Culture

                     The coastal districts of Karnataka, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, collectively known as Tulu Nadu have always been unique from the rest of Karnataka.
Yakshagana
Yakshagana ( ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ) is a musical dance drama popular in coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. It is  evolved from pre-classical music and theatre.Yakshagana is popular in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada,and Shimoga of Karnataka and Kasaragod district of Kerala. Yakshagana is gaining popularity in Bengaluru since a few years.It has drawn comparisons to the Western tradition of opera. Actors wear costumes and enact various roles. Traditionally, Yakshagana would go on all night. It is sometimes simply called as Aataa in both Kannada and Tulu, meaning "play" Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India

Yakshagana consists of a Himmela (background musicians) and a Mummela (dance and dialog group) which together perform a Yakshaga Prasanga. Himmela consisting of Bhagawata who is also the facilitator (singer), Maddale, Harmonium for drone (Pungi was used earlier) and Chande (loud drums). The music is based on pre-Karnataka Sangeetha Ragas characterised by melodic patterns called Mattu and Yakshagana Tala. Yakshagana Talas are believed to be based on the groves which later have evolved into Karnataka Sangeetha Talas. Both Yakshagana Raga and Yakshagana Tala have some folk influence. A Yakshagana performance begins at the twilight hours with the beating of several fixed compositions on drums called Abbara or Peetike, for up to an hour before the 'actors' get on the stage. The actors wear resplendent costumes, head-dresses, and face paints which they paint themselves.

A performance usually depicts a story from the Hindu epics and puranas. It consists of a narrator (Baghawatha) who either narrates the story by singing or sings pre-composed dialogs of characters, backed by musicians playing on traditional musical instruments as the actors dance to the music, with actions that portray the story as it is being narrated. All the components of Yakshagana, music, dance and dialog are improvised. Depending on the ability and scholarship of the actors, variation in dance and amount of dialog may change. It is not uncommon for actors to get into philosophical debates or arguments without going out of the framework of the character being enacted. 


Bhuta Kola

Bhoota Kola (Tulu:ಭೂತ ಕೋಲ) or Holy Spirit Worship is an ancient ritual form of worship prevalent among the Tulu-speaking community in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and Kasaragod taluk in Kerala alternatively known as Tulu Nadu. The origin of Bhuta Kola is difficult to trace. It can be considered as a complex mixture of beliefs, rituals, literature, music and theatrical elements. The spirits or the bhutas worshipped are considered to be the guardians of the villages, blessing and protecting the villagers and their livestock. Many of these spirits are said to be attendants of Lord Shiva or ganas.Important aspects of Bhuta Kola are possession, trance and the dialogue of the possessed impersonator with the devotees. The Bhuta impersonator behaves like an incarnation of a concerned spirit, listening, solving problems, warning, comforting the devotees. He acts as a healer and solves the legal and judicial problems of the village.

The people of Tulu Nadu follow a tradition of dual worship that includes worshipping the puranic Gods as well as the local spirits. The puranic Gods are worshipped in temple under the leadership of Brahmin priests and the devotees are mere spectators receiving offerings and as such cannot be approached directly. On the other hand, the spirits are the localized and personalized deities who share a more intimate relationship with the devotees. The spirits have fixed spheres of influence and are generally associated with a family or village or region and the devotees offer them periodic oblation. In turn, the spirits protect the villagers and their livestock from danger and warn them as and when necessary

The night long ceremonies begins in a well decorated arena or pandal that gives the appearance of a ritualistic stage with the image of the deity and other objects of worship well arranged on one side and the disciplined devotees on the other side. The musicians, accompanied with drums and wind instruments are seated on another side are ready to provide beats of varying tempo for different stages in the processions. The pandal is well decorated with various figures made from palm leaf, mango leaf and areca flower.The person who invokes the bhuta or the spirit dresses up in a colourful costumes, complete with a sword, bells and other such accessories. He is slowly prepared for self-hypnotism and for imposing the spirit on him. He is ceremoniously given oil for a ritual bath to make his body physically purified and mentally calm. Pastes from plant extract are used as a makeup for the impersonator. Different colors are used to symbolically display the characteristic features of the spirit. His wife, sister or mother sings the ballad or paād-danāas which narrates the birth of that spirit, its descent into the land, heroic deeds, its travels and sphere of influence etc.
The spirits and folk deities worshipped and the dances performed in Tulu Nadu can be classified into the following categories:

The spirits of totemic origin: Annappa Panjurli (boar), Mula mysondaya(buffalo), Pili Chamundi (tiger)

Mother Goddesses : Varte,lakkesiri, Ullaalti, Maariamma, Arasu Kuriyadithai

Attendants or Ganas of Lord Shiva : Virabhadra, Guliga, Baikadthi, nenjacanya.

Incarnations of puranic Gods : Vishnumurti,  Ermeru, Jataadhari, Vaidyanatha, Jumadi, Brahmer,Chaundi

Spirits of cultural heroes : Koti and Chennayya, Kalkuda-Kallurti, Siri, Daiva Raja Koteda Babbu, Koraga-Taniya, Bobbarya, Wayandu daiva, Jarandaya, Kodamandaya, Babbarya, Abbage Darage,

Nagaradhane

Nagaradhane (Tulu:ನಾಗಾರಾಧನೆ) is a form of snake worship which, along with Bhuta Kola, is one of the unique traditions prevalent in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod. The snake worship rituals practiced in Tulu Nadu are quite unique and different from the other rituals. Snakes have their own snake shrines in a sacred grove known as Nagabana. The shrines have images of cobras carved of stones. Accordingly, nobody is allowed to chop the tree near the Nagabana. It is also believed that snakes, specifically the cobras, are not be harmed or killed by anyone. If harmed, the individual has to perform a ritual to cleanse the sin of killing or harming the snake. The belief is that the individual who refuses to perform the ritual will be cursed by the snake for eternity.
It can also be noted that in Tulu Nadu or the South Canara region in Karnataka, agriculture is predominant that too paddy is the main crop. In these fields snakes help in saving the crop from rodents. This can be a plausible reason for worship of snakes in line with other nature worships such as cow and the banyan tree. Nagabanas or the sacred groves are deemed to be the resting place of the Snake God. Cutting of trees or defacing the grove is considered as sacrilege. People are wary of the wrath unleashed by the deity. Nagabanas have largely remained unspoilt and have contributed immensely to the preservation of valuable trees and medicinal plants in tulu nadu.

There are two distinct rituals performed in reverence to the snake. They are, Aashleshabali and Nagamandala. Of these, Nagamandala is longer and colourful than Aashleshabali. Nagamandala depicts the divine union of male and female snakes. It is generally performed by two priests. The first priest, called as patri inhales the areca flower and becomes the male snake. The second priest, called as Nagakannika or the female snake dances and sings around an elaborate serpent design drawn with natural colours on the sacred ground. The ritual is supplemented by playing an hour glass shaped instrument called as Dakke. The drawings in five different colours on the sacred ground are white (white mud), red (mix of lime powder and turmeric powder), green (green leaves powder), yellow (turmeric powder) and black (roasted and powdered paddy husk). Aashleshabali is similar nature to the after death rituals performed for the humans as per the Hindu tradition.The ritual, centered around the serpent design, continues till early in the morning. A similar kind of ritual is found in Kerala and is known as Sarpam Thullal and Sarpam Kali. All communities of tulu nadu revere snakes.

Cockfight
A cockfight is a blood sport between two roosters (cocks or rasmus'), held in a ring called a cockpit

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Kambala- The Bull Race

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