Pili Vesha in ('' Tulu'': ಪಿಲಿ ಏಸ) "Tiger

Masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A masq ...

" is a folk dance unique in coastal

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Pilivēṣa is performed during

Navratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is o ...

to honour the Goddess

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around c ...

whose favoured animal is the

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

. Which is called mārnemi.

Mangalore Dasara The Mangalore Dasara ( Tulu: Marnemi, Konkani: Mannami), is a festival in the Indian city of Mangalore organized by Acharya Mutt. It is also referred as Navarathri Festival, Vijayadashami. The tiger dance, lion dance and bear dance are the mai ...

is one of the festivals during which large number of enthusiasts participate in this ritual. It was originated in Udupi District of Karnataka and initially performed during the Krishna Janmashtami/ Mosarukudike and

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...

Chaturthi Chaturthi () refers to the fourth day of a lunar fortnight in the Hindu calendar. Festivals * Karak Chaturthi (''Karvā Chauth''): It is celebrated on ''Chaturthī'' of Krishna Paksha (waning lunar phase) of Kārtika Month as per the ''Purni ...

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ke ...

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

Moodabidri Moodabidri ( kn, ಮೂಡುಬಿದಿರೆ ''Mūḍubidire''; also called Mudbidri, Moodbidre and Bedra), is a town and taluk in Dakshina Kannada district. It lies 34 km northeast of the district headquarters, Mangalore, in Karna ...

Kundapur Kundapur, also called Kundapura, is a coastal town situated in the Udupi district of the state of Karnataka, India. This town was known as Coondapoor while it was part of the erstwhile South Canara district (1862–1947) of the Madras Pre ...

and many other places in

Tulu Nadu Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, ar ...

. Typically, young males form troops of five to ten members or more, which will have three to five males painted and costumed to look like tigers, and a band called ''thaase'' in Tulu with two or three drummers. This troop is accompanied by the manager of the group. During Navratri, these troops will be roaming the streets of their towns, with the accompanying drum beats of their bands. They stop at homes and businesses or on the roadsides to perform for about ten minutes after which they collect some money from the people who have observed their performance. The troops perform until the last day of Navratri, and almost all of them form part of the Sharada processions organized by various temples such as Mangaladevi, Gokarnanatheshwara and Venkatramana temple. After the procession is over, performances are stopped and the paint is removed.

Costumes

While ''Pili'' means "tiger" in Tulu, dancers also painted themselves with leopard or

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

motifs. The costumes may vary depending on the place, costumes used in

is different compared to

Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven talu ...

. Each person will be wearing just a knicker/shorts, which usually has a tiger-skin motif. The rest of his bare body and face is painted with various designs that denote tigers, cheetahs, and leopards. A headgear or mask made of fake fur and sometimes a tail is worn to complete the ensemble. The paint causes a burning sensation on the skin. But this is endured by the persons to be part of the celebrations and also to earn some extra money in the holiday season. Originally people used to do this as a part of a religious vow. The paint is kept on the body for a couple of days and repainted or retouched as desired.

Skills

The skills may vary from person to person and the basic skill required is to know the tiger dance steps which requires one to have enough stamina. Usual skills performed by the artists are Fire breathing,

Hand walking Hand walking is an unusual form of human locomotion in which a person travels in a vertically inverted orientation with all body weight resting on the hands. It can be executed with legs fully extended or with variations such as stag, straddle or ...

Handstand __NOTOC__ A handstand is the act of supporting the body in a stable, inverted vertical position by balancing on the hands. In a basic handstand, the body is held straight with arms and legs fully extended, with hands spaced approximately shoulder- ...

gymnastic Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

moves, picking money from mouth by bending backwards and lifting akkimudi (rice tied in straw, weighing 42 kg!) in their teeth and throwing it backwards etc.

In popular culture

The 2014

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

movie Ulidavaru Kandanthe featured Tiger dance where one of the character (actor

Achyuth Kumar Achyuth Kumar is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. Born in the town of Belur, in the district of Hassan and brought up in Tiptur. He graduated in bachelor of commerce from the Kalpatharu First Grade College, which was ...

) belongs to the Pilivesha troop. Also, there is a song titled "Pilivesha Beats" completely dedicated to tiger dance. The 2021 movie Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana also had a brief history and featured Pili Vesha where the character of Shiva (actor

Raj B. Shetty Raj B. Shetty is an Indian actor, Film Director, director, and screenwriter who works in Kannada film industry. He gained recognition through his directorial debut, ''Ondu Motteya Kathe'' (2017), which was a huge commercial success. He furthe ...

) danced, the tiger dance, with the song "Sojugada sooju mallige"

Gallery

File:Hulivesha Barke (2).jpg, Pilivesa painting File:Hulivesha Barke (5).jpg, Pilivesa Painting Barke Friends File:Hulivesha Barke (8).jpg, Pilivesa Painting Barke Friends File:Hulivesha Barke (12).jpg, PilivesaPainting Appe pili File:Hulivesha Barke (17).jpg, Pilivesamask File:Hulivesha Barke (18).jpg, PilivesaPainting Barke Friends File:Hulivesha Barke (20).jpg, PilivesaPainting Barke Friends File:Hulivesha Barke (27).jpg, Pilivesa Painting for a kid File:Hulivesha Barke (24).jpg, Painting Barke For a kid

References

{{Dance in India Hindu festivals Festivals in Karnataka Hinduism in Karnataka Dakshina Kannada district Udupi district Religious festivals in India Dance festivals in India Culture of Tulu Nadu Culture of Mangalore

Costumes

Skills

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References