Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.13

Glove Puppets

Art & Culture › Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry · Topic 6.13

Glove puppets, also called hand or sleeve puppets, are small figures worn like a glove over the hand, with the forefinger in the head and the thumb and middle finger in the arms, so the puppeteer moves the figure directly. In India they are found in Kerala (Pavakoothu or Pava Kathakali), Odisha (Sakhi Kundhei), West Bengal (Benir Putul) and Uttar Pradesh (Gulabo Sitabo). Pavakoothu of north Kerala is the best known, with a wooden head and Kathakali-style costume and make-up, performed in temples to chenda and maddalam. Gulabo Sitabo of Uttar Pradesh uses the quarrels of two women for comic and topical satire. Glove puppets are the simplest and most portable form of puppetry.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Art & Culture · Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

At a Glance

Kerala Pavakoothu
Odisha Sakhi Kundhei
West Bengal Benir Putul
Uttar Pradesh Gulabo Sitabo
Control Hand inside the puppet
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

Where Does It Fit?

This topic completes the four classical classes of Indian puppets (string, shadow, rod and glove). The final topics move to modern and tribal puppetry. Previous topic: Rod Puppets. Next topic: Modern Puppetry.

Which Glove Puppet Belongs to Which State?

Puppet form	State	Features	Themes and notes
Pavakoothu (Pava Kathakali)	Kerala (Kannur, Kasaragod and Palakkad)	Small wooden-headed puppets, about a foot tall, in Kathakali-style costume and face colours; operated with the fingers. Accompanied by chenda, maddalam and songs	Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata; performed in temples and at festivals; Pulavar and other hereditary families
Sakhi Kundhei (Sakhi Kandhei)	Odisha	Small, light puppets with a wooden head and long skirts, worn on the hand. Accompanied by dholak, cymbals and singing, with a narrator	Radha-Krishna stories; performed at festivals; also called Sakhi Nata
Benir Putul	West Bengal	Small hand puppets, often made of cloth and light wood; manipulated with fingers	Social themes and folk tales; used in campaigns
Gulabo Sitabo	Uttar Pradesh	Small hand puppets that represent two women, Gulabo and Sitabo, in a humorous argument	Satire on social customs and current events

How Do Pavakoothu and Gulabo Sitabo Compare?

Feature	Pavakoothu	Gulabo Sitabo
State	Kerala	Uttar Pradesh
Look	Kathakali-like face and dress	Simple, brightly dressed village women
Tone	Religious, epic	Comic and satirical
Music	Chenda and maddalam	Dholak and folk song
Setting	Temple festival	Village square and fair

What Else Should You Remember?

Technique: the puppet’s head is fitted on the forefinger, and the thumb and middle finger go into the arms, while the other fingers hold the cloth body
Stage: the puppeteer kneels or stands behind a small screen with the puppets raised above it, and the narrator sings
Kerala link: Pavakoothu was developed in the 19th century, and its puppets copy Kathakali characters such as pacha and kathi, so it is also called Pava Kathakali
Alternate spellings: Pavakoothu is also written Pava Koothu, Pavakathakali or Pavai Koothu, and Sakhi Kundhei as Sakhi Kandhei
Family tradition: skills are handed down in families, as in other puppet forms, with young members trained from childhood
Social themes: modern puppeteers use glove puppets for health awareness, literacy drives and election campaigns
Teaching: glove puppets are the easiest form to learn and are used in classrooms for children
Portability: a glove puppet troupe needs little space and few people, so it travels easily to villages
Decline: film, television and mobile phones have cut audiences, and Pavakoothu has a small number of surviving troupes
Support: the Sangeet Natak Akademi gives grants to puppet troupes, and the Ministry of Culture runs schemes for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
Origin of the idea: hand puppets are found in many cultures, and in India the glove form is mostly seen in south and east Indian temple and village traditions, with Kerala holding the best developed example
Craft: heads are carved from light wood or moulded from clay and cloth, painted in bold colour, and dressed with sewn cloth that hides the hand of the performer
Voice: the puppeteer or a separate singer gives the voice, and in Pavakoothu verses in Malayalam are sung with percussion, as in the Kathakali tradition
Speed: glove puppets can act quickly, fight, dance and bow, which suits comic scenes and short, lively shows
Tourism: Kerala and Odisha include puppet shows in cultural programmes for visitors, which adds a source of income
Gender: most glove puppet performers are men, though some women now train in workshops and school programmes
Link: see Rod Puppets for the larger forms and Modern Puppetry for new trends

