The string puppets of Rajasthan are known as kathputhlis in the local lingo and the main centres where they are made are Jaipur and Jodhpur.

The Bhatt community makes these puppets as well as performs with them from village to village during the dry season when cultivation is not possible.

The puppets are generally two feet in height having a wooden head with an enormous nose and large eyes. The rest of the body is made of colourful and bright pieces of cloth and stuffed rags which also allow for free movement.

Puppetry is an ancient, popular form of folk entertainment. The string puppet in Rajasthan are called katputlis, or marionettes.

Controlling the Puppets - The riveting histrionics of the puppeters, like the full-throated songs of the Mirasis, Langas and Manganiyars belong to old passtimes, epomizing a traditional, leasurely pace of life.

No village fair, no religious festival and no social gathering would be complete without them. The traditional puppeters were from the wandering communities of the Bhatts.

They move from village to village with their box of katputlis, accessories and dhoklas during the festive seasons, returning to their villages to cultivate their small patch of land during the short rainy season.

In the puppet shows of Rajasthan there are a number of wooden dummy dolls that are dressed up in bright and color attires.

Making of The Puppets - These puppets are attached with strings that the puppeteer uses to move them around. A miniature stage is set up with the help of a cot that is laid by length.

The puppeteer tacks his puppets over a rope joined to the upper legs of the cots. The cots are covered with sheets in order to conceal the puppeteer from the view of the public.

The puppeteers were from the wandering communities of Bhatts in rural Rajasthan, traditionally associated with the art of puppetry and were originally inhabiting the area around Nagaur in the Marwar region. They used to move from one village to another, at the time of festive seasons, with their box of katputlis and dhoklas, spreading the unique art and culture.

Making of The Puppets - You can imagine from this, that no fair in the village, or religious festival, or the social gathering was complete without the charm of puppetry. whereas the another most influential story state that there was once a carpenter, who made two alluring wooden figures and when Goddess Parvati saw them, she slipped into the figures in a playful mood, therefore enticed Lord Shiva to enter the other figure and the both of them started playing a divine dance.

Rajasthani Puppets are string marionettes that originate from the state of Rajasthan in India. The puppets are controlled by a single string that passes from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers. Characteristic to this form are the shrill voices produced by the lead puppeteer which are spoken through a bamboo reed. 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. Due to the invasion of Rajasthan by the Mughals, Kathputli gradually lost its importance.

Making of The Puppets - It has been one of the oldest forms of entertainment. Historically, these puppets were not only a source of entertainment, but also provided moral and social education.

The shows tackled problems like the dowry system, women's empowerment, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, andcleanliness. These puppet shows made people aware of the social problems that everybody was facing and also showed ways of solving them.

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