Keremane Shambhu Hegde Rashtriya Natyotsava

An Incredible Cultural Extravaganza in a Coastal Village

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The Keremane Shambhu Hegde Rashtriya Natyotsava is the flagship annual cultural festival of Sri Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, organised in memory of the legendary Yakshagana maestro Late Shri Keremane Shambhu Hegde, whose artistic vision transformed the landscape of traditional Yakshagana through innovation, scholarship, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

Established to celebrate India's extraordinary performing arts heritage, the festival has grown into one of the country's most distinctive rural cultural events, bringing together eminent artistes, scholars, students, and audiences from across India and abroad.

Held annually over five days at the picturesque Yakshāngana Campus in Gunavante, Karnataka, the festival presents a vibrant celebration of classical, folk, tribal, and contemporary performing arts. Alongside performances, the festival features lecture-demonstrations, artist interactions, panel discussions, children's programmes, workshops, and cultural conversations that encourage meaningful dialogue between artists and audiences.

Over the years, the festival has welcomed some of India's finest artistic traditions, including Yakshagana, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Chhau, Gotipua, Hindustani and Carnatic classical music, as well as numerous folk, tribal, and theatre traditions from across the country.

One of the festival's defining features is its unique setting. Instead of a metropolitan auditorium, nationally acclaimed artists perform in the serene rural landscape of Gunavante, creating an inspiring atmosphere where world-class performances become accessible to local communities, students, researchers, and visitors alike.

The festival is completely free and open to the public, reflecting the Mandali's commitment to making art accessible to everyone irrespective of background or circumstance.

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Objectives

The Rashtriya Natyotsava seeks to:

• Celebrate and preserve India's rich performing arts heritage.

• Create meaningful dialogue between artists, scholars, students, and audiences.

• Introduce rural communities to some of the country's finest artistic traditions.

• Inspire young people through direct interaction with nationally and internationally acclaimed performers.

• Encourage cultural exchange across diverse artistic traditions.

• Strengthen appreciation for India's living heritage through performance, education, and community participation.

 

Impact

• Annual five-day national performing arts festival

• Over 8,000 visitors each year.

• Features leading classical, folk, tribal, theatre, and music traditions from across India.

• Includes performances, workshops, lecture-demonstrations, children's programmes, and scholarly discussions.

• Provides free public access, making high-quality cultural experiences available to rural audiences.

• Serves as a vibrant platform for cultural dialogue, artistic collaboration, and heritage preservation.

Every winter, the Yakshāngana Campus transforms into a living celebration of India's artistic diversity, where generations of artists and audiences come together to learn, perform, celebrate, and strengthen the enduring spirit of Indian culture.

 

Participate

The Mandali welcomes performers, scholars, cultural institutions, volunteers, sponsors, and art enthusiasts who wish to become part of the festival.

For performance proposals, collaborations, sponsorship opportunities, or volunteer enquiries, please contact us through the Mandali's official contact channels.

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