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"ONE of my earliest memories is of watching a shadow puppet performance in our village temple in Ubud at night.." Ni Wayan Murni
Wayang Kulit performances are shadow-puppet performances, which are sacred and form part of many ceremonies in village and family temples. This ancient form of storytelling featues handcrafted puppets and complex musical styles which originated on the Indonesian island of Java and flourished for more than ten centuries at the royal courts of Java and Bali. The performances bring together visual art, vocal and instrumental music, drama, literature and dance. There is a screen between the puppeteer and the audience, lit by an oil lamp. The puppets are made of leather and the stem of buffalo horn. They look great, backlit, perhaps placed against a window. The Wayang Puppet Theatre was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in November 2003. Many of the stories are from the Indian epic, the Mahabarata, which is the tale of a dispute between the 5 Pandawa brothers and their cousins, the 99 Kurawa brothers (and one sister), which ends in a great 18 day battle, known as the Baratayuda. Stories are also from the other Indian epic, the Ramayana.
To order: make sure pop ups are allowed.
Wayang Kulit: Hanuman
He holds the audience enraptured with his antics and humor and impresses with his devotion to Rama. He is an important Hindu deity.
Material: Buffalo hide, buffalo horn; old It is placed right in the center and separates the basically good puppet characters on the right and the basically bad characters on the left of the screen. The tree also links the upper and lower worlds and its branches extend equally to the left and right. When the puppeteer opens the performance with a flutter of this puppet, it is a sign that he is climbing the tree to the realm of the gods. He invites the audience to walk through the doors and join him.
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
12 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Sahadewa Background: Sahadewa is the fifth of 5 princely Pandawa brothers and the twin of Nakula. He's an expert in mysticism and magic spells. Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Background: Wayang Kulit performances are used for moral guidance. Yudistira is one character who is frequently invoked. He is the oldest of the 5 princely Pandawa brothers and is semi-divine. He is a model leader, never lying or showing anger. He rules his kingdom with perfect justice. He has no weapon, unlike the other heroes, but he does have the Kalimasada, which is a holy book containing the secrets of religion and the universe. No showy ornaments, his aristocratic head gently inclined, he is the ideal Priest-King, but he does have a weakness for gambling. He loses his kingdom to his cousins in a game of dice. Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Small: Height 45 cm (including stand), width 18.5 cm
Medium: Height 65 cm (including stand), width 28 cm
Large: Height 83 cm (including stand), width 37 cm
Wayang Kulit: Deer
Background: According to the Ramayana, Kausalya gave birth to two sons, Rama and Lesmono. Dasarata was their father. Lesmono went with Rama and Sita into the forest. He was a determined celibate. Dasamuka's younger sister, Sarpakenaka, fell in love with him but was rebuffed. She persisted and he cut off her nose and ears. She complained to her brother, who saw it as an opportunity to have revenge for the time Dasarata won over the two women he had been interested in. He sent her husband, Maritja, to assume the form of a golden deer to tempt Sita away. Sita asked Rama to catch the deer. Marjita drew Rama deep into the forest. Sita was worried and sent Lesmono to find her husband, which he did although Rama had forbidden Lesmono to leave her. Dasamuka appeared as an old ascetic and lured Sita out of the magic circle Rama had put her in. Dasamuka flew off with her to Langka. Rama declared war. After the war Rama and Sita were reunited and returned to Ayodhya with Lesmono and Hanuman. Baroto, who had been regent, welcomed them back and Rama was crowned.
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width
12 cm
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm
Background: Batara Guru is the king of the gods. Batara is a title for a high god. He is also the king of the 3 Worlds: the upper, middle and lowest spheres. His 4 arms symbolize great power. He is represented frontally, with head in profile, and feet turned outward. This is unlike the other puppets. Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width
12 cm
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm
Wayang Kulit: Gatotkaca Material: Buffalo hide, buffalo horn Background: Gatotkaca is the son of Bima and Arimbi. He is an immensely popular noble warrior, known for his bravery and loyalty, as well as his ability to fly. Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width
12 cm
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm Old
Wayang Kulit: Delem Background: The dalang places the ‘good’ puppets on his right and the rest on his left. The good are morally superior heroes. The others are enemies and inferior. In a Ramayana performance, Rama, Sita, Laksmana, the bird Jatayu and many members of Rama’s monkey army, as well as servants Twalen and Merdah, belong to the party of the right. Their opponents belong to the party of the left and include the demon king Rawana, his son Indrajit, his brothers Kumbakarna and Wibisana, his army of demons and the two servants Delem and Sangut. The Kayonan (tree puppet) and Genungan (mountain puppet) and the Supreme god puppet belong to neither party and are placed in the cenre of the screen.
Old Wayang Kulit: Ogre Background: Ogres have distinct faces. Noses and mouths are in profile. Fangs protrude from their jaws. Eyes bulge. The upper parts of their heads, including the eyes, eyebrows and foreheads, are shown in three-quarter profile. Both eyes are in view.
Old Wayang Kulit: Antareja Background: In the Mahabarata epic Bima was the second of the Pandawa brothers, who are the heroes. Antareja is one of his sons.
Old Wayang Kulit: Kayonan Material: Buffalo hide, buffalo horn, paint Background: The Kayonan is the most important puppet, in the shape of the tree of life. It represents the forest and the sea. It is also a palace and more generally, earth, wind, fire, water and air, the five elements that make up the Universe. The puppeteer waves it to indicate the start of the story. It swoops, trembles and flutters and brings the Universe and the parties to life. The puppet master also uses it to indicate scene changes and the end of the performance.
Old Wayang Kulit: Balodewa Background: In the Mahabarata epic Balodewa was Kresna's invincible elder brother and he usually defended the Kurawa. He was fierce, short-tempered and curious. Kresna, who was on the Pandawa side, knew that if Balodewa fought in the last war, the Padawa would lose. So he persuaded his brother to go into a deep trance in preparation and promised to wake him up when the battle began. He didn't wake him up.
Old Wayang Kulit:
Bambang Somantri Background: In the Mahabarata epic he established a great centre of learning and served as a minister in the court of Arjuna Sasrabahu. He killed his brother, the giant Sukasrana, by mistake, when he aimed his weapon at him at the wedding celebrations of Arjuna Sasrabahu.
Old Wayang Kulit:
Wibisana Background: In the Ramayana epic Rawana's brother Wibisana has unquestioning loyalty to the community. After Hanuman sets fire to Rawana's city, he advises Rawana to return the abducted Sita to Rama. His brother Indrajit, however, advises war and Rawana agrees. Later Wibisana joins Rama and after Rawana is defeated becomes king of Langka.
Wayang Kulit: Bambang Somantri
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Wibisana
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Kamajaya
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Nakula
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Hanuman
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Sita
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit: Rama
Small: Height 31 cm (including stand), width 12 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Medium: Height 47 cm (including stand), width
15.5 cm (shoulder to shoulder)
Large: Height 69.5 cm (including stand), width 18 cm (shoulder
to shoulder)
Wayang Kulit 1: Shadow Puppets Wayang Kulit 2: Shadow Puppets (Plain) Wayang Kulit 3: Balinese Shadow Puppets Wayang Kulit 4: Balinese Wayang Kancil Murni's Collection of Shadow Puppets (to be sold only as a collection)
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