Indian Puppetry (Kathputli) – An ancient art form

Indian Puppetry (popularly known as kathputli) is an ancient performance which involves story telling through playing the puppets. The puppeteers went from place to place to entertain the people by performing the mythological stories, historical romances and so on. The puppets show the influence of paintings, sculpture, costumes and arts of the region to which they belong.

HISTORY OF PUPPETRY IN INDIA:

The puppetry in India was originated around 4000 years ago. There is evidence of puppetry in Indus valley civilization. The discussion of puppetry is present in the literary works dating from 1500 years ago to 500 years old. The Ashokan edicts also describes about puppetry. In epics like MAHABHARATHA also the description of puppetry is present.

Must Read: Classical Dances of India: Mirror of Cultural India

TYPES OF INDIAN PUPPETRY:

There are four different kinds of puppetry in India. They are:

  1. STRING PUPPETRY
  2. SHADOW PUPPETRY
  3. GLOVE PUPPETRY
  4. ROD PUPPETRY

STRING PUPPETRY (Kathputli):

Here the puppets are made from a single piece of wood and colourful costumes are worn on them. They do not have legs. Puppeteers tie strings to the fingers of the puppets and perform by manipulating them. There are different variations in string puppetry in different regions

  • RAJASTHANI KATHAPUTLI in Rajasthan, presenting historical romances, duels, fights, and dances.
  • GOMBEYATTA in Karnataka, playing YAKSHAGNA characters.
  • BOMMALATTAM in Tamil Nadu with huge realistic puppets attached to the strings and played.
  • SAKHI KUNDHEI in Orissa
  • PUDA NACH in Assam
  • MALASUTRI BAHULY in Maharashtra.

Read Also: Folk dances of India

SHADOW PUPPETRY:

In shadow puppetry, the puppets are flat and are made of leather and animal hides. They are beautifully coloured and decorated. When these puppets are pressed against the screen with the light behind them they form shadows on the screen and those moving shadows are visible to the audience.

These shadow puppets are popular in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Karnataka, and Kerala. These puppets have several joints to facilitate the movement. The variants of shadow puppetry in different regions are:

  • THOLU BOMMALATA in Andhra Pradesh depicting episodes from epics.
  • THOGALU GOMBEYATTA in Karnataka dealing with secular themes and characters.
  • RAVANACHHAYA in Orissa with joint-less puppets needs more skill to perform.
  • TOLPAVAKOOTHU in Kerala depicting epics.

GLOVE PUPPETRY:

In the Glove puppetry, the head of the puppet is made of cloth, wood, and paper. The rest of the puppet is dressed in a long flowing skirt. These puppets are also called as sleeve (or) palm (or) hand puppets.

The puppeteer uses three fingers to manipulate the puppet and produce a wide range of movements. This puppetry is popular in Orissa, west Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala.

  • In Orissa, Radha-Krishna tales are enacted with dholak playing in the background.
  • In Uttar Pradesh, these puppets enact social themes.
  • PAVAKOOTHU in Kerala depicts episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharatha.

ROD PUPPETRY:

Rod puppets are larger than glove puppets and they are manipulated by rods from below. This Puppetry is found in West Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.

  • In Bengal, this puppetry is used to perform JATRA plays.
  • In Orissa, mythological stories are performed.
  • In Bihar, YAMPURI rod puppets are used to perform folk dances.

CONCLUSION:

The puppetry art form in India was used as a medium in the freedom struggle as well. With unique characteristics, it is one of the ancient Indian traditions which needs to be preserved.

Also, Read:

The Sufi Movement: Practices of various orders of Sufis in India

National Festivals of India Part 1

Related articles

Art and Literature of Middle Ages

Art during the Middle Ages was different based on...

Literature of Ancient India: Sanskrit Drama

The origin of Sanskrit drama is in obscurity; there...

The Bhakti Movement of the Medieval Age

The Bhakti Movement, one of the most remarkable features...

Saivism: Origin, Principles and Kinds

The origin of Saivism may be traced to, as...

Sikhism – An Introduction to Sikh Religion

Sikhism had its origin in the teachings of Guru...

Case Studies

Full Stack Development

A clothing brand wanted to launch a new e-commerce website that would allow customers to browse and purchase their products online. We developed a...
national-emblem-state-emblem-of-india

IAS Exam Preparation

A clothing brand wanted to launch a new e-commerce website that would allow customers to browse and purchase their products online. We developed a...

Building Startup

A clothing brand wanted to launch a new e-commerce website that would allow customers to browse and purchase their products online. We developed a...