Shadow Puppet

This is a shadow puppet depicting Atikayan, son of Ravana. He is shown standing over some form of a cart/chariot, and black colour is used to paint his skin. In Andhra Pradesh, there is a tradition of making shadow puppets which can be traced back to the 16th century during the time of Vijayanagara rulers. This tradition is called Tholu Bommalata, with Tholu meaning leather and Bommalata meaning puppet dance. These puppet shows generally depict stories from the epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana, with performances which can stretch for nights. These puppets are made of leather and especially a translucent form of goatskin is utilised for it, which is cut and punched to make the characters, they are supposed to portray. Then, they are painted in vivid colours. Slim bamboo sticks are attached for holding purpose and most of the times the limbs are in parts and are movable. The translucency of these leather puppets emits a mysterious glow when light passes through them.