This years annual dusk to dawn dance and music festival Thunga Mahotsava will be held along the banks of river Tunga at Teerthahalli, Shimoga District, Karnataka, India. The press release after the break.

For the fifth consecutive year, Tunga Mahotsava will be celebrated in Teerthahalli village. Dancers and musicians belonging to Karnataka and guest artists from across the country will share with us an evening of unprecedented charm. The expanse of the river’s sand banks and the fragrance of summer rain drenched soil are bound to touch your soul as music weaves into the night along with the gentle rhythm of the Tunga.

Organised by Kalatheera Odissi Nritya Shala in Bangalore, Tunga Mahotsava is a vision to bring Classical Dance and Music to grassroots India and to create a space for artists and art lovers where they can connect to the elements of nature. Artists of international repute such as Kalaimani Kunnaikudi Vaidyanathan, Padmabhushan T N Seshagopalan, and Padmasri Kadri Gopalnath have performed at Tunga Mahotsava.

Your weekend escape to the foothills of Sahyadri in the Western Ghats will be a memorable cultural journey, with the legendary Kuvempu Mane in Kuppalli and the Sharada Math in picturesque Shringeri…and not to be missed the famed Malnad cuisine.

The highlight of this year’s Tunga festival is to be the splendid Rajabeedi Utsava - a remnant and reminder of the traditional processions that took place in the past during State celebrations. With Mangala Vadya, Bhajans, Tattiraya (Dancing Puppets), Kolāta, Hulivesha (Tiger Mask), Theyyam (from north Kerala), Palki Festival, Pushpa Vrushti, Rangoli and more such vibrant indulgence by hundreds of artists, the Rajabeedi Utsava is a warm welcome to artists from across the country.

The Artists
Sri Uday Kumar Shetty and Group, Odissi
Smt B Jayasree and Troupe, Bangalore, Ranga Geethegalu (Kannada folk music)
Sri Padmanabh Bapu, Pune, Hindustani Flute
Sri Kumaraswampy and Troupe, Shimoga, Carnatic Saxophone
Tapasya World Music, Bangalore, Instrumental Percussion
Sri Pradhanjay Chaturvedi, Bhilai, Chattisgarh, Ghazal
Sri Vikram Suri and Troupe, Bangalore, Kathak
Sri Ardhanareeshwari Dr Venkat and Troupe, Hyderabad, Kuchipudi
Kalaimani Sri A R Muniratnam, Bangalore, Dhol
Nruttha Nritya and Troupe, Bangalore, Contemporary Movement Art
Pancha Vadyam, Kerala, Traditional Temple Percussion

Contact:
Uday Kumar Shetty/ Soumya Uday Kumar
Kalatheera Odissi Nritya Shala
Mob: 0091 94480 46368
kalatheera@yahoo.com
www.kalatheera.com