Tholu Bommalata

Understand

Where Tholu Bommalata comes from

Tholu Bommalata (literally 'leather puppet-dance') is the shadow-puppet theatre of Andhra Pradesh, performed by troupes of puppeteers who cut coloured leather into articulated figures and cast their shadows against a back-lit screen. The form dates at least to the 12th-13th century, with literary and temple evidence from the Kakatiya period. The most celebrated families of Tholu Bommalata are the troupe of Pamulavari Chitrakatha and the Pasumarthi family, both of which have maintained the tradition over centuries. The puppets are made of translucent cured leather (generally goat) dyed in vegetable colors and articulated at the joints. The performances draw on the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the regional legends of Andhra.

How it's practiced

Tholu Bommalata is performed by a small troupe of puppeteers (the puppeteer, his son, the musicians) behind a long white screen which is back-lit by an oil lamp or by electricity. The puppeteers hold the leather puppets on sticks and press them against the screen to cast their shadow. The dialogue and the narration are sung by the puppeteers, with the music provided by the mridangam, the cymbals and the harmonium. Stories are drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The performances are held in the courtyards of village shrines and at the temple festivals. Costume is the everyday Andhra dress — the dhoti-kurta for the men. Performances can run for several hours through the evening of the festival.