Folk Theatre of Rajasthan :

 Rajasthani language was spoken in the north-western state of Rajasthan. This is supposedly the ancient language of the eighth century. But as a matter of fact it did not develop any theatrical traditions apart from folk styles away from the courts, such as Khyal, Tamasha, or Rasdhari, and puppetry famous as Kathputli. Only as late as 1900, Rajasthani drama came into existence under the influence of Parsi theatre. 

Khyal :

The term Khyal is possibly derived from khel, or 'to play', in the sense of playing drama. This is actually a popular folk form of Rajasthani theatre influenced by Parsi theatre. This form is not very ancient, but it is only about a hundred years old. The three varieties of Khyal namely Alibuxi, Shekhawati, and Kuchamani are associated with three playwrights. 

The plays are usually performed in open spaces using wooden platforms. The name is takhat, which is easily available in every village. This is about 1 m high, with spectators sitting on three sides. In more elaborate multi-level shows, separate mahal i.e. palace or jharokha i.e. window platforms are erected. This is up to 6 m off the ground, representing different locales. There are no curtains, the actors enter in full view of the audience and, having performed their part, sit down beside the musicians. Subsequent entries are made from that very spot. Women's roles are played by men, one of the foremost female impersonators being Ugamraj Khilari. Music is extremely important. The dialogue, written in verse, is sung by the characters to the main accompaniment of nagarra or kettledrum and harmonium. The style of singing differs in many cases. Alibuxi Khyal mixes classical and folk, in Shekhawati the music is pure classical, and in Kuchamani it is folk.

Tamasa :

Tamasa is the youngest form of Rajasthani theatre. The literal meaning of 'tamasa' is entertainment. It was invented by the Bhatt family hailing from Telengana . They were known as Kirtankars or Kirtan singers there and came to Jaipur along with Kanwar Ram Singh. He was the son of Mirza Raja Jai Singh, who as a Mughal commander in the reign of Aurangzeb. 

The texts of Tamasa are almost all from Parsi theatre, such as Hir-Ranjha i.e. 'Hir and Ranjha', Gopichand, and Laila-Majnu i.e. 'Laila and Majnu'. There is also the same mixture of prose and poetry in the dialogue, spoken or sung in the Parsi style. The only difference is the language.

Tamasa performances are not very frequent. Young members of the Bhatt family who are involved in urban theatre have started writing new Tamasa plays with modern content. It is an interesting experiment and a genuine effort at continuity, yet the danger is that most of the younger generation has not learnt music professionally and very few can sing. Without the music it will be very difficult to keep the tradition of Tamasa alive. 

Kathputli :

Kathputli is a string puppet theatre, naive to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry.Being a string marionette, it is controlled by a single string that passes from the top of the puppet over the puppeteers.

Kathputli is a join of two rajasthani language words Kath meaning wood and Putli meaning a doll which has no life . Kathputli means a puppet which is made entirely from wood. However it is made out of wood, cotton cloth and metal wire.

It is believed that somewhere 1500 years ago, tribal Rajasthani Bhat community started the use of Kathputli as string marionette art and it is in their love for tradition that art of Kathputli survived the test of time. Tradition of Kathputli is based on folk tales and stories. Today Kathputli art is one of the most popular performing arts of Rajasthan after Ghoomar.

Folk Theater is the composite art in Rajasthan .The Folk theater having roots in native culture is embedded in local identity and social values. Besides providing mass entertainment, Folk theatre has been used extensively in state to propagate critical social, political and cultural issues in the form of theatrical messages to create awareness among the people.