Classical Art Forms of KARNATAKA Patrons Very few art lovers of yore have left any written literature on the then existing dance. The Tamil text "Silappadikaram" refers to a dance of the Kannadigas witnessed by the cheres king Senguttavan.An inscription in Pattadakal reveals that Devadasis were engaged in `Nritya seva' in temples. Ganga rulers like Durvineeta and Narasimhadeva   Satyavakya are described as well versed in dancing and singing. During  the Rashtrakuta and the later Chalukya periods, the courtesans had duties assigned to them in temples and they were accomplished dancers. Many inscriptions have praised Shantaladevi, the queen of Hoysala Vishnuvardhana as being an expert in dance. Bhandary Lakshminarayana, the Natyacharya in Krishnadeva- raya's court, was called "Abhinava Bharata". Dancers were encouraged to perform during the annual Dasara celebrations by the Vijayanagar rulers. The Mysore court also encouraged  traditional dance, following the footsteps of the Vijayanagar rulers. After 1930, people like  E. Krishna  Iyer, Rukmini Arundale, Ramagopal, U.S. Krishna Rao and his wife  Chandrabhaga Devi popularised this art. Even though Bharatanatyam  scene is over whelmingly dominated by female artists, some men have stormed into this female bastion and have gained great reputation as  worthy challengers. Some of them are: K.R.S. Prasanna, Dr.A.R.Sridhar, Ramoo, Arun and B.K. Shyamprakash. Popularity During the wake of  this renaissance in the 40s, many dance teachers gained ground in Karnataka. Later, the  previous   government of Mysore started the government examination  in Junior, Senior  and Proficiency grades in Bharatanatyam. As the 1970s dawned, Karnataka, especially Bangalore and Mysore could boast of many dance teachers and institutions capable of producing   proficient dancers. The Bangalore University started the Department of  dance, drama and music. Yakshagana Yakshagana,  one   among a number of folk theatrical forms of Karnataka is still known as Yakshagana. Earlier, it was called `Bayalata', `Bhagavath- arata' or `Dashavatara ata'. It acquired its present name because these plays were written in the form of musical dramas and that particular style of music was called Yakshagana. The themes for the play are selected from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and the Puranas.