Puttur: Famed tiger dance icon ‘Pili Radhanna’ passes away at 59

Mangalore Today News Network

Puttur, Sep 6, 2025: Pili Radhanna, the man who gave Puttur’s tiger dance (pili vesha) a distinctive identity and style, passed away in the early hours of Saturday, September 6.

The deceased, Radha Krishna Shetty (59), a resident of Kemmai, had been unwell and was admitted to a hospital in Puttur on September 5. He was later shifted to Mangaluru for advanced treatment, but did not respond and breathed his last early Saturday morning.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter.

Affectionately known as Pili Radhanna, Shetty was celebrated for his dedication to the tiger dance, donning the traditional costume with unmatched passion and preserving the sanctity of the age-old tradition.

Nearly 65 years ago, Puttur had only two legendary tiger dancers—Pili Sankappanna and Pili Ganganna. Pili Sankappa Shetty, who performed for nearly three decades, was Radha Krishna’s father. At the age of nine, while studying in Class 4, young Radha Krishna joined his father as a kinni pili (junior performer). That marked the beginning of his lifelong journey in the art form.

For nearly ten years, father and son performed together, leaving behind iconic memories in Puttur’s cultural history. The little boy who once took the stage as a kinni pili would later be revered as Pili Radhanna—a name etched into the legacy of Puttur’s tiger dance tradition.