![Rajasthani-puppeteer](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Rajasthani-puppeteer.jpg)
Kathputli is a string puppet theatre, native to
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry.
[ Brandon, p. 93] Being a string
marionette
A marionette (; french: marionnette, ) 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 ...
, 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
![India Mandawa marionetas 01 ni](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/India_Mandawa_marionetas_01_ni.JPG)
Some scholars believe Kathputli art tradition is more than thousands 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
The culture of Rajasthan includes many artistic traditions that reflect the ancient Indian way of life. Rajasthan is also called "Land of Kings". It has many tourist attractions and facilities for tourists. This historical state of India attrac ...
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 Rajasthani 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
Ghoomar or ghumar is a traditional folk dance of Rajasthan. It was the Bhil tribe who performed it to worship Goddess Sarasvati which was later embraced by other Rajasthani communities. The dance is chiefly performed by veiled women who wear fl ...
. Organisations like ''Rupayan Sansthan'' in
Jodhpur
Jodhpur (; ) is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan and officially the second metropolitan city of the state. It was formerly the seat of the princely state of Jodhpur State. Jodhpur was historically the capital of the ...
founded by
Vijaydan Detha
Vijaydan Detha (1 September 1926 – 10 November 2013), also known as Bijji, was a noted Indian writer of Rajasthani literature. He was a recipient of several awards including the Padma Shri and the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Detha has more than 80 ...
and
Komal Kothari
Komal Kothari was an Indian folk artist and classical singer.
Career
Kothari's research resulted in his development of the study of a number of areas of folklore. In particular, he made contributions to the study of musical instruments, oral tra ...
in 1960 and
Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal,
Udaipur
Udaipur () ( ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic cap ...
, 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 (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
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 evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
reed
Reed or Reeds may refer to:
Science, technology, biology, and medicine
* Reed bird (disambiguation)
* Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times
* Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales
* ...
. 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
*
* {{cite book, last= Ghosh, first=Sampa, author2=Utpal Kumar Banerjee, title=Indian puppets, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iy6_TtXCZjMC&dq=kathputli&pg=RA4-PA473, year=2006, publisher=Abhinav Publications, isbn=81-7017-435-X, ref=Gh
Rajathani puppetat ''
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
Rajasthani culture
Puppetry
Theatre in India
Puppetry in India