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Mrigakshi - Intern, Manjusha Museum
Pilivesha at Amrutavarshini, Dharmasthala, by Classic Tigers
Around the months of September and October each year, as the ten day festival of Dussera approaches, boys and men in the Dakshin Kannada in southwest India, in the region of Karnataka, prepare to become the character of a tiger in terms of looks and certain traits. The tiger, the Goddess Durga’s steed, is an animal that is at once fierce and beautiful, an emblem of wild majesty. It so happens that the thick forests of the Western Ghats that run through the area are among the few landscapes in India, home to Panthera tigris tigris, the Bengal tiger.
Hulivesha or pilivesha/piliyesa loosely translates as tiger dance, and is a traditional folk art of Tulu Nadu region (comprising Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts) of Karnataka. The dance is performed mainly during Krishna Janmashtami in Udupi district and Dussera in Mangalore. This dance form is part of the spectrum of folklore practiced to appease animal spirits. The earliest recorded pilivesha was in 1928.
From Street to Stage - The Changing face of Pilivesha
Once performed in the narrow lanes of Dakshina Kannada as a neighbourhood ritual, Pilivesha has syeadily grown into ine of the region’s most iconic cultural expressions. In earlier times, it was the pastime of local youth during navratri. Boys and men painting themselves as tigers, moving from door to door, dancing to the pulse of taase and collecting offerings for community feasts. The stage was the street, the audience their own neighbours. Over the decades, this humble folk performance has transformed.
Today, pilivesha is not only seen in localities but also showcased at grand processions during Mangalore Dussera, in competitions for children and even in organised troupes that tour cultural festivals. What began as an act of devotion has now become a marker of coastal Karnataka’s identity, blending faith with performing art. But beneath the brighter lights and larger audiences, the heart of Pilivesha remains unchanged. The fierce stripes, the thundering drums and the community’s shared joy in seeing the tiger return to their streets each year.
Pilivesha performance near Annappa Swami Temple, Dharmasthala
Udu Pooja, before the start of the performance
Ritualistic & Religious Significance of Pilivesha in Coastal Karnataka
In Dharmasthala, during Navratri, Pilivesha takes on its most sacred form. Tiger dancers lead the grand processions of the Sri Manjunatha Temple, their painted bodies and roaring drums transforming devotion into movement, echoing centuries of faith and ritual.
As Goddess Sharada and the Navadurgas emerge from the Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple during Mangalore Dasara, tiger dancers surge ahead. Their stripes echoing her power, their leaps her courage, their roars her arrival. To the thunder of chende drums, Durga’s myth becomes a living scene on the streets. Across the coast, at the Mangaladevi, Kateel Durgaparameshwari, and Kudupu Ananta Padmanabha temples – Pilivesha guards the processions and carries the festival’s heartbeat.
From home to home the dancers move, accepting offerings, blessing families, carrying forward a tradition as old as the waves that strike the coast. Here Pili Vesha is an offering of body and spirit that turns streets into sanctuaries.
The Art of Becoming the Tiger A Behind the Scenes Look at Pilivesha
For the men and boys who take part in the dance, it is an extraordinary time for a period of a day or two atleast where they cease to be ordinary people engaged in the mundane routines of everyday life. Donning the tiger stripes is a form of worship, a mode of penance, and a path to wish fulfillment.
The smell of paint once was the scent of crushed roots and barks, colours coaxed from forest earth. Today it is the sharper tang of oil paint and distemper. It clings heavy and wet, stinging pores, leaving a ghost of itch and burn for days after the drums grow silent. Still the dancers open their arms to it, surrendering body and comfort to become the tiger as a price of devotion to the Goddess and her fierce steed.
The painting begins at dawn. First comes a wash of yellow and white, laid patiently over the skin until the bodies glow. Thirty or forty dancers queue in a quiet discipline, waiting for the colour to dry before the black stripes can be drawn. Hours pass in this process; legs apart, arms outstretched, hands gripping a rope strung across the room for balance.
Finally come the eyes and the last fine strokes of the brush. The paint glistens under the light, the bodies stiff but alive with anticipation. Waiting for the paint to dry is more than a necessity; it is part of the test, part of the offering. Only after this long, quiet labour does the tiger truly emerge, ready to roar through the streets of Dakshina Kannada.
Pilivesha accompanied by the trumping beats of Taase
The Rhythm of Roar
Music, Drums, and Energy in Pilivesha
The tiger does not dance alone it moves to the heartbeat of the taase, the powerful drum that sets the pace for every leap, crouch, and prowling step. Its deep, resonant tones echo through the streets, pulling spectators into the performance and charging the air with anticipation. Accompanying the taase are other percussion instruments like the chende and maddale, each adding layers of rhythm, while cymbals and, at times, the harmonium provide melodic accents. Together, they create a dynamic soundscape that guides the dancers, animates the tiger’s movements, and transforms streets into stages. In Pilivesha, the music is more than accompaniment; it is part of the ritual itself. The drummers and musicians engage in a dialogue with the dancers, building tension, releasing energy, and keeping the tiger alive with every beat. The rhythm pulses like a living heartbeat, ensuring that both performers and audience experience the power, devotion, and exhilaration of this centuries-old folk tradition.
Pilivesha and Identity: Preserving Folk Traditions in Modern Dakshina Kannada
With the passage of time and the fading of tigers from Tulu Nadu, Pilivesha has metamorphosed from a humble harvest ritual and devotional offering into a vibrant, competitive spectacle, with troupes vying for patronage and acclaim. The tiger’s representation has broadened from a singular emblem of power and triumph to include the tigress with her cubs (appe huli atta), embodying maternal strength and protection. In this evolution, the individual performer often recedes, giving prominence to the grandeur of the performance itself.
yet, amid the surge of malls, high-rises, and bustling streets, Pilivesha continues to roar, asserting the region’s cultural identity. Beyond mere spectacle, it preserves the intricate rhythms, dialects, and ritual traditions of Tulu Nadu. For the dancers, the act of painting their bodies, rehearsing, and visiting neighbourhoods revives communal bonds frayed by modern life. Even as troupes embrace social media, LED illumination, and formal stages, the dance begins as it always has in narrow lanes, temple courtyards, and fishing hamlets. Thus, Hulivesha endures as both living heritage and a testament to the enduring spirit of the coast.
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Photo Courtesy
Classic Tigers, Dharmasthala
Article by Mrigakshi, Intern, Manjusha Museum
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