puppeteers playing the puppet show depicting the Hindu epics on January 28,2013 in Hyderabad,India.

---

Tholu Bommalata is a form of puppetry which originated in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It mainly depicts episodes from the epics. Puppets are large with jointed waist, shoulders, elbows and knees. The classical music of the region influences the music played in the show. The performance usually starts with an invocation to the Hindu God Ganesha and to the Hindu Goddess of learning Saraswati. The scenes enacted are usually those belonging to the Hindu epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The puppeteers also provide voice to the puppets and an accompanying music is provided using a mukha-veena (veena played using mouth) or a harmonium. The puppets are controlled using sticks and strings. The performances usually commence at night and continue till dawn.

---

Size: 3360px × 2164px
Location: Ravindra bharati,Hyderabad,India.
Photo credit: © R RAMANA REDDY BATTULA / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: performance, andhra, bommalata, classical, cloth, controlled, dolls, elbows, epics, epics., episodes, hindu, hyderabad, india, indian, jointed, knees., large, leather, mahabharata, manipulate, music, pradesh, puppet, puppeteers, puppetry, puppets, puranas, ramayana, screen, semi-transparent, shadow, shoulders, show, south, state, sticks, strings, tholu, voice, waist, white