Strings and Shadows: India's Ancient and Diverse Puppetry Traditions

Indian Puppetry

Puppetry is among the most ancient art forms, combining elements of painting, sculpture, music, dance, and drama into a unique medium. Its low cost of production and unrestricted freedom in form, design, colour, and movement make it popular among freelance artists.

Archaeological Evidence: Excavation sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro have yielded puppets with sockets attached to them, suggesting the presence of puppetry as an art form in the Harappan civilisation.

Earliest References:

• Marionette theatre references found around 500 BC
• Oldest written reference: Tamil classic Silappadikaram (written around 1st–2nd century BC)

Philosophical Significance: In the Bhagavata, God is described as a puppeteer controlling the universe with three strings — Satta, Raja and Tama. This links directly to the Indian theatre concept of Sutradhar (narrator), literally meaning 'holder of strings'.

Puppetry in India has been of interest for both entertainment and educational purposes. However, in modern times, lack of devoted audience and financial security has led to its steady decline.

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Indian Puppetry
├── String Puppets (Marionettes)
│   ├── Kathputli (Rajasthan)
│   ├── Kundhei (Odisha)
│   ├── Gombeyatta (Karnataka)
│   └── Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu)
├── Shadow Puppets
│   ├── Togalu Gombeyatta (Karnataka)
│   ├── Ravanchhaya (Odisha)
│   └── Tholu Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh)
├── Glove Puppets
│   └── Pavakoothu (Kerala)
└── Rod Puppets
    ├── Yampuri (Bihar)
    └── Putul Nachh (Bengal-Odisha-Assam)

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General Features of String Puppets:

• Miniature figures of 8–9 inches, chiselled out of wood
• Painted with oil colour (skin colour, facial features)
• Limbs formed from small wooden pipes; body covered with colourful miniature dress
• Miniature jewellery and accessories attached for realism
• Strings attached to small holes in hands, head, and back, controlled by the puppeteer

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Kathputli — Rajasthan

• Name: 'kath' (wood) + 'putli' (doll)
• Dressed in traditionally bright Rajasthani dress
• Accompanied by dramatic folk music
• Unique feature: absence of legs — the body ends without legs
• Strings attached to the finger of the puppeteer

Kundhei — Odisha

• Made of light wood; dressed in long skirts
• Has more joints than typical string puppets → gives puppeteer more flexibility
• Strings attached to a triangular prop
• Marked influence of Odissi dance on puppet shows

Gombeyatta — Karnataka

• Traditional puppet show of Karnataka
• Styled and designed on characters of Yakshagana theatre
• Unique feature: more than one puppeteer is used to manipulate the puppets

Bommalattam — Tamil Nadu

• Combines features of rod and string puppetry (hybrid form)
• Strings attached to an iron ring worn by the puppeteer on his head
• Largest and heaviest marionettes in India: up to 4.5 ft height and 10 kg weight
• Four distinct stages: Vinayak Puja → Komali → Amanattam → Pusenkanattam

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General Features of Shadow Puppets:

• Flat figures cut out of leather
• Painted identically on both sides of the leather
• Placed on a white screen with light falling from behind — creates shadow on screen
• Figures manipulated so silhouettes create telling imagery

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Togalu Gombeyatta — Karnataka

• Popular shadow theatre of Karnataka
• Unique feature: puppet size varies with social status — kings and religious figures = large puppets; common people and servants = smaller puppets

Ravanchhaya — Odisha

• Most theatrical of all shadow puppetry forms
• Puppets made of deer skin; depict bold, dramatic postures
• No joints attached to the puppets — makes it a more complex and demanding art
• Uses non-human puppets (trees, animals) as well
• Requires extremely trained artists

Tholu Bommalata — Andhra Pradesh

• Shadow theatre of Andhra Pradesh
• Accompanied by classical background music
• Themed around mythological and devotional tales of epics and Puranas
• Puppets are larger in size and coloured on both sides

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General Features of Glove Puppets:

• Also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets
• Small figures with head and arms; wearing a long, flowing skirt
• Made of cloth or wood (some paper variants exist)
• Puppeteer wears puppet as glove:
  • Index finger → manipulates the head
  • Thumb and middle finger → manipulate the two hands
• Accompanied by rhythmic beats of drum or dholak
• Popular across India

Pavakoothu — Kerala

• Traditional glove puppet show of Kerala
• Originated around 18th century AD
• Puppets decorated with colourful headgears, feathers and face paints → heavy influence of Kathakali dance form
• Plays themed around Ramayana and Mahabharata

