Performing Art · Karnataka

Yakshagana

ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ

Coastal Karnataka's night-long dance-drama, blending stylised movement, live percussion and sung narration to stage the Hindu epics.

Dance Theatre & Puppetry

Understand

Where Yakshagana comes from

Yakshagana developed in coastal Karnataka several centuries ago, blending dance, dialogue, music, elaborate costume and makeup to stage stories from the Hindu epics through the night.

How it's practiced

A troupe performs on an open-air stage from dusk to dawn, with a lead singer (bhagavata) narrating the story while actor-dancers respond in stylised movement and improvised dialogue, backed by live percussion.

Yakshagana is not simply a dance. It combines dance, theatre, music, dialogue and storytelling. The performer uses the entire body to portray a character and move the story forward.

From discovery to practice

The Journey

Understand

Where Yakshagana comes from, why it started, and what it means today.

See it

Catch it live at Mahashivaratri, Hampi Utsava.

Experience it

Request a booking to watch Yakshagana performed live — with the option to meet the practitioners afterwards.

Practice

Hire Yakshagana performers for your community, college or government event.

Experience it

Book the Yakshagana experience

Want to watch Yakshagana performed live? Tell us when and where you'd like to experience it, and we'll confirm the details.

Bring it to your event

Hire Yakshagana performers for your community, college or government event

Every performer WRIKSH connects you with has been personally verified. Tell us the occasion — a community celebration, a college festival, a government program — and we'll find the right group.

See it