Indian Puppetry

		orissa Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Karnataka Kerala Rajasthan Maharashtra West Bengal Assam
	Orissa There are three forms of puppetry prevalent in the state of Orissa. They are the glove *(Kundhei-nacha), Shadow (Ravanachaya* ),Rod (Kathi Kundhei) and string (*Gopalila kundhei) forms. In Kundhei nacha, the glove puppets are made of three wooden piece consisting of the head and the two hands with holes for inserting fingers. The wooden pieces are joined in a long flowing costume. The costume or the dress also hides the hands of the puppeteers. Glove puppeteers in Orissa are of two types - single and double handed. In case of single handed puppet, the puppeteer is a solo puppeteer. He manipulates the puppet with one hand and plays the dholak ( a musical instrument) with the other. These puppeteers hail from Tarikund* in the Cuttack district of Orissa. In case of double handed puppets, two puppeteers jointly conduct the show. Here one person manipulates two puppets while the other person plays the dholak but both of them sing and render the dialogues. The puppeteers do not hide themselves behind a screen. They hail from Mantripada in the Cuttack district of Orissa.
	*Ravanachhaya: The leather cut-out figurs are used in this form of puppetry. Held close to a white cloth screen against an oil-lamp, shadows are distinctly visible to the spectators who sit on the other side.. No manipulation of limbs is made. The cut-out is fixed to a piece of stick which the manipulator holds below the lower edge of the screen, thereby allowing only the shadow of the puppet to fall on the screen. While the scenic decorative pieces are kept steady, the character cut-outs are made to move sideways as per the demands and the tempo of the sequences. Episodes from Ramayana are shown. The shadow puppeteers hail from Odasa* in the Dhenkanal district of Orissa.
	Kathi Kundhei : The puppets in this form are stuck to rods and held aloft and manipulated from below by string. Besides the head, both hands and sometimes the legs are also manipulated. Stories from mythology, fantasy and social themes are adopted for the rod puppet plays while a group of musicians provides the musical interludes.There exists only one group of rod puppeteers in Orissa located at Keonjhar. *Gopalila kundhei :* The string puppets are wooden half-dolls from head to waist with detachable arms. Down from the waist, there is only a flowing dress. Formerly a mat made of peacock feathers used to be the only back-drop but now painted draperies are being used. String puppetry adopts verse-dramas based on mythology, fantasy and social themes, with plenty of interudes of dance and humorous skits.There are string puppeteers in Cuttack, Puri, Ganjam and Dhenkanal districts.
	Andhra Pradesh The shadow form of puppetry locally called Tholu Bommalata, meaning dance of leather puppets (tholu - leather, bommalata - puppet dance) is widely practiced in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The puppets are brightly coloured and are made out of animal skin. These leather puppets are about 6 ft. in height and have joints at shoulders, elbows, knees and sometimes also the waist, neck and ankles. Traditionally, vegetable dyes are used for colouring the puppets. However, now-a-days chemical dyes which are easily available are also used for colouring the puppets. Perforations are made wherever required on the puppet figure and eyes are painted last. A slim bamboo stick is tied to the puppet which keeps it straight. The puppets are pressed slightly against a white screen and manipulated so that the audience looks at the shadow or image.
	The themes of the play is based on episodes from Ramayana, Mahabaratha or Krishna legend. The shadow puppeteers of Andhra Pradesh are spread over the state. However, more families hail from Kakinada district as well as along the coastal belt. A co-operative puppet-making center in Anantapur district helps to promote this art form. There are number of families who have also opted for alternate livelihoods like production of decorative lampshades, wall hangings etc,.made of leather which brings in good revenue in the national and international market.
	Tamil Nadu There are two forms of traditional puppetry in Tamil Nadu, viz. Bommalatam (string puppetry) and Thol Pavakoothu (shadow puppetry). The string puppets are the largest and the heaviest of all traditional Indian string puppets. The size may be around 4 - 4 ½ ft. in height and many weigh around 8-10 kg. The joints at the shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and wrists gives good movement during the puppet manipulation. String puppet plays are based on episodes from epics and puranic literature. There are only few families practicing this art form in Tamil Nadu.
	Leather or shadow puppetry in Tamil Nadu is almost on the brink of extinction. Similar to Andhra Puppets, stories from Ramayana and Mahabaratha are enacted through leather puppets. This form is now practiced only by a few families from Madurai District in Tamil Nadu. This poor situation is a result of a decline in the popularity of puppetry which is due to cinema and other modern entertainment and communication forms.

	Karnataka In Karnataka, the string, string-rod and leather puppet form exist in villages. The string puppet form is called Gombe atta, (means - dance of dolls or puppets). It follows Yakshagana, the traditional live theatre (folk) form of the state. The puppets have rounded figures with legs, and joints at shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. Five or more strings attached to a puppet figure are tied to a rod-like wooden prop.
