Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.12

Rod Puppets

Art & Culture › Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry · Topic 6.12

Rod puppets are figures supported and moved from below by one or more rods fixed to the body, held by a puppeteer who is often hidden behind a screen and holds the puppet over his head. They are found mainly in eastern India: Putul Nach of West Bengal (large wooden figures of 3 to 4 feet), Kathi Kundhei of Odisha, and Yampuri of Bihar, a form with large, jointless wooden figures. They are usually bigger than glove puppets. Rod puppets of Bengal tell stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna Lila, as well as social themes, and the form is close to the Bunraku theatre of Japan in its use of large figures.

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

At a Glance

West Bengal Putul Nach
Odisha Kathi Kundhei
Bihar Yampuri
Operated From below with rods
Region Mainly eastern India
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows shadow puppets and describes the third class of Indian puppetry. The glove puppets and modern forms that follow build on the same ideas. Previous topic: Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata). Next topic: Glove Puppets.

Which Rod Puppet Belongs to Which State?

Puppet form	State	Features	Themes and notes
Putul Nach (Bengal rod puppets)	West Bengal (Nadia, Midnapore, 24 Parganas, Bankura)	Large, 3 to 4 feet; hollow wooden head with a cloth body; a main rod runs to the head and other rods move the hands. Puppeteer carries it at waist, with a screen	Krishna Lila, Ramayana, Mahabharata and social stories. Shown at fairs. Related to Jatra style
Kathi Kundhei	Odisha	Rod puppets with light wood and cloth; rod fixed to the puppet; performed with music and Odissi-style songs	Radha-Krishna stories and Odia legends
Yampuri	Bihar	Large wooden puppets with no joints, usually not hollow; sometimes the body is a single piece of wood	Folk and religious stories; one of the least known puppet traditions
Other rod traditions	Odisha, Tripura and Assam	Related puppet forms are found with local names	Local mythologies

How Do String, Rod and Glove Puppets Differ?

Feature	String puppet	Rod puppet	Glove puppet
Control	Strings from above	Rods from below	Hand inside the puppet
Example	Kathputli of Rajasthan	Putul Nach of West Bengal	Pavakoothu of Kerala
Size	Small to large	Large	Small
Region	West and south	East	South and east
Detail	Many movements	Strong bodies, fewer fine movements	Quick expressive hand movement

What Else Should You Remember?

Mechanism: the puppeteer holds a central rod fixed to the head with one hand and uses thin rods or strings to move the arms with the other
Stage: the puppeteers stand behind a screen with the puppets raised over the screen, and the narrator or a group sings the story from behind
Putul Nach in Bengal: Bengal puppet shows are called Putul Nach, from putul meaning doll and nach meaning dance
Alternate names: Putul Nach is also written Putul Nautch or Putulnacher, and Kathi Kundhei as Kathi Kandhei
Costumes: puppets are dressed in traditional costumes of kings, queens, gods and village characters, in bright cloth
Troupe: a rod puppet troupe has several puppeteers who also sing and play dhol, harmonium and cymbals
Themes: modern groups use rod puppets for social campaigns on health, literacy and elections
Decline: fewer troupes now perform, as films and television have taken audiences
Nodal body: the Sangeet Natak Akademi supports puppeteers with scholarships, festivals and archival projects
Bengal puppetry: Bengal has strong glove puppet and rod puppet traditions, and a Putul Nach festival is held in some districts
Origin of Indian puppetry: the Sangam text Silappadikaram and the Mahabharata refer to puppets, and the Natya Shastra uses the word sutradhara, so the art has ancient roots
Craft detail: Bengali puppet makers use sholapith, clay, wood and cloth, and the heads are painted with bold eyes so they are seen from far at village fairs
Performance style: a rod puppet show has a loud music base and a narrative song, and the puppeteers move in a circle behind the screen while lifting the figures
Theme shift: modern troupes in Bengal have staged anti-dowry, literacy and health stories and adapted stories from Tagore
Gender: most troupe members are men, though women are now trained as puppeteers in workshops
Link to tribal art: puppet shows in tribal areas of Odisha and Bihar use similar rods, as noted in Tribal Puppetry
Link: see String Puppets and Glove Puppets for the other two classes

