India, Oct. 31 -- Dr. Nalini Ranjan

Until a few decades ago, no Bihar fair was complete without a trip to Yampuri. Grandparents, parents and children crowded around the stage, ticket in hand, to watch a spectacle that had no rival in an age before television and smartphones.

The show carried a warning: your deeds follow you beyond death. Yampuri is a form of rod puppetry named after Yama, the Hindu god of death, and its stage is a tour of the afterlife.

Its purpose was moral instruction. By picturing judgment, heaven and hell, the performers hoped to nudge audiences toward honest living. The puppets set it apart from neighbouring traditions. Odisha's Kathi Kundhei and Bengal's Danger Putul use jointed figures.

Yampuri's are carved fro...