Kapidhvaja | Togalu Gombeyaata Karnataka style Leather Puppet

For over 2,000 years, the puppeteers of Andhra Pradesh have carried this story behind a taut white screen. In the flickering light of oil lamps and later, gas lanterns and electric bulbs, the Rama-Hanuman pairing has been the centrepiece of the Ramayana ensemble. The Tholu Bommalata tradition, whose roots reach back to the Satavahana period (3rd century BCE), gives the Hanuman figure more incarnations than any other character in the puppet canon - four different sizes and poses for different moments in the story. But the moment when Rama stands upon his shoulders is always the climax: the point in the performance when the puppeteer's voice drops, the drums quicken, and the crowd leans forward.

This puppet is made in the visual idiom of Karnataka's Togalu Gombeyaata tradition, bold black outlines, dense geometric patterning, and a palette of deep saffron, vermillion, and gold that distinguish the Karnataka style from the more elaborate filigree of the classic Andhra form. The Tholu Bommalata artisans of Nimmalkunta have long worked across both visual traditions; the two share deep historical roots, with scholars tracing the same iconographic lineage through the Vijayanagara Empire's patronage of shadow theatre across the Deccan.

Rama's skin is rendered in deep blue-black, marking his identity as an avatar of Vishnu. Each cut is made with a sharp stylus into treated goat hide, allowing coloured light to push through from behind and render the puppet as something between a painting and a stained-glass window.

This tradition also gave the world the Wayang - the UNESCO-recognised shadow puppet theatre of Indonesia, whose roots scholars trace directly to the Tholu Bommalata tradition of Andhra Pradesh, carried across maritime trade routes more than a thousand years ago. In that sense, this puppet is not merely a piece of Indian craft. It is the origin point of a global art form.

Each Kapidhvaja puppet is made by hand in Nimmalkunta, Andhra Pradesh by Tholu Bommalata artisans working in the Karnataka shadow puppet style - a cross-tradition craft that reflects the deep, intertwined history of South India's two great shadow puppet lineages. The puppet is cut from treated goat hide, rendered thin and translucent through an age-old process of herb-treatment and hand-beating.

The design is hand-incised and hand-painted in the Karnataka idiom: bold outlines, geometric patterning across the garments, Rama in the deep blue of Vishnu's avatars, Hanuman in the warm ochre-orange of divine power, the bows and quivers rendered in vermillion and gold.
When backlit, as it was designed to be, the translucent hide becomes luminous, bringing the figures to vivid, theatrical life.

Each puppet is mounted on a handcrafted frame with a khadi-white cloth backdrop and concealed lighting, allowing you to experience the piece as it was meant to be seen: as moving shadow theatre, frozen mid-performance and brought home.

Custom-made to order - please allow 15 days for making before dispatch.

Puppet only option - No frame included with this option.
Framed - Mounted in a handcrafted natural teak wood frame with khadi-white cloth backing and concealed LED lighting. The lighting can be switched on or off.

Craft - Tholu Bommalata (Andhra Pradesh) in Karnataka shadow puppet style
Origin Nimmalkunta, Andhra Pradesh, India

Material - Hand-treated goat hide
Frame - Natural teak wood frame; khadi cotton backing
Puppet Size - Approx. 60 cm height
Framed Size - Approx. 60 cm × 81 cm (handmade; slight variation expected)
Colours - Deep indigo-blue (Rama), ochre-orange (Hanuman), vermillion, gold, black
Lighting - Concealed LED strip; warm white - will be custom made to fit region specific electrical requirement.
Finish - Semi-translucent painted hide; hand-incised detail
Weight - Approx. 900g – 1.2kg framed
Ships from. - Chennai, India
Ships to 29 countries - see shipping policy

- Wipe gently with a dry or barely-damp soft cloth only - never wet or submerge
- Keep away from direct sunlight; prolonged UV exposure will fade the hand-painted pigment
- Avoid high humidity; leather may warp with sustained moisture exposure
- Handle by the frame edges when repositioning — this is a display piece, not a handled object
- LED strip uses standard USB power; replace cable only with equivalent spec

No Returns

**This is a custom-made piece and is not returnable.