The regional forms of traditional Indian theatre (folk and ritual drama) and the four major styles of Indian puppetry, both rooted in storytelling from the epics and Puranas and tied to particular states.
- Theatre forms by state: Ramlila and Nautanki (Uttar Pradesh), Bhavai (Gujarat), Tamasha (Maharashtra), Jatra (West Bengal), Yakshagana (Karnataka), Therukoothu (Tamil Nadu), Bhaona (Assam, from the Sattra tradition), Swang (Haryana) and Maach (Madhya Pradesh).
- Kutiyattam (Kerala) is a Sanskrit theatre form recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
- Four puppetry types: string puppets (Kathputli of Rajasthan), shadow puppets (Tholu Bommalata of Andhra, Togalu Gombeyaata of Karnataka), rod puppets (Putul Nautch of West Bengal) and glove puppets (Pavakathakali of Kerala).
- Puppetry traditionally narrates stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas to musical accompaniment.
- These forms preserved classical themes in the vernacular and reached rural audiences far beyond court patronage.
Form-to-state matching (Tamasha-Maharashtra, Jatra-Bengal, Yakshagana-Karnataka, Bhavai-Gujarat) and the four puppetry types (string Kathputli of Rajasthan, shadow puppets of the south) are standard culture questions.
Kathputli (Rajasthan) is string puppetry while shadow puppetry (Tholu Bommalata, Togalu Gombeyaata) belongs to the south; Yakshagana (Karnataka) and Kutiyattam (Kerala, Sanskrit theatre) are theatre forms, not puppetry.
Folk theatre by state (Tamasha, Jatra, Yakshagana, Bhavai) and four puppet types: string (Kathputli), shadow, rod and glove.