PUPPET SHOWS OF INDIA

Puppet shows are very important in the formation of religion and culture. Puppet shows were seen as a way to impart mythical stories, morals, and philosophy, as well as for entertainment. The basic principle of puppets remains the same, regardless of how different states adopt different ways and approaches. Puppets come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including strings, rods, and glove-like puppets. As more people recognize the importance of puppets, the government has taken steps to conserve and develop the art of puppetry. Schools have been chosen as a venue for bringing puppet shows to light, and children are now educated about puppet shows and their history. In media like youtube channels, most people choose these puppet shows to tell stories to kids.

TYPES OF PUPPETRY IN INDA

The puppetries in India envision the histories of great kings, princes, and heroes and political satire in rural areas. Slowly, this art form emerged from the precincts of the temples and villages to reach out to the outside world performing on various social and contemporary themes in Indian towns and cities.

There are four types of puppetry which are discussed below:

ROD PUPPET

Rod Puppets: It is an extension of glove puppets. In this type, the puppets are manipulated by rods from below. It is popular in West Bengal and Odisha.
STRING PUPPET

String Puppets: In this puppetry, the puppet is manipulated by operating the control as well as by loosening or pulling the relevant string(s). It is popular in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Karnataka.
SHADOW PUPPET

In this puppetry, puppets are flat puppets that are operated against the rear of a tightly stretched white cloth screen. It is popular in Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.Toggle Content
GLOVE PUPPETS

It is also known as sleeve, hand, or palm puppets. In this type, the puppeteer manipulates their heads and arms with their fingers. It is popular in Odisha, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Andhra Pradesh Tholu Bommalata (Shadow puppet) and Koyya Bommalata (String puppet)

STRING PUPPET

Tholu bommalata literally means “the dance of leather puppets” (tholu – “leather” and bommalata – “puppet dance”
The puppeteers comprise some of the various entertainers who perform all night and usually reenact various stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata.Tholu bommalata is the shadow puppet theatre tradition of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its performers are part of a group of wandering entertainers and peddlers who pass through villages during the course of a year and offer to sing ballads, tell fortunes, sell amulets, perform acrobatics, charm snakes, weave fishnets, tattoo local people and mend pots

Tamil Nadu Bommalattam (String puppet) and Bommalattam (Shadow puppet)

Bommalattam

Puppets from Tamil Nadu, known as Bommalattam combine the techniques of both rod and string puppets. They are made of wood and the strings for manipulation are tied to an iron ring which the puppeteer wears like a crown on his head.
A few puppets have jointed arms and hands, which are manipulated by rods. The Bommalattam puppets are the largest, heaviest, and most articulate of all traditional Indian marionettes. A puppet may be as big as 4.5 feet in height weighing about ten kilograms. Bommalattam theatre has elaborate preliminaries which are divided into four parts – Vinayak Puja, Komali, Amanattam, and Pusenkanattam.

KARNATAKA: Gomba Atta (String puppet) and Togalu (Shadow puppet)

GOMBEYATA

Traditional shadow theatre from Karnataka in southwest India. Togalu signifies “leather” and gombeyata “figure, doll, dance and performance”. There are two distinct types of togalu gombeyata based on the size of the figures. Chikka theatre uses smaller figures (between 20 to 30 centimeters high) and dodda theatre uses larger-sized figures (between 30 to 120 centimeters in height). There are several regional variations within these two types of theatre that have different manipulation techniques, different music, and also different morphology of figures that reproduce sculpted or painted ornaments from local temples. For example, the position of the two eyes in a face seen the full front, as well as the compositions of humans, animals, birds, and trees that can be seen in the mural paintings of the Lepakshi temple (built 14th-17th centuries during the Vijayanagar Kings’ period).
The puppeteers are from the Killikyeta tribal group that came from Maharashtra at least two centuries ago and settled in different regions of Southern India, particularly in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. They still speak Aare (Aré) Marathi, a dialect based on archaic Marathi, which is not understood by the population of the southern states..

Kerala Oava Jytger (Glove puppet) and Thol Pabvakuthu (Shadow puppet)

Tholpavakoothu is also an art form that is dedicated to Bhadrakali in Kerala. According to legend, Tholpavakoothu was performed at the request of Bhadrakali who could not witness Ravana’s killing as she was fighting the demon Darika. Thus when it is performed in temples, an idol of the Goddess is usually placed on a pedestal in front of the arena where it is staged Tholpavaikoothu is a compound word of three Tamil terms, thol, meaning leather, pavai, meaning doll, and koothu, meaning the play or drama. It is one of the two traditional Pavai Koothu that happened in southern India. The other one is “marappavaikoothu” also called bommalattam. The only variation is Bommalattam uses wooden dolls, while tholpavaikoothu uses Leather dolls. . The performance language uses Tamil, Sanskrit, and Malayalam words. .

