Kathputlis

News: Kathputli Nagar in Jaipur is in focus for preserving Kathputli puppetry, where nearly 250 families continue this traditional craft across generations.

About Kathputlis

• Kathputli is a traditional string puppet theatre from Rajasthan and is one of the oldest folk art forms of the region.
• Naming: The word Kathputli comes from kath, meaning wood, and putli, meaning doll, which reflects the basic structure of the puppet.
• It is traditionally practiced by the Bhatt community.
• Key Features
  • Craftsmanship: The puppets are hand-carved from wood for the head and torso, while the rest of the body is made from colorful scrap fabrics, cotton, and sequins.
  • Distinctive Appearance: They are known for having large, expressive eyes, arched eyebrows, and no legs, hidden instead by long, ground-length skirts that twirl during movement.
  • Puppeteers: Puppeteers control the puppets by tying two to five strings to their fingers and moving them from above.
• Theme: Performances narrate stories of Rajput kings, brave warriors, folk heroes, moral tales, and characters from everyday life and folklore.
• Instrument used: The shows are accompanied by folk music played on the dholak and harmonium, along with rhythmic narration.

Other String Puppet Theatre of India

• Kundhei of Odisha: Light wooden string puppets are used to narrate stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas, accompanied by Odissi-style music.
• Gombeyatta of Karnataka: String puppets modelled on Yakshagana characters perform mythological and folk narratives with elaborate costumes and headgear.
• Bommalattam of Tamil Nadu: Large and heavy puppets, using a mix of string and rod techniques, enact episodes from Hindu mythology.
• Putul Nach of West Bengal: Wooden string puppets present folk tales, social themes, and epics, supported by local music and narration.