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match the list: puppet with state, such as Pavakoothu with Kerala
Type: glove versus rod versus string
Features: Kathakali-like costume, hand worn
Themes: epics and satire
Common errors: calling Pavakoothu a shadow puppet, or placing Gulabo Sitabo in Bihar

As an analytical point, glove puppets show that a simple art can carry both religious and satirical messages. Their low cost makes them suitable for education and public awareness work.

Why Is This Topic Important?

State match Direct question
Type Glove versus others
Kathakali link Pavakoothu

What Came Next?

The next topic is Modern Puppetry. Next topic: Modern Puppetry.

Key People and Terms

Glove puppet Hand-worn figure
Pava Doll
Koothu Play
Sakhi Female friend of Radha
Satire Humour that criticises
Troupe Group of performers

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Kerala glove puppet: Pavakoothu.
Odisha: Sakhi Kundhei.
Uttar Pradesh: Gulabo Sitabo.
West Bengal: Benir Putul.
Operated by fingers.

Do Not Confuse With

Pavakoothu and Tholpavakoothu Glove puppet versus shadow puppet of Kerala
Sakhi Kundhei and Kathi Kundhei Glove puppet versus rod puppet of Odisha
Glove and string puppets Hand-worn versus string-pulled

Memory Hook

Pava wears the hand, Gulabo gossips, Sakhi sings for Krishna.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about folk arts and their use today. These points give a frame.

Low cost Easy to carry and teach
Message Social awareness
Decline Media competition

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“How can glove puppetry be used as a tool for education and social change in India?”

How to Answer

Form Simple and portable.
Use Health, literacy.
Challenge Few troupes.
Way Train and fund.

GS Relevance

Prelims: forms of glove puppetry by state, features, themes. GS Paper 1: Indian heritage and culture, puppetry as a performing art.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are glove puppets?

Glove puppets are small figures worn on the hand like a glove, with the puppeteer's fingers moving the head and arms directly. They are simple, portable and expressive. India's main forms are Pavakoothu of Kerala, Sakhi Kundhei of Odisha, Benir Putul of West Bengal and Gulabo Sitabo of Uttar Pradesh.

What is Pavakoothu?

Pavakoothu, also called Pava Kathakali, is the glove puppet tradition of north Kerala. The small wooden-headed puppets wear Kathakali-style costume and make-up and perform stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, accompanied by chenda, maddalam and songs, mostly in temple festivals.

Which state does Gulabo Sitabo belong to?

Gulabo Sitabo belongs to Uttar Pradesh. It is a glove puppet tradition in which two puppets, Gulabo and Sitabo, quarrel in a comic way, and the puppeteers use their argument to make satirical remarks about social customs, daily life and topical events in front of village audiences.

What is Sakhi Kundhei?

Sakhi Kundhei, also written Sakhi Kandhei, is the glove puppet tradition of Odisha. Light puppets with wooden heads and long skirts perform stories of Radha and Krishna, with a narrator and music of dholak and cymbals. It differs from the rod puppet tradition of Odisha, Kathi Kundhei.

What is the difference between glove puppets and string puppets?

Glove puppets are worn on the hand and moved by the fingers, so they are small and quick, as in Pavakoothu. String puppets hang from strings held above, so they are larger and need more skill, as in Kathputli of Rajasthan. Glove puppets are easier to carry and learn.

Why are glove puppets important for UPSC?

They matter because Prelims asks to match glove puppet forms with states and features, and Mains asks about the use and preservation of folk arts. They complete the four types of Indian puppetry, together with string, shadow and rod puppets, in GS Paper 1.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Pavakoothu is a glove puppet tradition of Kerala.

True

It follows Kathakali style.

2 Gulabo Sitabo is a rod puppet tradition of Bihar.

False

It is a glove puppet tradition of Uttar Pradesh.

3 Glove puppets are controlled by the fingers of the puppeteer.