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Leather Puppets
About
New Page 1 Click on the images to view the enlarged ones THE ART OF LEATHER PUPPETRY Leather puppetry is a composite art, its history dating back to a thousand years. It is prevalent not only in Karnataka, but also in other parts of South India like Maharashtra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. The form has spread to South East Asia with which these states had close cultural and economic relations. In all these places puppetry is a living tradition, inherited and fostered by several families. References to this highly stylised form which was earlier known as "Chaya Nataka" (Shadow Theatre) can be found in the great Indian epics as well as in "Tilakamanjari", a treatise on art (eleventh century) credited to Dhanapala. It also finds reference in the renowned "Panchadasi" of vidyaranya (1350 AD) besides in ancient Kannada texts like "Shiva Tatva Ratnakara" (a compilation of Saiva aphorisms) by Immadi Basappanayaka (1760 AD). Records speak of a nomadic tribe known as Killekyatas (Puppeteers) which moved from village to village, sometimes also functioning as intelligence agents and spies. Originally, there were fourteen recognised clans of nomadic descent, seven of which took to Leather Puppetry. These seven clans have spread far and wide, and to this day, the descendents of these clans have kept this art alive. At present, there are about 400 such families directly or indirectly associated with preserving the traditional character of this art. A large number of these families originally hail from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Even today one can find them conversing among themselves in Marathi, though influence of the language of the region to which they have migrated is perceptible. Puppetry as a folk art reached its peak in the Vijayanagar period - 13th to 15th century. The form enjoyed royal patronage with a social binding. It was part of the cultural heritage which the empire enjoyed during that golden era of Indian history. Unlike other folk forms which South India has fostered, leather puppetry is an involved craft. It combines in itself the plastic arts of painting and sculpture and the visual forms of theatre. It also demands deft hands for expert manipulation. The preparation of puppets is as artful as the performance is skillful. To begin with, the skin of a deer, goat or buffalo is cured and tanned in such a way as to make it soft and pliable. Once the skin is ready, it is cut and perforated to a form which will represent the proposed character. The choice of skin has its bearing on the proposed character figure it is to represent. The character relating to gods, godesses, and sages are made of deer skin, while those of mortals are made in goat skin. The buffalo skin is reserved for demonic characters. The starts the process of painting in which almost the entire range of vegetable dyes is used to enrich the motifs, each with a bearing of the sculptural art of the