Knowra Wayang Wayang Wayang is a traditional Indonesian puppet-theatre tradition, especially associated with Java and Bali. Performances use shadow puppets, wooden puppets, or other figures to tell stories through music, speech, and movement.
Wayang kulit : A form of Indonesian shadow-puppet theatre using flat, intricately carved leather figures. Its backlit leather figures are the best-known wayang form.
Ramayana : An ancient Sanskrit epic recounting Prince Rama’s quest to rescue Sita from Ravana. Its episodes became a major source of plots and characters in wayang.
Hinduism in Indonesia : The development of Hindu religions and institutions in the Indonesian archipelago. Hindu traditions helped shape wayang’s epic characters, stories, and symbolism.
Javanese philosophy : A diverse body of Javanese ideas about ethics, spiritual life, society, and personal conduct. Wayang stories can dramatize Javanese ideas about duty, restraint, and moral order.
Wayang golek : A form of Sundanese puppet theatre featuring three-dimensional wooden rod puppets. It shows how wayang uses carved figures rather than only shadows.
Mahabharata : An ancient Indian epic centered on a dynastic conflict between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Wayang performances draw extensively on its characters and stories.
Buddhism in Indonesia : The history of Buddhist communities, states, and traditions in the Indonesian archipelago. Buddhist ideas and stories formed part of the cultural setting in which wayang developed.
Rasa (aesthetics) : An aesthetic concept concerning the emotional flavor or essence conveyed by art. The performance’s music, gesture, and mood help convey rasa.
Dalang : A puppeteer and storyteller who manipulates figures, voices characters, and often directs the performance. The dalang coordinates the puppets, narration, and dramatic action.
Panji tales : A cycle of Javanese romances about Prince Panji and Princess Candra Kirana. These local stories show that wayang’s repertoire extends beyond Indian epics.
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