Origin of Karyala, dates back long to the centuries in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. However there are differences about the etymological origin of the word Karyala some relating it to the Kreednniykam of Bharatmuni, others to the local fragrant flower known as Karyal i.e. Kachnaar, the famous blossom. There is another Pahari word Karel which means to unearth some secret. The preliminaries of Karyala are religious and connected with such rituals as the lighting of the Chaumukha Deevat - a lamp depicting the four corners of the Earth; the Bhoomi Sparsh - obeisance to Mother Earth; Akhada - the Arena; the Vadya Sparsh - obeisance to the ensemble consisting of Dhol, Nagara, Sahnai and Karnal the Ghyna Parikrama; movement to and fro about the bonfire.

With regards to the origin of Karyala, there are varied legends that can be associated with the same. Some feel that, although, this form may have anthropological strains, it need not necessarily be prehistoric and that it could have evolved to its present stage through the influence of the religious impetus at the time of the Vaishnav Bhakti Andolan (movement) of the seventeenth century. Another thought holds that this tradition of folk dance-drama and dialogue precedes even the Natyashastra formed by the great Bharatmuni.

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