Yakshagana. 

'Yaksha' means demigod and 'Gana' means song, thus these are the songs of the demigods. It is predominantly performed in the coastal regions of Karnataka. Yakshagana has ritualistic elements, such as the invocation of deities and the performance of certain ceremonies, that are designed to create a sacred and spiritual atmosphere. Considering it is a ritualistic dance, there is a direct intervention of mythology as much as there is aesthetics. 

This originated during the Bhakti Movement, conveys moralistic and mythological stories through dance, dialogues and songs. The musical instrument that largely accompanies is Chenda, a percussion instrument. The dance form is a collaboration of dance, music, dialogues and costumes (Ashton, 1969, p. 149). Yakshagana encompasses themes and stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Though it is regarded as a folk art form, it has a strong inclination towards classical dance. It derives aspects from Rasa Theory in Natya Shastra by Bharatanuni when it comes to its dance-drama aspects. It was initially performed as court music as is stated in the existing literary evidence. Despite the rich history it has, there is less focus on how mythological narratives like Puranas, Itihasas and others influence the form and its practitioners which is analyzed in the article.

Traditionally, Yakshagana commences with Pooja (prayer) in the late evening and goes on for the entire night up until dawn. It is also called Yakshagana Bayatala as Bayatala means "Open-air field".  It is Tala Maddala when it is performed indoors or within walls. (Ashton, 1969, p. 151). Over the decades, the duration has been reduced owing to the increasing attention popular culture and social media receive in a fast paced world.

Earlier forms of Gandhara-grama and Madhyama-Grama (a group of musical notes starting from Gandhara and Madhyama, respectively) have given rise to Yakshagana. They do not have any direct resemblance to any Kannada literature but have prosodic achievements of their own. The lyrics are rich in both form and content. The songs consist of over 120 ragas which are presented with different permutations of rasas and ragas, of which a lot of them are not remembered now. (Ashton, 1969, p. 153).

Plays were written on palm leaves in ancient days which are considered reservoirs of a tradition now. Palm leaves manuscripts of 1765 and 1775 are found and interpreted. There are performing troupes which learned and practiced this form for over 150 years near the Kanara coast. (154).

Costumes play a significant role in giving life to the character. The nuances and changes in costumes helps the audience understand the narrative better. It further makes it easy for the audience to differentiate between the protagonist and the antagonist. The characters carry a sense of heroism and intensity. Since it is a performative art, they are far more idealized. Make-up artists indulge in creativity when it comes to bringing various characters to life. However it is to be noted that experienced dancers do not always rely on make-up artists to get ready. This adds one's personality to the art through the makeup. 

Chivalrous heroes wear pink or yellow flour bases with similar shades but are differentiated through their headgear. Commoners in the play wear loose attire and women wear sarees. The terrifying characters wear a white base with a mustache made of black cotton. "Ear decoration, chest decoration, necklaces, epaulets, bracelets, beaded girdles" are common for all the main characters. (Ashton, 1969, p. 151).

Through an ethnographic study, the relationship between Yakshagana and Mythology was analyzed and the learnings can be found below.