Mangaluru : Yakshagana artiste and a noted maker of Yakshagana “mukhavarnike” (facial masks) Adoor Shreedhara Rao (78) died at his house at Adoor, Kasaragod district, on Monday.

He is survived by wife and two sons. Mr. Rao was a recipient of erstwhile Karnataka Janapada and Yakshagana Academy awards.

He made over 80 Yakshagana masks and presented them to many VIPs including former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Mr. Rao founded and led a children’s yakshagana mela at Adoor. He had served in Adoor Mahalingeshwar Yakshagana Mela. Recently he had organised a three-day sammelana on Tenku Thittu school of Yakshagana. He has written a Kannada book on Yakshagana titled ‘Yakshagana Kalegala Varna Vaibhava’.