The puppeteers are happy to add dialogues or chants taken from bhaona, the local traditional theatre

HOME PUPPET SHOW

It is a traditional string puppet theatre from Assam in north-east India.
Putala nach (putal, doll, and nach, dance) remains popular in Assam whereas other forms of puppetry and shadow theatre have disappeared.
The Ramayana, either in its entirety or by episodes, is performed, as well as scenes from the Mahabharata.The putala nach is also called putala bhaona due to its ancient link (16th century) with bhaona theatre. The puppeteers are happy to add dialogues or chants taken from bhaona, the local traditional theatre

Maharashtra
Kalasutri Bahulya (String puppet) and Chammadyache Bahulya (Shadow puppet)

traditional string puppet theatre from Maharashtra in south-west India. The performers of kalasutri bahulya (kalasutri, string, and bahulya, puppet), descendants of families of puppeteers that originally came from Rajasthan and Gujarat, are today very few in number. Their performances center on the many episodes of the Ramayana, beginning with the accounts of the birth of Rama and ending with the killing of Ravana. The small puppets, finely sculpted from wood, wear elaborate headdresses, turbans, and ornaments. Articulated at the shoulders and knees, the puppets do not have strings attached to their feet, which remain free. A string attached to the head joins one connecting to the back and two others extending from the hands puppeteers offer flowers, rice, and coconuts before the performance begins, which opens with the arrival of Ganesh riding on his rat. The goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, appears and dances with Ganesh. The performance ends with the appearance on the stage of Shiva riding the bull Nandi

Bihar
Yampuri (Rod puppet)

Yampuri is a famous puppetry art form of Bihar. This art form has its roots in Uttar Pradesh and then over a period of time, found its way to the state of Bihar from where it is vividly practiced at present. The artists who practice this indigenous art form, often travel to the states of Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal to perform at various local fairs. the word ‘Yampuri’ is an amalgamation of two words ‘Yama‘ and ‘Puri‘ (abode) which translates into the abode of God of Death. Secondary characters include Vidushak (the clown), Sage Narada, the narrator, and the dead who are awaiting judgments of their lifetime deeds from the God of Death. The entire play is enacted and narrated in Hindi.

Odisha
Kandei Nach (Glove puppet), Rabana Chaya (Shadow puppet), Kathi Kundi (Rod puppets), and Gopalila Kamdheri (String puppet)

Traditional rod puppet theatre from the state of Odisha is located in the east of India. The puppets of kathi kundhei nacha (“wooden-rod puppet dance”, also called kandhei nach or kandhei nata) are manipulated by a kathi, or wooden rod. The traditional performance, an amalgam of dance, drama, and songs, begins with an invocation (stuti), followed by the sutradhara (stage director/narrator) introducing the episode to be enacted from the epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, or from the Puranas. .

West Bengal
Putal Nach (rod), Tarer or Sutor Putul (string), and Bener Putul (glove)

Folk Puppetry in West Bengal is called Putul Naach : Putul is a word that describes both a doll and a puppet in Bengali while Naach means Dance. There are references to puppetry in the medieval folk ballads of undivided Bengal. Traditional forms of puppetry found in West Bengal are rod (Dang), glove (Beni or Bene), and string (Taar or Shuto).
Both rod and glove puppets are indigenous to Bengal while string puppetry was an import. While shadow puppetry does not exist in Bengal, there is a very unique and rare form practiced among some Santal communities of West Bengal and Jharkhand, the Chadar Badar or Chadar Bandni.

Rajasthan Kathputli (String puppet)

Kathputli is a string puppet theatre, native to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry. Being a string marionette, it is controlled by a single string that passes it from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers. ‘Putli means a doll. Kathputli means a puppet that is made entirely from wood. However, it is made out of wood, cotton cloth, and metal wire.
Kathputli's art tradition is more than thousands of years old. One finds its reference in Rajasthani folk tales, ballads, and sometimes even in folk songs. Similar puppets which are rod puppets are also found in west Bengal. But it is truly Rajasthan’s amazing kathputli that made India one of the first countries to invent its traditional puppetry.
Tribes of Rajasthan have been performing this art from ancient times and it has become an eternal part of Rajasthani cultural diversity and tradition. No village fair no religious festival and no social gathering in Rajasthan can be complete without the Kathputlis.
It is believed that somewhere 1500 years ago, the tribal Rajasthani Bhat community started the use of Kathputli as string marionette art and it is in their love for tradition that the art of Kathputli survived the test of time.
The tradition of Kathputli is based on folk tales and stories. Scholars believe that folk tales convey the lifestyle of ancient Rajasthani tribal people and Kathputli art might have originated from present-day Nagaur and surrounding areas. Rajasthani Kings and nobles were patrons of Art and crafts and they encouraged the craftsmen in activities ranging from wood and marble carving to weaving, pottery, and painting.
Over the last 500 years, Kathputli was a system of patronage supported by kings and well-off families.

PUPPET SHOWS OF INDIA