List of traditional Indian theatre explained

Kutiyattam is the only surviving specimen of the ancient Sanskrit theatre, thought to have originated around the beginning of the Common Era, and is officially recognised by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In addition, many forms of Indian folk theatre abound.[1] They are listed below.

TheatreState/RegionOriginatedFeaturesExponents
Enactment of religious episodes from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavata by Mana-bhatas
Written in an artificial old medieval period poetic Assamese and Maithili mixed language called Brajavali and are primarily centered on Krishna, which usually combine live instruments and singers, dance and elaborate costumes in production
it consists of unique combinations of dance, drama and acting
Hela Khayal DangalRajasthan
Kathakatha
Kerala
Pala
Rabana ChhayaOrissaShadow puppetry
Tang-ta
TholpavakoothuKerala
Wari-leeba

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dharwadker, Aparna. Theatres of Independence: Drama, Theory, And Urban Performance in India. 2005. University of Iowa Press. 0877459614.
  2. Book: Dalal, Roshen. Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. 17.
  3. Book: Datta, Amaresh. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. 1987. Sahitya Akademi. 8126018038.