	The Gombe atta presents stories based on episodes drawn from epics and puranas. The highly dramatic music is a blend of folk and classical style. Sometimes the strings of the heavier puppets are replaced with rods for better manipulation and control. This form is prevalent in the district of Bellary, Bijapur, Chiradurga, Dharwad, Mandya, Mysore North Canara, Shimoga, South Canara and Tumkur. The leather or shadow puppets locally called Togalu(leather) *gombe-atta* (puppet dance) of Karnataka is similar to the leather puppets of Andhra Pradesh. There are two sizes of leather puppets in use - one with large puppet form almost like that of Andhra Pradesh. The other one uses smaller puppet figures. The themes for the puppet plays are drawn from epics and puranic literature and a number of characters like clowns, dancers, etc, which are presented in almost all plays of Bellary, Bijapur, Chiradurga, Dharwad, Gulbarga,Hassan, Kolar Mandya, Mysore Raichur, and Tumkur.
	Kerala Traditional puppetry in Kerala are Pava-kuthu (glove puppetry) and *Thol pavakuthu* (leather puppetry). *Pava-kuthu* (*Pava* - doll and kuthu - dance). The puppets are very colourful and modeled like a Kathakali actor who wears heavy and mask-like facial make-up, headgear and colourful costumes. The influence of kathakali (performing art form) is so great that pava-kuthu is also being called as pava-kathakali. Pava-kuthu puppeteers generally base their performance on atta - kathas and the musical accompaniment is exactly like that of a kathakali performance. The pava-kuthu is performed at night and the puppeteers sits on level ground behind an oil lamp. The themes for the puppet plays are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabaratha and other puranic literature. Pava-kuthu in Kerala is prevalent in and around Palghat district. Thol pavakuthu (thol - leather, pava - doll, kuthu - dance). These leather puppets are 2½ - 3½ ft high. with one or both hands jointed . There are also figures representing trees, palace, mountains, etc. The puppet shows are traditionally performed as a ritual worship in temples located in and around Palghat district. There are about 70 temples equipped with a permanent stage (drama house ) called koothu madam for the shows.
	Rajasthan Locally called Kathputli - the colourful string puppets of Rajasthan are made of wood and cloth. The head of the puppets are carved out of wood and coloured according to characters they depict in the episodes. Strings are attached to the head for manipulation. The faces are usually painted yellow, white or any light colour. The body, upto the waist and hands, is made of stuffed rags, cotton or cloth bits. The hands have no joints unlike the other string puppets of India. The absence of legs are not noticed due the long trailing skirt made of colorful cloth. Popular legendary stories like Amarsingh Rathore are enact- ed with the folk music of Rajasthan.
	Maharashtra There are two type of puppetry forms prevalent in the state Maharashtra. They are the Kalasutri Bahulya, (string puppetry) and *chamadyache Bahulya* (shadow puppetry). Kalasutri Bahulya: are small puppets without legs. The puppets have only two joints at the shoulders and manipulating strings are attached to the head and hands of the puppet. Themes or episodes from Ramayana are narrated through folk tunes. This art form is almost dieing out due to poor patronage and lack of promotion. *chamadyache Bahulya*: These puppets have no jointed limbs and are delicately coloured with vegetable dyes. Episodes from the Ramayana are narrated using folk tunes. This form is prevalent only in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, but also slowly dieing out.
	West Bengal West Bengal has a rich tradition of rod puppetry, locally called putul-nach (dancing dolls). The Bengali puppeteers believe that rods are superior to strings in giving the required animation as well as in manipulation. They feel operating the puppets from a lower level gives more freedom. The puppets are 1 ½ meter in height built over 2 ½ meter long bamboo. The body and hands have a bamboo base covered and plastered with hay and rice husk mixed and molded into required shape. Due to the absence of legs the puppets are draped in a sari or dhoti as per the character. The arms are manipulated by strings and rods projecting from the elbow, which act as a lever. The puppet movements are highly dramatic. A bamboo socket is tied firmly to the puppeteer's wait in front into which the rod holding the puppet is placed. The puppeteers each holding a puppet, perform from behind a head-high bamboo curtain. They move and dance while manipulating the rods attached to the puppets, giving the act more vibrance and life.Plays based on Ramayana, Satee Behula legends are enacted through puppets. There are a handful of people performing this art form in rural areas of West Bengal.
	Assam String puppets shows locally called putala-nach are prevalent in the plains of Assam. The body and hands of the puppets are made of soft wood. Sometimes the head and face is carved out of wood as well. Human figure puppets have moveable joints for manipulation. The lower portion of the puppet is covered with a flowing cloth which masks the absence of legs. The sizes of the puppets vary from 1 ½ ft to 2 ½ ft. Stories from Indian mythology like Ramayana and Mahabaratha are enacted through the puppets.