Kathputli is a string

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

theatre native to

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry. Brandon, p. 93 Being a string

marionette A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...

, it is controlled by a single string that passes it from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers. ''Putli'' meaning a doll. Kathputli means a puppet which is made entirely from wood. However it is made out of wood, cotton cloth and metal wire.

History

Some scholars believe Kathputli art tradition is more than thousands of years old. Ghosh, p. 75 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 which made India one of the first countries to invent its traditional puppetry. Tribes of Rajasthan have been performing this art from the ancient times and it has become an eternal part of Rajasthani culture 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, tribal Rajasthan 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. 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, painting and jewellery. 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 in return 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. Today ''Kathputli'' art is one of the most popular performing arts of Rajasthan state of India after Ghoomar. Organisations like ''Rupayan Sansthan'' in

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

founded by Vijaydan Detha and Komal Kothari in 1960 and Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal,

Udaipur Udaipur (Hindi: , ) (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura'') is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of t ...

, founded by Devilal Samar in 1952, are working in the field preserving and promoting the art of Kathputli. The latter even has a puppet theater as well as puppet museum. Capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

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 for half a century.

Overview

Characteristic to this form are the shrill voices produced by the lead puppeteer which are spoken through a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

reed. The art of Rajasthani puppetry (also called Kathputli) originated a thousand years ago when the Bhat community began to practice this art. Patronised by many ruling families in the state, it soon grew into a major art form of the region.

References

* *
Rajathani puppet
at '' Britannica.com''
Noted Kathputli artists

External links

Images of Puppets in RajasthanA photo documentary of residents of Kathputli Colony, a colony of street performers and puppets masters in Shadipur
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127051432/http://www.sergebouvet.com/kathputli-colony , date=27 January 2018 Rajasthani culture Theatre of India Puppetry in India

History

Overview

See also

References

External links