Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter I
2. Contents VII
3. Illustrations IX
4. Acknowledgments XI
5. A Note on Transliteration XIII
6. Maps XV
7. 1. An Absent Audience 1
8. 2. Rāma Stories and Puppet Plays 22
9. 3. Ambivalent Accommodations: Bhakti and Folk Hinduism 39
10. 4. The Death of Sambukumāraṉ: Kāma and Its Defense 59
11. 5. Killing Vāli: Rāma's Confession 79
12. 6. Rāvaṇa's First Defeat: The Puppeteers' Oral Commentary 95
13. 7. The Death of Indrajit: Creating Conversations 134
14. 8. Rāma's Coronation: The Limits of Restoration 194
15. Appendix A: Three Samples of the Puppeteers' Commentary in Transliteration 241
16. Appendix B: Sample Commentary in Tamil Script 243
17. Appendix C: Main Characters in the Puppeteers' Rāma Story 244
18. Notes 247
19. Glossary 267
20. Bibliography 271
21. Index 287