Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.11

Shadow Puppets (Tholu Bommalata)

Art & Culture › Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry · Topic 6.11

Shadow puppets are flat figures, usually of treated animal hide, held against a lit white screen so that the audience sees their shadows. The best known Indian form is Tholu Bommalata of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (tholu means leather, bommalata means puppet play), with large, coloured, translucent figures that tell the Ramayana and Mahabharata in Telugu. Other forms are Togalu Gombeyatta (Karnataka), Ravanachhaya (Odisha, opaque and uncoloured, always on the Ramayana), Tholpavakoothu (Kerala, performed in Bhagavati temples) and Chamdyache Bahulya (Maharashtra, Thakar community). India is one of the main homes of shadow theatre, along with Indonesia's wayang kulit.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Art & Culture · Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

At a Glance

Andhra Pradesh Tholu Bommalata
Karnataka Togalu Gombeyatta
Odisha Ravanachhaya
Kerala Tholpavakoothu
Maharashtra Chamdyache Bahulya
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Theatre, Cinema & Puppetry

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows string puppets and covers the second major class of Indian puppetry. Shadow puppets are the oldest type in the south and the east, and appear often in Prelims. Previous topic: String Puppets. Next topic: Rod Puppets.

Which Shadow Puppet Belongs to Which State?

Puppet form	State	Features	Themes and community
Tholu Bommalata	Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (also Tamil Nadu and Karnataka border)	Large figures up to 5 or 6 feet, cut from goat or buffalo hide, scraped thin, painted in bright colours so that coloured shadows show; jointed at shoulder, elbow and hip; moved with bamboo sticks	Ramayana and Mahabharata with Telugu songs and dialogue; hereditary puppeteer families
Togalu Gombeyatta	Karnataka	Leather puppets whose size shows social rank, with bigger figures for kings and small ones for common people; coloured	Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas; Kannada folk songs
Ravanachhaya	Odisha	Small figures from deer skin, opaque, uncoloured, not jointed (or only slightly), shown as black outlines; also uses animals and trees	Always on the Ramayana, especially Ravana; known for dramatic effect
Tholpavakoothu	Kerala (Palakkad, Thrissur, Malappuram)	Performed in special sheds (koothumadam) in Bhagavati temples with coconut-oil lamps; figures of leather; performance can last many nights	Kamba Ramayana in Tamil-Malayalam; Pulavar families; ritual
Chamdyache Bahulya	Maharashtra (Sindhudurg, Kokan)	Leather puppets, often painted, performed by the Thakar community with folk songs	Ramayana and Puranic tales

How Do the Main Shadow Puppets Compare?

Feature	Tholu Bommalata	Ravanachhaya	Tholpavakoothu
State	Andhra Pradesh and Telangana	Odisha	Kerala
Material	Goat or buffalo hide	Deer skin	Leather
Colour	Coloured and translucent	Uncoloured and opaque	Mostly coloured with dots
Size	Large, up to 5 feet or more	Small	Medium
Joints	Yes	Not jointed or few	Some
Setting	Village platform	Open space	Temple koothumadam

What Else Should You Remember?

Process: the leather is cleaned, scraped thin, cut and perforated for detail and painted with natural dyes, so that the shadows glow
Stage: the performer stands behind a white cloth screen lit from behind by an oil lamp or a lamp, now often electric, and moves the figures with sticks pressed against the cloth
Music: Tholu Bommalata is accompanied by a harmonium, drums and cymbals, and the puppeteers recite verses and speak for the characters
Nimmalakunta: a village in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh long known as a hub of shadow puppet makers
Alternate names: Tholu Bommalata is spelt Tholubommalata or Tholu Bommalatam, and Tholpavakoothu is written Tolpava Koothu or Nizhal Koothu
Tholpavakoothu: sometimes explained as a ritual linked to goddess Bhadrakali and her victory over Darika
Wider region: shadow theatre also exists in Indonesia (wayang kulit), Thailand (nang talung), Cambodia, Turkey (Karagoz) and China
Oldest: shadow theatre is believed to be among the oldest puppet forms of India and early texts mention chhaya natakas, or shadow plays
Chhaya Natya: the Sanskrit term for shadow play, used in the study of ancient drama
Crafts: Tholu Bommalata leather goods are sold as wall hangings and lamp shades, which gives puppet makers extra income
GI tag: the leather puppet craft of Andhra Pradesh carries a GI tag, registered in 2008 as Leather Puppetry of Andhra Pradesh
Performer role: one lead puppeteer often speaks for several characters, sings, and directs the group, so the artist must know the epics, music and verse form well
Audience and time: shows traditionally ran at night after the harvest or at temple festivals, and can last from a few hours in Andhra to many nights in Kerala
Religious sanction: in many regions, the show is treated as a form of worship, and the puppets are kept in a sacred place and worshipped before use
Material issue: modern wildlife and animal welfare rules limit the use of some hides, so makers have started to use goat and buffalo leather, and some experiment with paper and plastic
Link: compare with String Puppets and Rod Puppets in the neighbouring topics

