Yakshagana guru Gopalakrishna Kurup passes away

Yakshagana guru Gopalakrishna Kurup passes away

Mangalore Today News Network

Kasaragod, March 20, 2025: Yakshagana scholar, teacher, and maddale player B. Gopalakrishna Kurup passed away at Nileshwar in Kasaragod (Kerala) on Tuesday night. He was 90.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.

Hailing from Kerala, he had settled in Shishila, Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada. He had received the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and Udupi Yakshagana Kalaranga award.  Kurup had deep knowledge in playing both maddale and chende and in ‘bhagavathike.’

In an effort to create a treatise for the Himmela of Yakshagana, Kurup wrote and published the Kannada work  Tenkutittu-Prathamika Yakshagana Patagalu.

His other two prominent works are Tenkutittu Yakshagana Maddale Vaadana Krama and Tenkutittu Yakshagana Chende Vaadana Krama. Kurup’s autobiography is titled Chende-Maddalegala Naduve.

He had performed in Yakshagana touring troupes like Dharmasthala, Karnataka, Ira, Ballambettu and Karnataka Kalavihara.

Condoling Kurup’s death, Murali Kadekar, secretary, Yakshagana Kalaranga, Udupi, said in a statement: “His separate work titled Ttittitte, written as part of his study on Yakshagana rhythm is a testament to his scholarship.”  

President of Kalaranga M. Gangadhar Rao condoled his death.