glove             rod                string              string-rod              shadow puppets

Different types of puppets are used in traditional puppetry.  
The differences exist not only in names, but also in form,    
   structure and manipulation techniques. The different         
traditional forms are glove, rod, string, string-rod and     
shadow puppets. The local names given to puppetry        
varies from state to state within India. Traditional puppetry 
is prevalent in nine different states or regions of India.       

Glove puppets
The glove puppet is a small figure having head and arms with a long skirt as
part of its costume. The puppeteer wears the puppet like a glove and fits
the index finger into the hollow head of the puppet. The middle finger and
the thumb fit into the two hollow hands of the puppet. One puppeteer can
manipulate two puppets at a time. Glove puppet shows are prevalent in the
states of Orissa and Kerala.              


Rod Puppets

String Puppets
The string puppet has jointed body and limbs which allow movement.
String puppets are made of wood, or wire, or cloth stuffed with cotton,
rags or saw dust. The puppet is suspended from a hand held control
strings which are attached to different parts of the puppet's body. The
puppet is manipulated by operating the control as well as by loosening
or pulling the relevant string(s). Traditional string puppet shows are
prevalent in the states of Rajasthan, Orissa, Maharashtra, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu.

                                         String - Rod Puppets
                                 This form employs the use of string and rod to manipulate the puppets.                                   Since traditional string puppets are very heavy, two rods are attached                                   to the hands of the puppets for additional manipulation. This form is                                   seen only in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
   

Shadow Puppets
Shadow puppets are basically flat puppets which are operated
against the rear of a tightly stretched white cloth screen with
a light behind it so that the audience sees the shadow of the
puppet on the screen. Traditional shadow puppets are 2-dimensional and are made of animal skin. The puppets shapes or cutouts are perforated and split bamboo or cane sticks are attached vertically to the puppet for handling and manipulation. The puppets are pressed against the screen and manipulated for the performance. Shadow puppet theatre is practiced in the states of Orissa, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.