Puppetry: Mother of All Folk Arts

Puppetry progenitor of the modern dramatic art, dates back to 2000 BC. It exists in all regions of the world like the Egyptians, Greeks, and some sections of the American continents. The role of puppets in spiritual and magical remedies has been part of it.  Besides ancient India, China, and Babylon. Puppetry in Asia is a traditional form and is the mother of all folk art forms.

 The etymology of Puppetry can be traced from the Old French  ‘Poupette’, which is faring from the word ‘poupée’ meaning "a bird" or ‘a little doll’. Likewise, in Vulgar Latin root ‘Puppa’-meaning a chick or a doll.

Likewise, in vulgar Latin root ‘Puppa-meaning a chick or a doll. This was adopted in Middle English in the 1530s as ‘Popet’-“Doll”. This adapted in Middle English in the  1530s as  ‘Popet’- "doll". "Doll moved by strings or wires".

Again, this is the opinion of many historians and scientists who think that toys and dolls are the ancestors of the puppet. As Puppetry is concerned, many etymologists have noted similarities in the speech and words used for dolls and creatures in several Indo-European languages.

For instance: In Kannada, it is known as ‘Gombeyata’, wherein Gombe means ‘doll’ and ‘aata’ means play-it is dolls' play. So in Tamil, it is called ‘Bommalattam’ and in Telugu ‘Bommalata’ and in Malayalam as ‘Pavai Koothu’.

The use of puppets in the pre-historic period was probably for connecting the human ancestors by shamans casting shadows in ritual worship. The reference to the same is found in Indian, Chinese, and Egyptian folklore. Thus, marking the evidence of Asia is the origin place puppetry in general and India- the Bharat Kanda is the cradle of puppetry. Later, traveled across the globe. Further, scholars opine that references to different kinds of puppets in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Buddhist work.

What is a puppet? Or Puppetry?

Puppets can be defined in simple words as- “Inanimate objects brought to life through manipulation to convey a message through a story’’. The art of manipulation of inanimate objects is Known as Puppetry. Traditional forms of Puppets all over the Earth are shadow puppets, rod puppets, glove puppets, and string puppets  (puppets).

There is a debate as to which form of the puppet is the oldest or the first-born-is it a shadow puppet or the string puppet. Interestingly, Indian folklore narratives have supportive tales for both forms of puppet’s origin. Lord Shiva is seen as the chief manipulator ‘Sutradhar’ who tied ‘Sutra’- meaning ‘strings’ to the inanimate figure and played it for his consort Goddess Parvati. The practice and presence of the Sutradhar with Sutra-Prata (strings attached) along with Sthapaka (the stage setter) or assisting the Sutradhar as a term employed to describe puppets in Mahabharata is still visible today in the traditional puppeteer troupe.

Well, different folk versions state interesting stories behind the origin of Puppetry. Nevertheless, all the stories revolve around  Lord Shiva and Parvati as chief Puppeteers from whom this art form has been prepared and subsequently fell out onto mankind be its shadow or string puppets. According to ‘Bhats’ traditional puppeteers who perform string puppets called ‘Katpulti Naach Pradarshan’ in Rajasthan, the reason that Rajasthan is the birthplace of Indian puppets. From Rajasthan, it travelled to other parts of the country. They claim string puppets as the mother of all puppet forms.

According to ‘Nat Bhats’ the origin of string puppetry is attributed to Brahma (the god who has delegated the role of creating the cosmos). Brahma is regarded as the ‘Sutradhar’. It is stated that for the entertainment of his consort Saraswati, Brahma created and devoted life to the ‘Adi’, the first ‘Nat Bhat’-puppeteer. And so, again, he created another figure for Nat to manipulate and thereby entertain the goddess. However, Brahma was not very pleased with his exertions and he, therefore, banished the puppeteer to the ground and therefore was the birth of the first Bhat community the one who play Katputlis in Rajasthan. So, Nat Bhats are the original puppeteers from this region.

According to folklorist and folk art scholar (Mahender Bhanawat: 2012), it was Lord Shiva not Brahma who created Bhat for the amusement of his consort Goddess Parvati. It was the Bhat, a great devotee of Lord Shiva, who entertained the Lord using wooden dolls singing the glory of Lord Shiva and ignoring Goddess Parvati. Infuriated Shiva expelled the Bhat puppeteer to earth. However, Bhat with the wooden dolls started entertaining the common masses by narrating the glory of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Thus establishing the Bhat-Puppeteer Community in Rajasthan.

Yet, another tale from the same region revolves around when celestial objects, God and Goddess visited Bhuloka. There lived a carpenter by the name of Sevakram who made beautiful wooden dolls with leftover wooden pieces. The dolls made by him were so beautiful and lively that no two dolls differ in appearance and they looked alike. 

Nevertheless, every day he felt that his dolls though beautiful, remain lifeless and he is unable to pour life into them. This thought bothered him a lot. One day, Shiva and Parvati on their visit to Bhuloka, Parvati came across the beautifully carved dolls and wished if these dolls sang and danced too. Parvati requested Shiva to pour life into lifeless dolls. 

