Puppets of Rajasthan.. The Past and The Present

It is said that Puppetry of Rajasthan is more than a thousand years old, also known as Kathputli is a string puppet theater, native to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry.

Traditionally, Rajasthan has shared a rich heritage of puppetry. Mainly the Bhat community practices this art termed Kathputli (Kath meaning wood and Putli meaning doll).

Kathputli means a puppet which is made entirely from wood. the puppet shows of Rajasthan there are a number of wooden dummy dolls that are dressed up in bright and color attires. However it is made out of wood, cotton cloth and metal wire.

Patronized by many ruling families in the state, it soon grew into a major

art form of the region. But due to the invasion of Rajasthan by the Mughals, Kathputli (Puppets) gradually lost its importance.
Still in some parts of Rajasthan, the Ramayana and Mahabarata epics are communicated through puppetry .The history of this art goes long back in the history of Rajasthan. These Puppet shows are also known as the “Amar Singh Ka Khel”. In 16th century the brave Amar Singh Rathore of Nagore chopped off the head of Salawat Khan in the royal court of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. 
Thus he made his land Marwar proud of him. Salawat Khan attacked Amar Singh’s pride and honour and Amar Singh in turn very bravely made him pay with his life. Eventhough due to this Amar Singh lost his life too.

The puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of entertainment and amusement. Besides providing an enjoyment, this visual art, today convey meaningful messages to the village folks. Over the years, Puppetry has attained powerful communication skills, like nowadays various stage shows are organised for puppetry, followed by the full-throated songs of the Mirasis, Langas and Manganiyars, which belong to old pastimes, depicting a traditional, leisurely pace of life. Some scholars believe Kathputli art tradition is more than thousands years old. One finds its reference in Rajasthani folk tales, ballads and sometimes even in folk songs.

The tribes of Rajasthan have been performing thisart from the ancient times and it has become an eternal part of Rajasthani culture 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, tribal Rajasthani Bhat community started the use of Kathputli as string marionette art and it is in their love for tradition that art of Kathputli survived the test of time. 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.[3] Rajasthani Kings and nobles were patrons of Art and Craft 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. The patrons would look after the artists inreturn for the artists singing praises of the patrons’ ancestors. Bhat community claim that their ancestors had performed for royal families, and received great honour and prestige from the rulers of Rajasthan. 


These puppets are beautifully decorated, which are manipulated with the help of many strings, thus the strings are looped into the hands and fingers of puppeteer's.

A miniature stage is set up with the help of a cot that is laid by length. The puppeteer tacks his puppets over a rope joined to the upper legs of the cots. The cots are covered with sheets in order to conceal the puppeteer from the view of the public. These stunning puppets lie lifeless on the stage until the strings are pulled by the puppeteer, it is one of the most interesting moment, when these puppets come to life. Traditionally the male plays music on his instrument while his female partner dances to popular tribal themes and traditional desert songs. Most of the puppeteers are usually from the same family, and the occupation runs from the generations, it is a skilled talent that father teaches to his son, and son to his further generations.

Rajasthan puppets have their own unique speciality. Puppeteers manipulate the puppets with a whistling, squeaking voice and are interpreted by a narrator who also provides the rhythms. The puppets have no legs and movements are free. Their bodies and limbs are made of mango wood and stuffed with cotton. A slight jerk of the string causes the puppets to produce movements of the hands, neck and shoulder

Today Kathputli art is one of the most popular performing arts of Rajasthan after Ghoomar. Organisations like Rupayan Sansthan in Jodhpur founded by Vijaydan Detha and Komal Kothari in 1960 and Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal, Udaipur, founded by Devilal Samar in 1952, are working in the field preserving and promoting the art of Kathputli, the latter even has a puppet theatre as well as puppet museum.[5] Capital New Delhi also has an area known as 'Kathputli Colony', in Shadipur Depot, where puppeteers, magicians, acrobats, dancers and musicians and other itinerant performance groups have settled since half a century.

 It has been one of the oldest form of entertainment. In the olden day time     these puppets were not only a source of entertainment but also provided  moral and social education. They tackled problems like dowry system,  women empowerment, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, cleanliness.  Through these puppet shows they made people aware of the social problem  that everybody was facing and also showed ways of solving them.

 However, Today, most of the Rajasthan puppet theatres have lost their charm, due to the influence of cinema, television and video. But still puppetry is a popular media among children's, educators and communicators. Even the Rajasthan Government, today realizes the importance of saving this ancient art of folklore and keeping all the beneficial facts, the government took initiatives to open many puppetry theatres and regularly organise puppet shows in the countryside of Rajasthan.