Bayalāṭa (, or Bayalāṭada ) is a generic term for all open air theatre form, including form of

Yakshagana Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, found in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod district and Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur district, Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Keral ...

found in southern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n region of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

.The Mask and the Message By Ke Chinnappa Gauḍa · Madipu Prakashana, 2005. pp. 76 It features stories from

Indian epic poetry Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called ''Kavya'' (or ''Kāvya''; Sanskrit: काव्य, IAST: ''kāvyá''). The ''Ramayana'' and the '' Mahabharata'', which were originally composed i ...

and the

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

rendered as dance and drama. ''Bayalāṭa'' means ''open theater drama'' and marks the end of harvest season The most popular theme for ''bayalāṭa'' is the story of Kōṭi and Cennayya, which has deep-rooted significance for the people of

Tulu Nadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and Proposed states and union territories of India, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu language, Tulu, a Dravidian langu ...

. There are generally five types of Bayalayas – Dasarat, Sannata, Doddata, Parikatha, and Yakshanaga. Parijat and Yakshagana are narrated by single sutradhar while other three forms are performed in chorus of three-four, aided by Vidhushaka. The

stage is set before the village temple on a sandy beach or in open fields. A low platform about 16' 10 20' with

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

poles at each corner

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. In contemporary times ...

ed with flowers, plantain and

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

leaves, and roofed with matted

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

leaves. At sunset the sound of a ''

chande The ''chande'' is a drum used in the traditional and classical music of South India and particularly in Yakshagana theatre art of Karnataka. It follows the Yakshagana Tala system. The rhythms are based on pre-classical music forms that Carnat ...

'', a high pitched drum, announces forthcoming performances.

References

Arts of Karnataka Theatre of India Classical theatre of india {{Karnataka-stub