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Match the list: puppet with state, such as Ravanachhaya with Odisha
Material and colour: opaque Ravanachhaya versus coloured Tholu Bommalata
Themes: Ramayana focus
Type: shadow versus string versus rod
Common errors: giving Tholu Bommalata to Karnataka, or Tholpavakoothu to Tamil Nadu

As an analytical point, shadow puppetry shows how epic stories reached villages through craft and performance. Its future depends on fair markets for puppet makers and use of the form in schools, festivals and digital media.

Why Is This Topic Important?

State match Direct question
Material Hide and colour
Theme Ramayana

What Came Next?

The next topic is Rod Puppets. Next topic: Rod Puppets.

Key People and Terms

Tholu Leather
Bommalata Puppet play
Chhaya Shadow
Koothumadam Puppet shed in Kerala
Translucent Lets light through
Opaque Blocks light

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Tholu Bommalata: Andhra Pradesh, coloured.
Ravanachhaya: Odisha, uncoloured.
Tholpavakoothu: Kerala, temple.
Togalu Gombeyatta: Karnataka.
Material: leather.

Do Not Confuse With

Tholu Bommalata and Bommalattam Andhra shadow versus Tamil string puppets
Ravanachhaya and Tholu Bommalata Opaque Odisha versus coloured Andhra
Togalu Gombeyatta and Gombeyatta Karnataka shadow versus Karnataka string

Memory Hook

Tholu is leather, Ravana lives in Odisha, Kerala lights the temple shed.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the survival of old crafts and performing arts. These points give a frame.

Craft base Leather and painting skills
Threats Media, animal-hide rules
Revival Festivals, schools, tourism

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Shadow puppetry combines craft, ritual and storytelling. Discuss the challenges to its survival.”

How to Answer

Value Craft and epic memory.
Threats Media and poverty.
Support Awards, markets.
Way Schools and festivals.

GS Relevance

Prelims: forms of shadow puppetry by state, material, themes. GS Paper 1: Indian heritage and culture, puppetry as a performing art.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are shadow puppets?

Shadow puppets are flat figures, usually made of treated animal hide, that are held between a light and a white screen so the audience sees their shadows. India's main forms include Tholu Bommalata of Andhra Pradesh, Togalu Gombeyatta of Karnataka, Ravanachhaya of Odisha and Tholpavakoothu of Kerala.

What is Tholu Bommalata?

Tholu Bommalata is the shadow puppet theatre of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The word tholu means leather and bommalata means puppet play. Large coloured leather figures, painted so their shadows glow in colour, are moved by sticks behind a lit screen to tell stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Which state does Ravanachhaya belong to?

Ravanachhaya belongs to Odisha. Its small puppets are cut from deer skin and are left uncoloured and opaque, so they appear as bold black shadows. The performances always tell stories from the Ramayana, with Ravana as a main character, which gives the form its name.

Where is Tholpavakoothu performed?

Tholpavakoothu is performed in Bhagavati temples of Kerala, especially in the Palakkad region, in a special shed called the koothumadam, with leather puppets and coconut-oil lamps. It tells the story of the Kamba Ramayana and is performed by hereditary Pulavar families, sometimes for many nights.

What is the difference between shadow puppets and rod puppets?

Shadow puppets are flat leather figures seen only as shadows on a lit screen, as in Tholu Bommalata. Rod puppets are three-dimensional figures held and moved from below by rods attached to the body, as in Putul Nach of West Bengal. The audience sees rod puppets directly.

Why are shadow puppets important for UPSC?

They matter because Prelims asks to match shadow puppet forms with states, material and features, and Mains asks about preserving folk arts and craft communities. They form part of the puppetry set in GS Paper 1 along with string, rod and glove puppets.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Tholu Bommalata is a shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh.

True

It uses coloured leather figures.

2 Ravanachhaya puppets are brightly coloured and jointed.

False

They are uncoloured and opaque.

3 Tholpavakoothu is performed in temples of Kerala.