Puppetry Making Craft

Puppetry craft is one of the richest heritages of India. The puppetry was originated around 4000 years ago. In ancient Indian epic Mahabharata, there is also a mention of this art. Puppetry is one of the important parts of Indian theatre history. It is close to the heart of the people. Before the revolution of the cinema theatre become famous, Puppetry was the only source of entertainment. Puppetry has been used as a source of mass communication for, social awareness, moral values, and traditional subjects and also for public opinion building. Puppetry has been the most influential source of communication in rural India. It gives personal and intimate appeal with familiar content and uses local dialects. Puppetry is also called by different names in different regions.




In India, many types of puppets are made from a wide range of materials, depending on their form and intended use. There are different types of puppets like String puppets, Shadow Puppets, Rod puppets and Glove Puppets, etc.

1) String Puppet

String Puppet is the most common puppet in India. Rajasthan (as Kathputli), Orissa (Sakhi Kundhei), Karnataka (Gombeyatta), Tamil Nadu (Bommalattam) and Maharashtra (Malasutri Bhaulya) are main regions where this form of puppetry has flourished. In India, it has been known as Kathputli. It is joined by two words in which ‘Kath’ means wood and ‘Putli’ means doll in Rajasthani Language. Since ages people of Rajasthan have been involved in the puppet making. Due to the lack of Natural resources and climatic conditions, this practice took place in the people. These puppets are differing from each other mainly in terms of raw materials, characters and theme of the play. It is called Kathputli, which means a puppet made out of wood. As explained, the upper Body parts and face of the puppet are made out of wood and rest are from clothes. Puppets are controlled by the strings attached to it and manipulated by the puppeteer according to play. The puppets are inspired by the culture and tradition of their respective regions.
Kathputli Puppet of Rajasthan

Artisan communities who are involved in making puppets belonged to the Putli Bhatt or Nat community. People from the Nat community are the performing artists who used to wander from village to village and entertain people through puppetry shows by narrating the achievement of heroes, stories of Mahabharata, Ramayana and Social traditions. These communities have settled in different parts of Rajasthan and still practicing this tradition. There are 5000 artisans involved in Puppet making whose livelihood is entirely depending only on it. Being a hub of puppet making, the main centers of puppetry are Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Nagaur and Bikaner. Kathputli from Rajasthan is significant for their costumes and decoration which is inspired by Rajasthan style and local stories. These puppets are famous all around the world. It attracts foreign tourists as these become the major souvenir items.

2) The Rod puppets

Rod puppetry is mainly found in Orissa and West Bengal. In West Bengal this art known as Putual Nach and In Orissa as Kathikundhei Nach. Rod puppets have three joints on heads, supported by the rod, neck and both hands are joined at the shoulders. The main holding road is hidden by a robe or costume of the puppet. Puppets are fixed to heavy bamboo sticks which are tied to the puppeteer‘s waist. These are three-dimensional moving figures that are manipulated with the help of rods. Artisans make this kind of puppet of 60 centimeters height. Their heads are made out of carved wood and painted in the pata style, with clay or a cloth layer upon it. These puppeteers belong to the southern regions of West Bengal. The group normally consists of a lead singer accompanied amid other members.

                                 Putual Nach of West Bengal

3) Glove Puppets

As the name explains, Glove puppets are worn on hands just like a normal glove. Glove puppets are popular in Uttar Pradesh (Gulabo-Sitabo), Orissa (Sakhi Kundhei), West Bengal (Benir Putul), Tamil Nadu (Pava Koothu) and Kerala (Pavakathakali). Glove puppet is also known as hand puppets as fingers are covered with head and arms wearing a long skirt dress. In Orissa, the puppeteer plays on the dholak with one hand and manipulates the puppet with the other. In Kerala, glove puppetry is a puppetry version of the famous dance-form Kathakali. Artisans made Glove puppets from wood, paper or terracotta and it has no legs so lower parts are covered by costume.
Pavakathakali of Kerala

4) Shadow Puppet

Shadow puppet (Chhaya Nataka) is famous in south India. This puppetry is known in Odisha (Ravana Chhaya), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (Tholu Bommalatta), Karnataka (Togalu Gombe atta), Kerala (Tholpava Koothu), Tamil Nadu (Thol Bommalatta), and Maharashtra (Charma Bahuli Natya). Shadow puppets are flat figures made from leather to make it translucent. Shadow puppets are pressed against the screen with a strong source of light behind it. The manufacturing technique of shadow puppets is common among all regions but it varies according to the local tradition and culture of the region.

                                         Bommalattam Puppetry of Tamil Nadu

These puppets are mostly found small in size. However one can also find a large size of kings and religious characters. Shadow Puppets in India has specialized forms. Tholapavakuttu of Kerala is performed during the temple festival. The puppets of Togalu Gombeyatta are generally small-sized shadow puppets of Karnataka. The Tholu Bomalata represents the rich tradition of shadow theatre puppetry of Andhra. They are the largest shadow puppets of India. Ravanachchya is the traditional local shadow of Orissa who presents the legends of Ramayana.

For many of the Indian artisans who are involved in Puppetry or puppet making, it is the primary source of livelihood to the artisans. There are still many people who are engaged in puppet making. But due to the so-called technological revolution, this art is becoming unknown. Several private and government initiatives have been taken to save the art but still many are struggling to survive. It should be protected from the fast-growing demand for modern entertainment. It is very important for today’s generation to appreciate this diverse art.