2. The Legend
The origins of shadow puppets in India are attributed to the
gods, and the plays usually take place outside of temples to
Shiva, who is the patron god of puppets. Legends say that
Shiva and his goddess wife Parvati one day visited the shop
of a toymaker who had created some wooden dolls with
jointed limbs. Parvati, enchanted by the dolls, asked Shiva to
let spirits enter the dolls so that they could dance. The
toymaker, watching this from behind a screen, saw only
shadows and got the idea to create shadow puppets.
3. • As early as the twelfth
century, the art of
puppetry flourished in
Andhra Pradesh,
narrating stories of
divinity, sometimes
taking the divine
dimensions itself.
4. Leather Puppetry • Leather shadow puppetry of
Andhra Pradesh is known as
Tholu Bommalata, (Tholu –
leather, Bommalata – puppet
dance). Two other kinds of
shadow puppetry are practiced in
Andhra Pradesh, the Sutram
Bommalata (String puppets)
and the Koyya Bommalata
(Wooden puppets). The leather
puppets, because of their
transparency and jewel like glow,
are most popular.
6. • The leather puppet, which was
traditionally crafted from deer skin,
is made from goat hide now.
• in the painting of leather too,
chemical colours are replacing
natural ones.
• these puppets have a brilliant
perforated designs drawn on the
characters to depict jewellery
7. Main characteristics:
• The sizes of the main characters range from 4’ x 1½’ to 6’ x
2½’.
• Bright electrical lighting has replaced mild earthen lamps but
the magical glow of the characters and their phantasmagorical
narratives still transport the audience to the surreal world of
divine sagas.
13. Musical instruments
• The musical instruments consists of a harmonium
• a portable keyboard organ that sometimes serves only as a drone
• a long, two-headed South Indian drum with tapering ends
(mrdangam)
• strings of bells worn on the ankles and wrists; and pairs of finger
cymbals.
16. AESTHETICS OF SHADOW PUPPETRY
• The art form has its own unique style – intricate design details, holes
made to let the light pass and give a glowing jewelry effect.
• The shadow looks very aesthetically appealing through the translucent
background.
• The epics shown this way is fascinating to see and enjoy for all age
groups.
Notas del editor
Stories from the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were performed and went on for several nights.
The leather puppet, which was traditionally crafted from deer skin, is made from goat hide now. After a two week long process of cleaning, the skin becomes translucent and ready for the artwork. As with most crafts, in the painting of leather too, chemical colours are replacing natural ones. Different characters have their designated colours, for example, blue for Rama and Krishna, green Anjaneya, yellow for rishis and so on.
The leather puppet, which was traditionally crafted from deer skin, is made from goat hide now. After a two week long process of cleaning, the skin becomes translucent and ready for the artwork. As with most crafts, in the painting of leather too, chemical colours are replacing natural ones. Different characters have their designated colours, for example, blue for Rama and Krishna, green for Anjaneya, yellow for rishis and so on.
Once surrounded by colour and viewed against the light, they look like glowing jewels. Each puppet is controlled by one person with the help of a bamboo stick attached to the back and the performer also sings for the character he manipulates. The movements of the puppets are very intricate, with the larger puppets having up to 13 different movable body joints. Fight scenes make the most of such complex movements and also keep up the tempo of the performance.
The singing style and the conventions of vocal delivery for the play closely resembles the form of singing in an old-fashioned drama genre known as 'Satyabhamakalapam'. Accompanied only by the drum and finger cymbals, the player sings raising his hand up to one ear, as if to listen to what he is listening.