Puppetry in India

** Puppetry has an old tradition in India. There are four major types of puppetry. Strings, shadow,rod,and glove. Lets explore some traditional forms of puppetry practised in India.**

** Yampuri**

• This is the name of the traditional rod puppets from Bihar. They are made of wood. These puppets are in one piece and no joints and so require higher skill to move them.*

** putul naach**

• This form of puppetry comes from West bengal. The puppets, usually about 1 m in height, are tied to the waist of the puppeteer with a bamboo rod. The puppeteers,hiding behind a full- lenght curtain,move the same way that they want the puppets to move,while they sing and deliver dialogues.*

** Kundhei**

• This form of puppetry has its roots in Odisha. These puppets have no legs and wear long flowing skirts. The puppets have multiple joints, which makes them easy to move in different ways.*

Bommalattam

• Found in Tamil Nadu, this form of puppetry features the heaviest and biggest puppets among all traditional Indian puppets forms. They often reach up to 1.5 m height. They are moved with the help of both strings and rod.*