This is a shadow puppet of Bangarakka, a comic character from Tholu Bommalaata, shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh in India. Here, tholu means leather, bommalu means puppets and aata means dance. Bangarakka, a female comic, and her husband Ketigadu are popular jesters best known for their witty and humorous dialogues during the performance of… Read more »
The Sarmaya guide to the shadow puppetry traditions that peaked during the reign of the Vijayanagara empire in southern India
To balance the solemnity of narrating episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Tholu artists like to bring in some laughs with the help of these trusty sidekicks
Artist, historian, storyteller. Meet the man in the shadows, the voice that embodies the spirit of Tholu Bommalaata
A Tholu Bommalaata performer pours their whole person into not telling, but showing you a story. Their hands cut, cure and craft the leather puppets. Their strong voices send the epics soaring into the night air. Every muscle in their body, from the arms working the figures to the toes beating out a rhythm on… Read more »
Sarmaya founder Paul Abraham talks about his love for Tholu Bommalaata and why we must protect this precious art form and the people and history it represents
Tholu Bommalaata is a shadow theatre art form that spread from India to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the rest of Asia. Its history is linked closely to the shifting sands of royal patronage and human migration
The Sarmaya team travelled to Dharmavaram in Andhra Pradesh to understand what it takes to carry on such an ancient legacy of art. Watch our short film from this journey here
A series of leather puppets in the Karnataka style. These are undated but clearly of a fine vintage. The artist is unidentified.