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.