Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.10

String Puppets

Art & Culture › Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry · Topic 6.10

String puppets (marionettes) are figures moved by strings tied to the head, hands and sometimes the back, held by a puppeteer from above. In India they are found mainly in Rajasthan (Kathputli, from kath meaning wood and putli meaning doll), Odisha (Gopalila Kundhei), Karnataka (Gombeyatta) and Tamil Nadu (Bommalattam), with Assam's Putala Nach as another example. Kathputli of the Bhat community in Rajasthan, with its painted wooden head and cloth body without legs, is the best known. Bommalattam of Tamil Nadu has the largest and heaviest figures, and Gombeyatta of Karnataka follows the style of Yakshagana. The word sutradhara, meaning holder of strings, is also the name of the narrator in Indian theatre.

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

At a Glance

Rajasthan Kathputli
Odisha Gopalila Kundhei
Karnataka Gombeyatta
Tamil Nadu Bommalattam
Western term Marionette
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the puppetry cluster and covers the form most often asked. Later topics deal with shadow, rod, glove, modern and tribal puppetry. Previous topic: Classification of Indian Cinema Film (National Film Awards). Next topic: Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata).

Which String Puppet Belongs to Which State?

Puppet form	State	Features	Theme and community
Kathputli	Rajasthan (Nagaur, Jodhpur and Jaipur regions)	Carved from wood (often mango or sheesham), painted face, large turbans and eyes, cloth body with no legs, colourful dress, two strings tied to head and hands. The puppeteer uses a bamboo whistle (bolti) to make a high-pitched voice	Bhat community. Stories of Amar Singh Rathore, Prithviraj Chauhan and folk heroes
Gopalila Kundhei	Odisha	Light wood, jointless, long skirts, strings tied to a prop held by the puppeteer. Dance-like movement	Krishna stories (gopa lila) and Radha-Krishna songs. Also called Kundhei Nata
Gombeyatta	Karnataka	Puppets styled like Yakshagana characters with bright costumes, up to seven strings, and a bhagavata narrator. Highly developed	Stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata; traditional puppeteer families of Karnataka
Bommalattam	Tamil Nadu (Thanjavur, Madurai, Kumbakonam)	Large figures up to 4 to 4.5 feet, heavy, with strings tied to an iron ring on the puppeteer’s head, with rods as well. Complex, with up to many strings	Hindu epics, performed in temples. Traditional families
Putala Nach	Assam	String puppets associated with Ramayana and Assamese folk themes	Traditional troupes of Assam
Kalasutri Bahulya	Maharashtra	Maharashtra string puppet tradition of the Marathi region	Local legends and epics

How Do the Four Main String Puppets Compare?

Feature	Kathputli	Gombeyatta	Bommalattam
State	Rajasthan	Karnataka	Tamil Nadu
Size	Small, 2 to 3 feet	Medium, jointed	Large, up to 4 feet, heavy
Legs	None, hidden by skirt	Yes, jointed limbs	Yes, jointed with many strings
Control	Two to five strings	Seven or more strings	Strings on iron ring and rods
Link to other art	Rajasthani folk song and dhol	Yakshagana style	Temple theatre

What Else Should You Remember?

Mechanics: a string puppet is lifted by a control (a kathi or ring) held in one hand, while the other hand pulls individual strings to move arms and heads
Oldest in India: references to puppets appear in the Mahabharata, in Tamil Sangam texts such as the Silappadikaram, and in Sanskrit works like the Kathasaritsagara
Kathputli Colony: a settlement at Shadipur, Delhi, home to hundreds of Rajasthani puppeteer, magician and musician families, which was taken up for redevelopment
Amar Singh Rathore: a Rajput hero of the 17th century at Shah Jahan’s court and a favourite Kathputli theme
Religious link: puppet shows are often performed at fairs and festivals and at village temples and sometimes to bring rain or good luck
Education: Kathputli is used in campaigns on health, literacy, family planning and water conservation
Tourism: Rajasthani Kathputli is a popular tourist show and also a craft sold at Jaipur and Udaipur
Toy craft: Kathputli dolls are also sold as a handicraft in Jaipur, Udaipur and Delhi
Sangeet Natak Akademi: awards and grants for puppeteers, and a documentation programme
Threats: television and cinema have reduced audiences, and puppeteer families find it hard to earn
International: UNIMA, the international puppetry union, observes World Puppetry Day on 21 March
Alternate names: Kathputli is also spelt Katputli or Kathputali, and Bommalattam is also written Bommalaattam or Bommalata; all refer to the same traditions in different spellings
Making: heads are carved from wood, bodies stuffed with cloth or cotton, and faces painted with natural and mineral colours by families who pass the skill from parent to child
Link: compare with Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata) and Rod Puppets in the next topics

