Elaborate about various types of Puppetry Art in India.

In Puppet Theatre various forms, known as puppets, are used to illustrate the narratives.
The various types of puppetry art in India include:

  • String Puppets – This includes Kathputli of Rajasthan, Kundhei of Odisha, Gombeyetta ofKarnataka and Bomallattam art of Tamil Nadu.
  • Shadow Puppets – This includes the Togalu Gombeyatta of Karnataka, Tholu Bommalata of Andhra Pradesh, Ravanachhaya of Odisha.
  • Rod Puppets – This includes Putul Nautch of West Bengal and Yampuri of Bihar.
  • Glove Puppets – Important form is Pavakoothu of Kerala.

In String puppetry, puppets are also called as marionettes. Marionettes having jointed limbs controlled by strings allow far greater flexibility and are, therefore, the most articulate of the puppets.
Shadow puppets are flat figures, cut out of leather, which has been treated to make it translucent. Shadow puppets are pressed against the screen with a strong source of light behind it. The manipulation between the light and the screen make silhouettes or colourful shadows for the viewers who sit in front of the screen.
Rod puppets are an extension of glove-puppets, but often much larger and supported and manipulated by rods from below.
Glove puppets are also known as sleeve, hand or palm puppets. The head is made of Papier mache, cloth or wood, with two hands emerging from just below the neck. The rest of the figure consists of a long flowing skirt. The manipulation technique is simple. The movements are controlled by the human hand with the first finger inserted in the head and the middle finger and the thumb are the two arms of the puppet.

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