Togalu Bombeaata

Togalu Bombeaata is an ancient form of puppetry still popular in certain parts of rural Karnataka. They employ leather puppets and typically employ themes drawn from the epics and mythological stories. They are used both as instruction and entertainment. Sometimes Togalu Bombeaata at Karnataka is used to perform certain beneficial magical purposes; they are still believed to be infused with divine power in certain parts of Karnataka.

Togalu Bombeaata in Karnataka is essentially a form of puppet theater. The puppets are made of leather. The structures of the various mythological characters are stylized and can be identified from the dominant iconography practiced by the puppet makers since very early days. Tales from Ramayana and Mahabharata are the most common themes for the presentation of Togalu Bombeaata of Karnataka. The mode of communication and the scripts are as old as the form itself and is handed down by tradition.

Karnataka's Togalu Bombeaata may not share the wide popularity of the olden days. But it is still preferred by many as a very healthy and entertaining mode of instruction specially in the rural areas of the state. They provide great mirth and enjoyment, at the same time they present the epics as veritable picture books to the children and majority of the village populace. Once, Togalu Bombeaata was more than mere entertainment. It was believed to be bestowed with great magical powers. Even now, in some parts of Karnataka, Togalu Bombeaata is arranged for the same purpose, like bringing of rain, ensuring great harvest, to seek deliverance from some disease that has spread across the village, etc. The ritualistic purpose of Togalu Bombeaata, Karnataka is not altogether lost.