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match the list: puppet with state, such as Gombeyatta with Karnataka
Features: legless Kathputli, iron ring of Bommalattam
Community: Bhat community of Rajasthan
Themes: Amar Singh Rathore
Common errors: calling Tholu Bommalata a string puppet, or giving Kundhei to Kerala

As an analytical point, string puppetry is a craft, a performance and a livelihood. It needs support through fairs, fair pay and school programmes, otherwise the families that hold the skills will leave it.

Why Is This Topic Important?

State match Direct question
Features Legless Kathputli
Community Bhat

What Came Next?

The next topic is Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata). Next topic: Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata).

Key People and Terms

Kathputli Wooden doll
Marionette String puppet
Sutradhara Holder of strings
Bolti Whistle for voice
Kundhei Odia puppet
Gombe Kannada for doll

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Kathputli: Rajasthan, Bhat community.
Bommalattam: Tamil Nadu, largest.
Gombeyatta: Karnataka, Yakshagana style.
Kundhei: Odisha.
World Puppetry Day: 21 March.

Do Not Confuse With

Bommalattam and Tholu Bommalata String puppets of Tamil Nadu versus shadow puppets of Andhra
Kathputli and Kundhei Rajasthan versus Odisha
String and rod puppets Pulled from above versus held from below

Memory Hook

Kath is wood, putli doll; Rajasthan pulls, Karnataka dances, Tamil Nadu carries the ring.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about preserving traditional crafts and arts. These points give a frame.

Livelihood Puppeteer families
Reach Education and tourism
Support Awards and markets

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“String puppetry is a dying art in India. Examine the reasons and suggest measures to revive it.”

How to Answer

Value Folk art and craft.
Decline Media and poverty.
Use Education and tourism.
Way Support families.

GS Relevance

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What are string puppets?

String puppets, also called marionettes, are figures moved by strings tied to their head, hands and body and operated by a puppeteer from above. In India the main forms are Kathputli of Rajasthan, Kundhei of Odisha, Gombeyatta of Karnataka and Bommalattam of Tamil Nadu.

Which state does Kathputli belong to?

Kathputli belongs to Rajasthan. The word means wooden doll, from kath for wood and putli for doll. The puppets have painted wooden heads and cloth bodies without legs, and the Bhat community performs them with a whistle voice and folk music, often telling the story of Amar Singh Rathore.

What is Bommalattam?

Bommalattam is the string and rod puppet tradition of Tamil Nadu, with the largest and heaviest puppets in India. The figures can be over four feet tall and are controlled by strings tied to an iron ring worn on the puppeteer's head, plus rods, and they perform scenes from Hindu epics.

What is Gombeyatta?

Gombeyatta is the string puppet theatre of Karnataka, in which puppets dressed like Yakshagana characters are controlled by several strings and accompanied by a bhagavata narrator and music. It tells stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and is closely related to Yakshagana in style.

What is the difference between string and shadow puppets?

String puppets are three-dimensional figures moved from above by strings and seen directly, as in Kathputli. Shadow puppets are flat leather figures held against a lit screen so their shadows are seen, as in Tholu Bommalata of Andhra Pradesh. String puppets use movement, while shadow puppets use light and colour.

Why is string puppetry important for UPSC?

It matters because Prelims asks to match puppet forms with states and features, and Mains asks about the preservation of folk arts and the livelihoods of artist communities. It is a regular GS Paper 1 culture topic together with shadow, rod and glove puppets.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Kathputli is a string puppet tradition of Rajasthan.

True

It is performed by the Bhat community.

2 Gombeyatta belongs to Odisha.

False

It belongs to Karnataka.

3 Bommalattam puppets are controlled from an iron ring on the puppeteer's head.