Indonesia is known for many things: its beaches; volcanoes; coffee, rubber, and cocoa plantations; unique biodiversity; and rich cultural heritage. But did you know about its long and storied shadow puppetry art?
Wayang is a traditional art form which originated on the island of Java and dates back to the 10th century at least. The term means “shadow” or “imagination.” This theatre art uses the shadows of puppets, which are manipulated by rods against a translucent screen lit from behind, to tell stories from the Hindu epics of the “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana,” as well as local legends.
India and the Indonesian islands have had close ties for centuries. It is believed that as Hinduism found favour with the inhabitants of these islands, particularly in Bali and Java, the shadow puppetry form of southern India called thalu bomalata also made inroads with the local populace.
The shadow puppets are made of perforated and elaborately painted leather to help audiences distinguish between the different characters. The puppets are made from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks.
There are many different types of wayang performances such as wayang kulit, wayang beber, wayang wong and wayang golek, to name just four. The second term identifies the medium or puppet type used in the performance: scroll paintings (beber), three-dimensional rod puppets (golek), animal skins (kulit), or human beings (wong).
The wayang kulit purwa is arguably the most popular wayang due to its dramatisation of stories from the “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana.” This style combines rituals, lessons and entertainment for a riveting performance.
Traditionally, a wayang is played out in a ritualised midnight-to-dawn show by a dalang, or puppeteer. People can watch the show from both sides of the screen. When the characters are introduced, the figures representing the forces of good are on the right, and those who are evil are on the left. The dalang manipulates the carved leather figures between the lamp and screen to bring the shadows to life. Nowadays, it is not uncommon for electric bulbs to be used instead of oil lamps. Singers and musicians play complex melodies on bronze instruments and gamelan drums. The gamelan orchestra is an integral part of the wayang kulit performance, and both male and female singers participate.
In 2003, UNESCO designated the Wayang Puppet Theatre as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On your Indonesia tour, check out the Wayang Museum in Jakarta as it has one of the best collections of wayang puppets from across China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Europe. The best place to see this traditional art form in action is in West Java, the region of Surakarta, and Bali.