On a String and a Song

The puppet traditions of India are richly diverse and historical. Puppetry is an intricate and colorful folk art that has been handed down the generations.

Puppetry takes many forms in the process of animating objects through human agency. As objects deciphering meanings within a narrative structure and as characters brought alive through artistic brilliance, puppets— within a system of language—operate as agencies of revelation. 

The earliest reference to puppetry is found in the Tamil classic, Silappadikaaram, written around the 2nd century BC. In the Buddhist work, Therigatha, there are references to various kinds of puppets as also in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. ‘Sutradhara’ in classical Indian theater literally means ‘holder of strings’ and refers to the one who introduces and directs the play. Puppet theater has been in existence in India for thousands of years to entertain and teach people about Hindu religious heroes. Archaeologists at Harappa and Mohenjodaro in the Indus Valley discovered parts of clay dolls with holes for strings, supporting the theory that puppet theater existed more than 5,000 years ago.

Perhaps the origins of puppetry can be dated back to the prehistoric period when Man, living in caves, was enamored of the dancing shadows cast on the walls by his cooking fires, perceiving himself and his fellow beings, with all their gestures and attempts at communication, replicated visually upon the cave walls. This seems to be the genesis of Man’s efforts to recreate his own likeness. Images and idols were also used for shamanic rituals, to appease malevolent natural forces.

The religious aspects of puppetry developed especially in South India Tour when shadow puppets performed stories and episodes from the epics and the Bhagavat Purana. Puppets have featured in major religious festivals like Shivratri at the Srisailam Temple of Andhra Pradesh as indigenous entertainment. Tolpava Koothu, a puppet play of Kerala, is performed as part of the annual festival in temples of Bhagavati or Bhadrakali in Palghat, Kerala.

The sense of sacredness of the puppets could be discerned from the fact that they enacted stories and episodes taken from the epics and the Puranas, and also deriving from local beliefs. Disfigured or torn puppets are never kept along with intact puppets. Once the puppets can no longer be presented to audiences due to excessive wear and tear, after appropriate worship they are either consigned to the river or symbolically cremated. In some puppet traditions, the marking of eyes on the puppet, which signifies the infusion of life into it, is observed with sacrifices. The puppets are also worshiped on certain religious occasions.

As a ritual, puppeteers regularly apply Neem or eucalyptus oil on the puppets. This acts as a protective agent against insects and fungus. For the puppeteers, the puppets are not merely theatrical devices to earn a livelihood but revered objects deserving care. In certain puppet traditions of India, the performers fasted before the show and sacrifices were made while putting up posts for the erection of stages. Such proceedings invested the performance of puppets with an aura of mystic ritual. Puppet theater also serves as a means of spreading religious ethos and beliefs through the enactment of plays with religious themes. Apart from providing entertainment, puppet shows disseminate important ethical lessons, especially through the portrayal of conflict between good and evil and the ultimate victory of the former.

While anyone can move a puppet, it needs a skilled puppeteer to lend life to it. In India, puppetry is a living tradition and 18 different forms of puppetry exist, belonging to 11 states. There are mainly four genres of puppetry commonly found—shadow puppets, rod puppets, string puppets and glove puppets. Shadow puppets are one- dimensional—flat cut-outs of paper or leather that are projected against a tightly stretched white cloth screen so that the audience sees the shadow of the puppet on this screen. Shadow puppets are found in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Glove puppets are also known as hand puppets. In this form, the puppeteer wears the puppet like a glove and fits his fingers into the hollow head of the puppet and controls its movements. This form of puppetry is found commonly in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. The rod puppets, often larger than glove puppets, are supported and controlled by rods of various types and sizes. Rod puppets are commonly found in Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. String puppets are also known as marionettes, where the body parts of the puppets are connected through strings which are used to control their movement. This form of puppetry is prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. While Rajasthani puppets—Kathputli—seem to be omnipresent, other forms are equally colorful!

Kathputli-Rajasthani String Puppets 

According to an Indian legend, the origin of puppetry is attributed to Brahma (the deity who was assigned the function of creating the universe and is the first of the Hindu Trinity). It is said that, for the entertainment of his consort, Saraswati, Brahma created and gave life to the Adi, the first nat or puppeteer. He then created another figure for the Adi to manipulate and thereby entertain the goddess. However, Brahma was not very pleased with his efforts and he banished the puppeteer to Earth. Hence the birth of the first bhat. It is conjectured that this legend might have originated in Rajasthan Tours since the nat bhats are the caste of puppeteers belonging to the region.

