Believed to be a regional variant of Yakshagana, Krishna Parijatha is a popular theatrical folk art form of Northern Karnataka. The origin of this art form is closely related to Lord Krishna and His consorts Rukmini and Sathyabama.

Between the two, Rukmini is known for her devotion and Bhakthi Bhava, a kind of spiritual inclination surrendering totally to the Lord. This opinion of Lord Krishna made Sathyabama quite jealous and angry. Amidst this, Lord Krishna offered the Parijatha flower given by the celestial God Indra to Rukmini appreciating her devotion. This act of Lord Krishna made Sathyabama more ferocious and she compelled Lord Krishna to bring the entire Parijatha tree for her.

This sequence of events is enacted in the dance drama and sometimes the lead singer manages the entire event with the help of a clown or vidushaka. There are also several other plots taken from Ramayana and Mahabharatha, the greatest of Hindu Epics. It is the team’s choice to go for prose or verse forms of the events and the entire show is planned to be held onoy during night time.

Though the entire Krishna Parijatha drama is based on the historic events and sequences from Puranas, many times the audience enjoy the impromptu improvisations on stage making the show more vibrant and colourful.

The eclectic performances of all the artistes who have taken up the role of Rukmini, Sathyabama, Lord Krishna and Saint Narada make us forget that it is mere a show and we get involved in their expressions and bodily movements as if we are living with them in the historic days. Include a time frame to watch Krishna Parijatha in your bucket list while touring across Northern Karnataka.