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General Features of Rod Puppets:

• Larger variations of glove puppets
• Controlled by rods from behind a screen
• Mainly popular in Eastern India

Yampuri — Bihar

• Traditional rod puppet of Bihar
• Made of wood; no joints — carved out of a single piece of wood
• Painted and dressed in bright colours

Putul Nachh — Bengal-Odisha-Assam region

• Traditional rod puppet dance of the Bengal-Odisha-Assam region
• Figures generally 3–4 ft high; dressed like characters of Jatra
• Has three joints — at the neck and at the shoulders
• Each puppeteer controls a single puppet via a rod attached to his waist
• Puppeteers placed behind a high curtain, moving around to impart movements
• Accompanied by musical troop of 3–4 musicians playing harmonium, cymbals and tabla

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• Continuity of civilisation: Puppetry evidence from Harappa and Mohenjo-daro connects the Indus Valley civilisation to India's living artistic traditions — a rare instance of 4,000+ year cultural continuity.
• Philosophy-Art linkage: The Bhagavata's description of God as a puppeteer with Satta, Raja, Tama strings, and the theatrical concept of Sutradhar (holder of strings) — both show how performing arts encode Indian metaphysics.
• Cross-art fertilisation: Kundhei (Odissi dance influence), Gombeyatta (Yakshagana characters), and Pavakoothu (Kathakali aesthetics) demonstrate how different art forms within a region mutually enrich each other.
• Regional heritage preservation: Each puppetry form is a living archive of regional costume, language, music, and mythology — making them important tools for intangible cultural heritage preservation.
• Educational and social function: Puppetry's historical role in both entertainment AND education — reaching rural, often illiterate audiences — makes it a relevant tool for social communication even today.

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1. Kundhei is a STRING puppet (Odisha), NOT a rod puppet — this mismatch is directly tested in practice questions and frequently confused.
2. Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu) combines rod AND string puppetry — it is NOT purely a string puppet; the hybrid nature is its defining feature.
3. Bommalattam is from Tamil Nadu, NOT Andhra Pradesh — Tholu Bommalata is from Andhra Pradesh; both are South Indian but from different states.
4. Ravanchhaya (Odisha) has NO joints — this is its unique and exam-relevant feature. It requires the most skilled artists precisely because there are no joints.
5. Togalu Gombeyatta (shadow, Karnataka) ≠ Gombeyatta (string, Karnataka) — same state, different types. Gombeyatta = string; Togalu Gombeyatta = shadow.
6. Kathputli has NO legs — strings are attached to puppeteer's finger (not to a rod or triangular prop). Do not confuse with Kundhei's triangular prop.
7. Oldest written reference to puppetry = Silappadikaram (Tamil classic, 1st–2nd century BC) — NOT Natya Shastra. Natya Shastra covers theatre broadly.
8. Yampuri (Bihar) = rod puppet with NO joints — carved from single piece of wood. Putul Nachh has THREE joints. Do not confuse them.
9. Pavakoothu is a GLOVE puppet of Kerala (18th century), with Kathakali influence — not a shadow puppet.
10. Putul Nachh dressed in Jatra costumes — rod attached to puppeteer's WAIST, not hand or head.

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• Puppetry: 4 types — String, Shadow, Glove, Rod
• Oldest written reference: Silappadikaram (Tamil, 1st–2nd century BC)
• Harappan evidence: puppets with sockets at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro
• God as puppeteer in Bhagavata: three strings — Satta, Raja, Tama
• Sutradhar = holder of strings
• Kathputli (Rajasthan): string; NO legs; finger-attached strings
• Kundhei (Odisha): string; more joints; triangular prop; Odissi influence
• Gombeyatta (Karnataka): string; Yakshagana characters; multiple puppeteers
• Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu): hybrid (rod+string); largest (4.5 ft, 10 kg); iron ring on head
• Togalu Gombeyatta (Karnataka): shadow; size varies with social status
• Ravanchhaya (Odisha): shadow; deer skin; NO joints; non-human puppets; most theatrical
• Tholu Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh): shadow; coloured both sides; classical music; mythological themes
• Pavakoothu (Kerala): glove; 18th century; Kathakali influence
• Yampuri (Bihar): rod; NO joints; single piece of wood
• Putul Nachh (Bengal-Odisha-Assam): rod; 3-4 ft; 3 joints; Jatra costume; rod at waist