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match the list: puppet with state, such as Putul Nach with West Bengal
Type: rod versus string versus glove
Features: held from below and operated by rods
Region: eastern India
Common errors: calling Putul Nach a string puppet, or giving Yampuri to Kerala

As an analytical point, rod puppets were widely used in eastern India because they could be carried to village fairs and perform stories of faith and folk life. Their revival needs new patrons and training.

Why Is This Topic Important?

State match Direct question
Type Rod versus others
Region Eastern India

What Came Next?

The next topic is Glove Puppets. Next topic: Glove Puppets.

Key People and Terms

Putul Doll
Nach Dance
Kathi Rod
Kundhei Puppet in Odia
Puppeteer Operator
Bunraku Japanese puppet theatre

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Rod puppet: Putul Nach, West Bengal.
Odisha: Kathi Kundhei.
Bihar: Yampuri.
Moved from below.
Mainly eastern India.

Do Not Confuse With

Kathi Kundhei and Sakhi Kundhei Odisha rod puppet versus Odisha glove puppet
Putul Nach and Kathputli Rod puppet of Bengal versus string puppet of Rajasthan
Rod and shadow puppets Three-dimensional versus flat shadow

Memory Hook

Putul dances on a rod in the east; strings pull from above, rods push from below.

Mains Angle

Questions ask how folk arts adapt. These points give a frame.

Use Folk art and social messaging
Decline Media competition
Support Scholarships and festivals

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Examine the role of rod puppetry in the folk culture of eastern India and the steps needed to preserve it.”

How to Answer

Role Folk stories at fairs.
Challenge Fewer audiences.
Use Campaigns.
Way Grants and training.

GS Relevance

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What are rod puppets?

Rod puppets are figures moved from below by rods fixed to the body and held by a puppeteer, who is usually hidden behind a screen. In India they are found mainly in eastern states, as Putul Nach in West Bengal, Kathi Kundhei in Odisha and Yampuri in Bihar.

Which state does Putul Nach belong to?

Putul Nach belongs to West Bengal. The word means dance of dolls. The puppets are large, about three to four feet, with hollow wooden heads and cloth bodies, controlled by rods. Troupes perform at fairs with songs, telling stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Krishna Lila.

What is Yampuri?

Yampuri is a rod puppet tradition of Bihar in which large wooden puppets are made without joints, often from a single piece of wood. It is one of the less known puppet forms of India, and is usually listed with Putul Nach and Kathi Kundhei in questions on rod puppets.

What is the difference between rod puppets and glove puppets?

Rod puppets are moved from below by rods and are usually large, as in Putul Nach of Bengal. Glove puppets are small figures worn over the hand, with the puppeteer's fingers moving the head and arms, as in Pavakoothu of Kerala. Rod puppets are bigger and need more support.

Which Indian puppets are similar to Japanese Bunraku?

Rod puppets of eastern India, especially Putul Nach of West Bengal, are compared with Japanese Bunraku because both use large figures operated by visible or hidden puppeteers. The comparison is only about size and technique, since the stories, music and costume traditions are entirely different.

Why are rod puppets important for UPSC?

They matter because Prelims asks for puppets by state and type, and Mains asks about preserving folk art forms. They are the third class of puppets, with string, shadow and glove forms, in the GS Paper 1 syllabus on Indian heritage and culture.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Putul Nach is a rod puppet tradition of West Bengal.

True

It uses rods fixed to the figure.

2 Yampuri is a glove puppet tradition of Kerala.

False

It is a rod puppet tradition of Bihar.

3 Rod puppets are moved from below.