Playable heritage game

Kathputli string puppets

Also known as कठपुतली

Kathputli is the string puppet theatre of Rajasthan in India. Wooden-headed puppets in bright cloth hang from strings tied above, and the puppeteer gives them a high, whistling voice with a small bamboo reed held in the mouth.

Play the preview About this tradition

Kathputli string puppets: photograph by Manojmeena — Photo: Manojmeena, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Kathputli string puppets: the game in attract mode

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How to play

Follow Dilip as he rushes to save the evening show at the village fair.
Tap a choice, or press its number, to decide what he does.
When the weaver asks which cane will sing, pick the answer you think is right.
Wit and goodwill build as you choose well; your ending gives one to three stars.

Rules at a glance

The tale branches several ways and has three possible endings.
Honest, patient and clever choices earn wisdom points; hiding and boasting earn none.
Hiding the break, wasting time on the wrong stall, pulling the knot or boasting cannot be undone and costs the best ending.
The cane puzzle is answered once; a wrong answer leaves the voice thin.
Three stars need wit, goodwill and none of those missteps.

About the tradition

Kathputli is carried on by puppeteer families of Rajasthan, long associated with the Bhat community, who perform at village fairs and gatherings with stories from folk life. The puppets have carved heads and cloth bodies with long skirts instead of legs. This is an original fair-day tale in that spirit.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of South Asia.

Credits

Tale and artwork: World Heritage Games (original)
Photo: Manojmeena, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kathputli_(Puppet)_of_Rajasthan.jpg

Get the app

Kathputli string puppets is one of 10 stories and theatre games in the Story & Theatre of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 10 stories and theatre games in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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