Kathputlis are like large wooden dolls—carved from a single piece and dressed rather colorfully. Their large eyes, arched eyebrows and well-defined lips give these puppets a life-like appearance. The garments are inspired by the traditional colorful attire of medieval Rajasthan that is popular even today. The Kathputlis are made to ‘dance’ with two to five strings that are tied to a puppeteer’s fingers, which he moves to make the puppets dance animatedly. The stories performed by the natbhats range from tales based on reworkings of the epics to legends espousing the heroism and valour of the local heroes. The narratives of Amar Singh Rathore, Prithviraj Chauhan and Dhola-Maru are popular folk legends interpreted through puppetry.

Bahulya—Maharashtra’s string puppets Bahuli means a doll and its plural is bahulya. Most bahulyakars or puppeteers usually belong to nomadic tribes and are always on the move, taking their puppets and theater equipment with them wherever they go. The puppets are made of clay or carved from the light wood of the pangara or coral tree. According to the character represented, the height varies from 20 to 45 cm. Each figure is divided into two sections. Leather puppets are called Chamadyachya Bahulya or Chamadi Chitre and string puppets are called Kalasutri Bahulya. The performances usually start with an invocation to Lord Ganesh and Saraswati. In bahulya, stories are mostly narratives centered around the elephant-headed god, Ganesh, and his exploits though legends of Chhatrapati Shivaji also abound. Stories from the Ramayana are an all-time favorite. This is one form of puppetry that needs a desperate boost as it is on the verge of dying out.

Pavakathakali—Kerala Glove Puppets 

In Kerala, the traditional glove puppet play is called Pavakoothu or Pavakathakali. This form, that came into Besides its artistic side, puppetry also has cultural significance, especially in South India, where shadow puppets are used to enact stories from the epics existence during the 18th century is believed to be heavily influenced by Kathakali, the classical dance-drama of Kerala. The height of Pavakathakali puppets varies from one to two feet. The head and the arms are carved of wood and joined together with thick cloth, cut and stitched into a small bag. Legends from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata constitute the more popular narratives.

Ravanachhaya—Oriya Shadow Puppets 

Ravanachhaya is one of the most dramatic forms of puppetry since it relies on the interplay of light and shadows. The puppets are joint-less and are made in one whole piece out of deerskin leather. They are not colored, hence they throw opaque shadows on the screen. Apart from human and animal characters, many props such as trees, mountains, chariots and so on are also used. Although Ravanachhaya puppets are smaller in size, the largest not more than two feet, since they have no-joint limbs they throw very sensitive and lyrical shadows.

Tholu Bommalata—Andhra Pradesh 

Andhra Pradesh’s shadow theater has a rich and strong tradition. These shadow puppets differ from Odisha’s shadow puppets in that they are not only colored on both sides but also have joints at the waist, shoulders, elbows and knees. Being coloured, they throw colored shadows on the screen. The themes derive from the Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata and the music is influenced by the classical music of the region. The manipulators of these shadow puppets in Andhra Pradesh are known as Pulavars—meaning scholars or poets—emphasizing the respect accorded to them.

Baner Putul, West Bengal 

Puppetry has a rich tradition in Bengal that thrives not only on epic stories, but also Bengali literature and now even contemporary issues such as AIDS awareness, female infanticide and so on. Baner Putul, or dolls of commercial people, is a form of puppetry most popular in southern West Bengal. The puppeteers characteristically belong to the scheduled caste of Kahar, the palanquin-bearers of yore. The puppets are nearly two feet high, with terracotta heads and wooden arms. The puppeteers sing songs during the show and play small drums called domru to attract crowds. The puppets have anklets fixed on the arms, which are used to keep rhythm by clapping. There are pairs of male and female puppets manipulated by the puppeteers with both hands. The themes are based on social events such as linguistic differences, escapades of lovers, and even family planning. The puppeteer begins his career early in life and roams from fair to fair, charging money for each song.

Bommalattam—String Puppets of Tamil Nadu 

Bommalattam, the puppet theater of Tamil Nadu, combines 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 joint arms and hands, which are manipulated by rods. The Bommalattam puppets are the largest, heaviest and most articulate of all traditional Indian marionettes. Bommalattam performances are given in villages and temples to ensure rain as well as to placate the gods to prevent outbreak of disease. The puppeteers perform ritualistic sacrifices before fashioning the puppets and also once they are complete. While making characters like Ravana, Kali and the like, fowls are sacrificed and the puppets are given a black tinge as the final touch.

Bommalattam theater has elaborate preliminaries which are divided into four parts—Vinayak puja, Komali, Amanattam and Pusenkanattam. 

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