ArtBihar
Kharika Danceखरिका
A folk-dance-drama of Bihar (Nawada district and southern Bihar) — performed in open courtyards with the dhol and the song-and-dance narration of the Chhath and Sohrai folk traditions.
Performing ArtChhattisgarh
Maach (Chhattisgarhi folk-theatre)माच नाट्य
The folk-theatre of Chhattisgarh — a song-and-dance dramatic tradition performed at village fairs and the Sohrai celebrations, drawing on the mythology of the Chhattisgarhi region.
Performing ArtAssam
Bhaona (Ankia Naat)ভাওনা
The classical Vaishnav theatre-dance of the Majuli sattras — performed in the sattras (monasteries) of Assam since the 16th century as an offering of devotion to Vishnu and Krishna.
Performing ArtHaryana
Saangसांग
The folk-theatre of Haryana — a play-and-dance of the rural Jat communities, performed at the Teej, Gugga Naumi and Holi festivals with vigorous dance-narration.
Performing ArtAndhra Pradesh
Burra Kathaబుర్ర కథ
The oral-storytelling-and-dance tradition of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana — a troupe-of-three performance narrating epic tales with song, dance and tambura accompaniment, developed into a propaganda medium during the Telangana Rebellion.
Performing ArtAndhra Pradesh
Tholu Bommalataతోలు బొమ్మలాట
The leather-shadow-puppet theatre of Andhra Pradesh — performed by troupes casting colourful leather puppets against a back-lit screen to enact the Ramayana and the Puranas, with drum-and-vocal accompaniment.