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Shadow puppet
19th and 20th centuries
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
One of Ravana's soldiers
Goatskin, parchment, wood
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Puppetry is an ancient dramatic form in India, mentioned in the Buddhist
Jataka tales of the third century B.C. The South Indian shadow puppet
tradition has at least three distinct styles, the best known being Tholu
Bomalatta, large coloured puppets from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
They are made by a Marathi-speaking community called Raoji, which also
uses them in performances. The Indonesian shadow puppet play was inspired
as early as the fifth century by puppets from India.
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