Sundar Rao opens ‘Yakshamangala'

The “Yakshamangala” Yakshanagana museum was inaugurated here on Monday by Yakshagana artiste and president of the Yakshagana Byalata Academy Kumble Sundar Rao.

The museum is part of Dr. P. Dayanand Pai and P. Satish Pai Yakshagana Adhyayana Kendra under the Department of Kannada at Mangalore University.

Speaking after inauguration, Mr. Rao said that there was a need to include articles related to the Badagu Thittu school of Yakshagana. The museum now focused only on the Thenku Thittu school of Yakshagana.

Artistes who had contributed to the art should not be forgotten. The museum should become a centre where all articles, prasangas and literature related to the art should become available along with a guide to provide explanation, he said.

Director of the kendra K. Chinnappa Gowda, who is also the Registrar of the university, said that the museum had been set up at a cost Rs. 18 lakh donated by P. Dayanand Pai, Managing Director of Century Builders, Bangalore.

Yakshagana artiste M. Prabhakar Joshi said the inauguration of the museum was a big day in the history of Yakshagana.

The first Yakshamangala Prashasti was presented to Kadathoka Manjunatha Bhagwat by Vice-Chancellor T.C. Shivashankar Murthy in a ceremony. Artiste Jeevanram Sullia and others who helped in setting up the museum were felicitated.