Kunitha
Karnataka is a treasure trove of ritualistic dances, all denoted by the generic term Kunitha. Dollu Kunitha is a popular drum dance of Karnataka accompanied by singing. The men of the shepherd community known as the Kuruba community perform the vigorous drum dance. Powerful drumming, acrobatic movements, and synchronised group formations mark the dance. Drums are decorated with coloured cloth and slung around the necks of the percussionists.
Puja Kunitha is another dance, in which a wooden structure with a deity is carried on the dancers' heads. Devare Thatte Kunitha, Yellammana Kunitha, Suggi Kunitha and others take their name from the deity or the symbol or instruments which are balanced on the head or held in the hand of the dancer. The Pata Kunitha (a dance by men carrying tall bamboo poles
decorated with coloured ribbons and crowned with a tiny silver or brass umbrella,) the Gorava Kunitha (a dance performed by men in a black rug-like costume with fur caps and carrying percussion instruments and flutes,) and the Kamsale (originally a religious dance, performed by men with cymbals) are some of the other common ritual dances.
