Laithibi Jagoi is a stringed puppet show of
Manipur. The word ‘laithibi’ means doll and ‘jagoi’ means dance.
There are two different shows involving these puppets. The rasleela show depicts stories containing human and divine figures while the Gosthaleela contains animals and demonic characters.
The show is performed in front of a platform of about 2.5 to 3 m in height. The puppeteers place themselves upon the platform, while the puppets are lowered to the ground. A black screen is provided behind the puppets. The puppeteers hide behind a curtain. The puppets are manipulated with black colored strings, which remain invisible due to the black background.
