On Ayudha Puja night, the Ramalinga Vilasam at Ramanathapuram Palace was lit up and the ground was filled with eager spectators waiting for the puppet show to start. As the temporary stage came alive and the wooden puppets danced and wooed the audience with the tale of ‘Valli’s marriage.’ It was pure magic.
In the early 1900s, Sethupathi Raja, had invited a group of puppeteers from Kumbakonam to perform at the Dussehra festival at the palace. Since then this troupe, now called the Sri Murugan Sangeetha Bommalatta Sabha, has kept alive the tradition by performing every year at the palace on the ninth day of the festivities.
