Title
Shadow puppet, Hanuman
Year/Period
1930-1960
Region
Andhra Pradesh, South India
Object Type
Material
Technique
First step-skin of the newly killed animal is separated, washed, hair removed and soaked in solution of alum, water and salt. Second Step-skin washed, scrapped, beaten, stretched nailed to the ground or plank of wood. Third step-Painter-Puppeteer etches the drawing on the puppet by tracing.Fourth step-Colouration using vegetable dyes in olden days while chemical colours are used now.
Dimension
Object size: H 98 x W 132 (Arm to Arm)
Accession No.
1996-00489
Collection of
This is a leather puppet of Hanuman, the monkey hero from the Ramayana. Such puppets are used for shadow plays, which are staged on festive occasions. Many of the themes are religious, drawn from epic myths, historical tales and sometimes fables.This form of shadow puppetry is known as Tholubomalatta in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The puppets of Andhra Pradesh are unique in that they are created in a combination of profile and frontal views, as seen in this Hanuman, where the legs and head point to the side in a profile view while the rest of the body is presented in a frontal view.
