Proliferation of Yakshagana Mysore literature in Kannada

part of kaushika ramayana of 18th century



part of kannada epic gokarna mahatme of 18th century

during first half of 18th century mysore s independence delicately balanced, incumbent kings accepting either nominal subordination or strategic alliance larger power, mughals of northern india, paying tribute while keeping marathas (baji rao i) of deccan plateau @ bay. 1830s, kings came under sway of powerful dalavoy (or dalwai, prime minister) nanjaraja (or nanjarajaiah) , sarvadhikari (chief minister) devaraja (or devarajaiah), influential kalale brothers of nanjangud. during period, literary contributions made members of royal family including king narasaraja wodeyar ii, nanjaraja , queen cheluvambe.

yakshagana, rustic form of theatre draws upon themes hindu epics, ramayana, mahabharata , bhagavata, has established history in kannada speaking region of on 400 years. in rudimentary form, script of play contains prasanga (poetic songs) sung bhagavata (musician), improvised matu (dialogue) added. witty comments interjected hasyagaras (clowns). musical instruments include maddale , chende (types of drums), , sruti (harmonium-like instrument). rangasthala (acting arena) temple compound, open space near patron s house or clearing in paddy field. sugriva vijaya (mid-16th century) kandukuru rudrakavi 1 of earliest available manuscripts of yakshagana play. based on story of ape-like humanoid king sugriva overthrew powerful brother vali regain kingdom in hindu epic ramayana. while scholars such m.m bhat, shivarama karanth , r.r. diwakar have proposed various theories origin , forerunners of yakshagana art, n. venkata rao, editor of southern school in telugu literature (1960), gives credit of writing earliest available yakshagana plays include sangita (music), nataka (drama) , natya (dance) polyglot king of mysore, narasaraja ii (r. 1704–1714). king proficient in kannada, sanskrit, telugu, tamil , prakrit. fourteen yakshagana compositions, written in various languages in kannada script, discovered @ government manuscripts library in chennai. 19th century, yakshagana had become popular in mysore , nearby yelandur, stage troupes active.