Puppetry is an ancient and popular form of folk entertainment. No village fair, religious festival or social gathering would be complete without a puppet show in the pink city. The typical Rajasthani katputli has a brightly painted face and a brightly coloured costume. The traditional puppeteers are from the wandering communities of the Bhatts. They move from village to village with their box of katputlis and dhoklas (drums) during the festive seasons holding puppetry show. The puppet show begins with the katputlis being manipulated by strings which are looped into the puppeter's hands and fingers and songs of Mirasis, Langas and Manganiyars are sung. The puppet comes to life only after the strings are pulled.

Carpets and Durries

The carpets and durries of Jaipur are known for their high quality of craftmanship. The rulers of Amber-Jaipur took a great interest in carpets and built up a large collection of 16th and 17th century Persian and Mughal carpets. The carpet industry in Jaipur started only in the mid 19th century when carpet making was introduced as a jail craft, hand knotted carpets have floral or angular motifs. The Durries come in pastel shades and a sparse use of geometrical motifs are popular. Durries are rich in design, and while being conveniendy light in weight, give a beautiful carpet like effect.

Block Printing

Block printing is another famous art of Jaipur. Red or black and dark orange are the basic colours used. A varity of Sanganeri chipas, a name synonymous today with the finest block printed cottons is also available in Jaipur. Dark shades of blues and reds are used by Bartmer's printers, with the belief that they provide a cool protection against the sun's scorching rays. Laharia, meaning water or the monsoon rain is a special process of tie-and dye that creates the stylized wave pattern. Block printing is generally done on delicate cotton cloth for saris, ghagra (skirt), lugri (shirt) and choli's (bodice).