List of Yakshagana artists

Over the centuries, hundreds of Yakshagana artists have performed this semi-classical art form and some of the artists gained star value in coastal areas of Karnataka, India.

Background Singers or Bhagawataru

Tenkutittu

Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha (Sr), Puttige Ramakrishna Jois, Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha (Jr), Damodara Mandechcha, Nalluru Mariyappa Achar, Agari Srinivasa Bhagavatha, Agari Raghurama Bhagavatha, Kadathoka Manjunatha Bhagavatha, Padyana Ganapathi Bhat, Padyana Govinda Bhatt, Puttige Raghurama Holla, Siribagilu Ramakrishna Mayya, Tenkabail Thirumaleshwara Shastry, Kuriya Ganapathi Shastry, Maindappa Rai, Dinesh Ammannaya, Polya Laxminarayana Shetty, Balipa Prasada Bhagavatha, Balipa Gopalakrishna Bhagavatha, Balipa Shivashankara Bhagavatha, Kubanuru Sridhara Rao, Raghavendra Mayya, Hosamoole Ganesha Bhat, Smt. Leelavathi Baipadithaya (The only lady singer in Yakshagana [Tenkutittu]), Bottikere Purushothama Poonja, Andala Deviprasad Shetty, Ravichandra Kannadikatte, Praphullachandra Nelyadi, Pattla Satish Shetty and οthers.

Badagutittu

Kadatoka Manjunath Bhagavata, Kadatoka Krishna Bhagavatharu, Nebbooru Narayana Hegde, Hosthota Manjunath Bhat (Famous yakshagana poet also), Naranappa Uppoor GR Kalinga Navada, Subramanya Dhareshwara, K P Hegade Golagodu, Heranjal Gopala Ganiga, H Suresh Shetty, Vidhwan Ganapathi Bhat, Gopal Bhat, Jogi, Raghavendra Maiya, Raghavendra Achari, Nelluru Narayana, Kolagi Keshava Hegde, Kolagi Madhava Bhat, Narayana Shabaraya, A T Yejneshwara Sagara, Vishweshwara Somayaji, Maravanthe Narasimha Das Bhagavath, Maravanthe Shrinivasa Das Bhagavath, Marvi Vadiraja Hebbar, Sarveshvar Hegde Murooru, Shankar Bhat Brahmooru, Ramkrishna Hegde Hilluru, Prasanna Bhat Bhalkala, Kappekere Subraya Bhagavat, Ira Gopala Krishna Bhagavata.

Background instrumentalists

Badagutittu

Maddale : Hiriyadka Gopala Rao, Durgappa Gudigar, Shankar Bhagavata Yellapura, Chande: Ramkrishna Mandarti

Tenkutittu

Kudrekudlu Ram Bhat, Nidle Narasimha Bhat, Divana Bhim Bhat, Adur Krishna, Kasaragod Venkataramana, Chipparu Krishnayya Ballal, Bandedka Sunder Rao, Kadaba Narayana Achari, Mambady Subrahmanya Bhat, Padyana Shankaranarayana Bhat, Padyana Jayaram Bhat, Padmanabha Upadhyaya, Delanthamajalu Subrahmanya Bhat, Adur Ganesh Rao, Subrahmanya Shastri, Chaithanya Krishna Padyana and οthers.

Dancers

Badagutittu

Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, Vandaru Basava, Keremane Mahabala Hegde, Shankaranarayana Samaga, Jayrama Shetty Hallady, Kodadakuli Ramachandra Hegde H. Kusta Ganiga, Veerabhadra Nayak, Srinivasa Nayak Sakkattu Lakshminarayana

Thenkutittu

Sheni Gopalakrishna Bhat, Kumble Sundar Rao, Siddakatte Chennappa Shetty