tholu bommalata (Shadow Puppet)

Puppetry, particularly shadow puppets, is an ancient dramatic form in India mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka Tales of the 3rd century B.C.E. Nowadays modern forms of entertainment, such as the Hindi film industry, have rendered them extinct except for some rural areas in the states of Orissa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. The Andhra Pradesh/Karnataka shadow puppet tradition, compared to the few remaining troupes, are the most extensive and dramatic. Probably originally Maharashtran and maintained by dynasties, such as the Vijaynagars of the 13th and 14th centuries, it now survives as presented by Marathi-speaking puppeteers, commonly called Raoji. These are the largest in size of the Indian shadow puppets.

Represents a scene from the Ramayana, the most common epic for puppetry dramatization. The faithful brother of Rama, Lakshmana, guardian of the earth, is cutting off the ears and nose of Surpanakha, the hideous sister of the demon king, Ravanna. She has the horizontal Shaivite marks on forehead. Lakshmana wears the vertical Vaishnavite ones.

A shadow puppet of leather cut out representing a human figure astride a green monster with well-defined female genitalia. Both figures are holding swords. Human is wearing an elaborate costume and crown. Human face is both frontal and in profile. Colours include, red, pink, blue, green, and black.