Odisha has a rich tradtion of toys, dolls, puppets and masks. Among the best known are the wooden toys, gaily painted animals, fish and fowl that commented the wildlife of Odisha’s woods and waters, some mythical animals,the most typical being the Gajasimha, a lion riding an elephant, apperntly a ritual figure for one sees it on the temple doorways everywhere in Odisha.

These dancing dolls, small sized and in flowing robes, are made of light wood with extremely flexible joints that make their movements so pleasing . masks are carved out of wood and are painted brightly. These masks are used widely in Sahijatra.