Folk theatre in India has a rich legacy. In the ancient Vedic culture and even in Buddhist literature folk theatre first made its presence felt as an art form to illustrate the unedited realities of life.
Although much later this particular theatre form was named as the Indian folk theatre, yet it is indeed not an overstatement to say that the very basic rudiments of folk theatre in establishing itself as an artform was there in the mores, heritage and tradition of India. Folk theatre in India is mainly narrative in its form. This indeed point towards the origin and the age-old sagas of the sutradhara in Indian natya.
Indian folk theatre can actually be divided into two broad categories like the religious and the secular. While the religious folk theatres mainly evolved around the aspects and stories from history, religion and myth; the secular folk theatre actually emerged as a typical form of entertainment.
Every state in India has its own distinctive forms of folk theatre. Variously known as the Jatra in Orissa, Bengal and Eastern Bihar, Tamasha in Maharashtra, Nautanki in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, Bhavai in Gujarat, Yakshagana in Karnataka, Therubuttu in Tamil Nadu Indian folk theatre with its sheer vibrancy since the age-old days has reached out to all.
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