There is evidence to believe that there were more than 30 string puppet troupes in the Dakshina Kannada district (Karnataka, India) during the period 1910 – 1915 in places like Basrur, Barkur, Kokkarne, Mudabidri etc.

The decline of the fa

milies pursuing this theatrical form cannot be attributed to acute poverty or to the decline in the people’s interest in the entertainment. At any rate the number of families engaged in the performance of the puppet plays sharply declined. It is a matter of good fortune that the puppet play troupe of Uppinakudru, Kundapura Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District, maintained its individuality inspite of the vagaries of fortune and got the destination of being honored with a national Award.

Uppinakudru is almost an island in the Kundapura taluk. The art of puppetry has had a strong foundation here. Though it has passed through period crisis it has sustained itself over decades and has passed through periods of crisis it has sustained itself over decades and has even revived itself with modifications incorporated from time to time.