Puppet of a Demon

National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy

Title : Puppet of a Demon

Accession No : 66/7/4260 (1)

The traditional puppet from Andhra Pradesh, Tholu Bommalata can be seen. This appears to be a demon who is standing and has a ferocious look over his face. He has moustache and beard covering his face and and demon like features. He has human like hands and demonious type foot. He is seen wearing a short dhoti and a garment covering his chest which are red in colour, well decorated with different floral motifs even over his legs. He is also wearing a very well decorated headgear or turban. These puppets are movable and are made of leather, also have a bamboo stick connected behing it.

Gallery

66742601A.jpg
66742601B.jpg
66742601C.jpg

Provenance

  • StateAndhra Pradesh

Condition

  • ConditionPoor
  • RemarksRestoration Required
  • Action NoteCR

Contributor

  • Community / TribeRao-Reddy

Dimensions

  • Measurement (CMS)167 x 55
  • Weight (GRMS)0.00

Significance

  • Socio economicTholu Bommalata is the shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh. The group of performers were usually a part of a group of entertainers and travellers who were continuously moving across villages during the entire year. They often sang ballads and provided knowledge of Hindu epics and local folk tales. They often reenacted various stories from Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata.
  • ArtisticTholu Bommalata is considered unique for their large size. The puppets appear on the stage and a white curtain is set behind. The audience can only view the coloured shadows, but not the actual puppets through the light source.

Description

  • DescriptionThe traditional puppet from Andhra Pradesh, Tholu Bommalata can be seen. This appears to be a demon who is standing and has a ferocious look over his face. He has moustache and beard covering his face and and demon like features. He has human like hands and demonious type foot. He is seen wearing a short dhoti and a garment covering his chest which are red in colour, well decorated with different floral motifs even over his legs. He is also wearing a very well decorated headgear or turban. These puppets are movable and are made of leather, also have a bamboo stick connected behing it.
  • Inscription/Markings No
  • Reference"https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tholu_bommalata "
  • KeywordPuppet, Thola Bommalata, Andhra, Face, Leather, Shadow, Portrait, Devil, Demon, Asura