Traditionally, India has a rich heritage of puppetry. The history puppetry in India dates back to around the 5th century B.C. the early puppetry shows in India mostly dealt with histories of great kings, princes and heroes and also political satire. Religious portrayals in puppetry developed in south India with shadow puppets performing stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Besides dealing with religious themes, Indian puppetry also conveys useful messages from panchatantra and other mythological and historical epics.