Folk Theatre (Drama ) of Himachal Pradesh :

Folk theatre in Himachal Pradesh has been playing significant social role. Theatrical performances in Himachal Pradesh are known by different names in different parts of the state. Theatre is known as Kryala in Mahasu and Sirmour, Harn in Kullu, Banthra in Mandi, Bhagat in Kangra, Harnatra in Chamba, Baura in Una, Dhaja in Bilaspur and Haringapho in Kinnaur. With the passing decades, theatre in Himachal Pradesh has become popular entertainment form and an inevitable part of community life.

Banthra- A form of folk-theater in Mandi :

This theater form is popular in Mandi district. The word has come from Bhand meaning clown or jester. The artists called Banths formed the groups and often competed with each other for rewards in prompt reply to the queries of feudal lords. The performance is generally held near Diwali festival and is accompanied by folk instrumentalists and folk singers or dancers. In the absence of script, stage, and characters, the Banthara starts with a pun or a joke in local Mandyali dialect to draw the attention of the audience.

King Veer Sen, the ruler of erstwhile Mandi state in 1268-1303 AD, propagated Banthra as a medium to educate the people as his efforts to make them literate were becoming ineffective. Then Nagendra, a musician assured him that he could inspire them to become literate through his words and music. The king became happy with his success and named his discourses as Vaani Thara or the utterings from a platform. With the passage of time, Vaani Thara became Banthra. The Banthra artists were allowed to visit the palaces of the queens. Thereafter the form reached its zenith in the beginning of 17th century.

Kariayala :

The word Kariyala is a distorted form of the Sanskrit word Kriyala, which means the theater. It is the most popular form of folk theater in Shimla district including the regions of Mahasu, Solan, and Sirmour. The theater form might have got its name from the Karyali village near Theog.

At the onset of winter near the festival of Diwali, the folk artists come to different villages on their own or on the invitation to regale the masses with their performances.

The splinters of pine and deodar are lighted in the form of several campfires for warmth and light, as the performance generally begins at night. The firelight is considered pious and called Khanda or Dhuni or Ghiana in the local dialect. The dialogues are usually in the form of sharp and epigrammatic statements or couplets sung to the accompaniment of dhol or drum, nagara or big drum, shehnai or clarinet, harmonium, ransingha or karnal or trumpet and cymbals etc.

Kariayala originated in Mandi and Mahasu as a sort of worship when the people had to remain awake throughout the night for wake etc.

Kariayala can be more meaningful, if social evils like child marriage, exploitation of women, female foeticides etc. are highlighted. This would make folk theater both entertaining and instructive.

The Buddha or Budechhu Theater Form :

The lower castes of the society were not allowed to perform Banthara which was reserved for upper castes only. They were not allowed to satirize the deeds of upper strata of society. So they invented their own theater called Buddha without any direct reference and used lyrical renderings. This theater form was found in Sundernagar and Karsogh areas of Mandi district.

In Buddha, the lower caste actors were used to cover their bodies with the straw of wheat and jute with headgear of a cap fitted with three horns. The hands too were covered with straw gloves.

The act begins with a devotional song or Bhakti geet followed by the farces of Buddha, Chandrauli, mascara or the clown, Pahari or rustic etc.

Budechhu, an oldest Folk Theater of Transgiri area of Sangrah at Shilai in Sirmaur District of Himachal Predesh.
Hiran or Harnatra Theater Form

It is the folk theater of the Gaddi or shepherds tribe of Bharmour, Chhatri, Bassu and Saho areas of Chamba district. It is performed in the spring season when the Gaddis or shepherds come out of the hibernating nightmare of winters in the higher ranges of Himachal Pradesh. The protagonists of this folk drama are called Khappar, Chandrauli, Gaddi, Gaddan, Sadhu, Sahib, Hiran etc. The Khappar generally wears a long shredded woolen apron wound with a woolen rope. He wears unusaal trousers and turban of uneven size and covers the face with masks called mohras. Khapper holds a club or staff in his hand and sways it in the air while dancing or speaking. Khapper is similar to Sadhu in Karyala and there may be more than three Khappers in a single performance. A male actor performs the role of Chandrauli.

Bhagatan or Bhagat Theater Form :

This theater form was practiced in Chamba district and the adjoining region inhabited by the Dogra tribe of Jammu and Kangra. It originated from the Raas Leela of Lord Krishna at Mathura and Brindavan and spread to other parts of the country like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and the Punjab hill states of Himachal Pradesh.

There was no stage for the performance of this theater form, but some pasture called chowgan or a wooden platform served the purpose. There was no green room, no script, and no makeup.

Mansukh is the protagonist or the soul of the play who ridicules and satirizes the ways of day to day life of common folk including the religious, secular and political hypocrites or mischievous characters who harm the social fabric for selfish motives. The sarcastic language is used to ridicule and amuse the audience.

The Bhagatia artists are very few now and their performances are rare.

                              The folk theater is an integral part of the rural life of Himachal Pradesh. Every festival, fair and ceremony are blended with folk performance including dancing, singing, music, and dramatics. Though gradually changing and becoming obsolete with time, this ancient pastime is an important pillar of the cultural heritage of the region. These plays are based on myths, legends, history, religion, culture, manners and mores of the people. Although the present day folk theater tends to include even Ram Lila and Krishna Lila, the old forms still retain their popular appeal. The folk theater was the powerful way to convey the right messages to the rulers and the ruled.