Initially, Shiva ignored her wish, but her persistence pressurized Shiva to fulfill her wish. Within no time, all the dolls played, danced, and sang all around. Sevakram who returned home from his work was amused to watch all his dolls moving around singing and dancing. He clasped all his dolls with happiness, all the dolls fell lifeless. He cried by then there was a celestial announcement from the sky, ‘Sevakram, your dolls remain lifeless and will come to life by tying strings’. Sevakram tied strings and manipulated them with his fingers and entertained the mass.

According to (Rangarajan 2014) ‘Once in Kailasa Parvati and Parameshwara were engaged in lecturing and then came devotees of Shiva who wanted his help to protect them from the troubling demons. In order to fulfill his devotees’ request, Shiva left Kailasa on  Nandi Vahana. While Parvathi being left alone, and complained the same to Lord Shiva. In the decree to make her feel happy, Shiva created some dolls and said to dolls to entertain Parvati and obey her till his coming back. 

While all the dolls obeyed the order of lord Shiva and started performing. Parvathi who watched them for some time; started thinking of Lord Shiva. In the meanwhile all the dolls were playing all around her. She grew crazy and shouted to the dolls “Can’t you be silent for some time’. Obeying her order all the dolls kept quiet. After some time Parvati realized her mistake and asked the dolls to perform.

But the dolls did not move an inch. She requested them, yet they did not act. By then Lord Shiva returned back to Kailasa and asked about the doll play. Parvati narrated the whole story and asked lord Shiva to request them to play. Lord Shiva replied that “The dolls are obedient servants and they obey whatever their master or mistresses say. Nevertheless, their task is to entertain and not to cause inconvenience. Even so, you can still make them play and execute for you. So saying, lord Shiva tied strings called “Sutra” and asked Parvati to manipulate them. So, she became the ‘Sutradari’. That’s how the origin of ‘Sutradhar’-Puppets originated.

Another folk story in support of the above with slight variation mentions that when Shiva return back and found the dolls remaining silent, said that henceforth they would never speak, sing or dance or entertain on their own. Parvati felt sorry for her ridiculous act and requested the Lord Shiva to pardon her and bring back life into the dolls. For Lord Shiva assured that these dolls would come back to life and sing and dance by a ‘Manipulator’ and not on their own self. Thus emerged the ‘Sutra-string’ tied to the dolls and the ‘Sutradhar- manipulator’.

Well, the folk story that claims Shadow puppets as the mother of puppetry goes like this, ‘once Lord Shiva and Parvati in disguise came down to Bhuloka to test their real Bhaktas-devotees.

Then they came across a man who remembered the Lord's name all the time and who lived in utter poverty with not a single grain in his house. He even welcomed the couples with a smile on his face and spread his torn rags for sit.

To test his devotion, Lord Shiva asked him to entertain them with a new and unique art form which was never been discovered or tried before. At once the man ripped out the hide from his thighs and trimmed it out into a figure and attached it to some dried twigs.  Then he held the figure against the dim-lit earthen lamp. The reflection of the figure that fell along the walls entertained Lord Shiva and Parvati.

The dancing figure was moved by his devotion songs. Moved with his art lord Shiva blessed him with wealth and prosperity. This set the origin of Shadow- leather puppetry. This appears to be the root of man's effort to repair and rejuvenate toys according to his own vision.

The evidence of pre-historic period man residing in a cave, cave drawings, and obsession with the images cast on the wall of flames whereby he could imagine a shadowy picture of himself and his fellow beings, with all their gestures and established communication based on the shadow pictures and interpreted them, thus marking the origin of gesture narratives and later development of oral narratives shadow images confirms the existence of shadow to be the oldest form of puppetry.

(In The Journal of Srimanta Sankardeva Research Institute, Dr. Birendranath Dutta has highlighted a very significant reference from Katha-guru-carita (early 18th-century biography of Vaishnava saints of Assam) that shadow puppet was performed at the residence of Sankardeva’s father on the twenty-second day of the birth of the saint: “And on the twenty-second day tatakiya bajikar started manipulating shadow puppets” (Aru Bais dinar Diana tatakiya beginner Chaya Putula macabre dhoilehi. 

After this practice, a legend started evolving in the village and soon it became a trend to practice puppetry in each of the houses where a baby boy was born in the hope that the newborn would also grow up in the footsteps of the saint Sankardeva. Though there does not exist any concrete evidence of this belief, narrative apart from the reference given by the Dr Birendra Nath Dutta- who is regarded as a doyen of Folklore in Assam, Sri Chabin Rajkhowa Puppet Expert, Directorate of Cultural Affairs, State of Assam also mentioned the same practice in his inaugural speech at the 564th birth anniversary of Sri Sri Sankardeva at the Shankar Madhav Naamghar situated at Kalapahar, Guwahati)

**** The following article was published in Bhavan's Journal Volume 61, No 2, August 31, 2014 ****