Hindu Shadow Puppetry Loses Allure in Indonesia

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Hindu Shadow Puppetry Loses Allure in Indonesia (by Staff Reporter for Hinduism

Today)

JAKARTA,JANUARY 7: The ancient world of the Indonesian

wayang kulit, Indonesia's renowned shadow puppets,

is fast disappearing. Sugiri, 47, a well-known dalang,

or puppeteer, is carrying on a family tradition that

goes back more than 300 years. "All my family and

relatives can play dalang or play the instruments,"

said Sugiri. But although the wayang kulit retains

a hard-core following on Java, the traditional puppet

shows are struggling to maintain their popularity in an

increasingly urbanized country awash in foreign soap

operas and other cultural imports. Some Indonesians

are fearful that they are fighting a losing battle to

save their signature art form. There are only a few

schools left where students can learn how to make and

perform with the traditional puppets. Indonesia's economic

crisis of the past four years has quickened wayang's

retreat, making performances too expensive for many people.

Puppetry was introduced to Indonesia about 900 years ago

by traders and immigrants from India, Arabia, and China.

In wayang kulit, the dalang sits on a mat behind an

illuminated screen, manipulating the puppets to cast

their shadows. The stories are sometimes based on

local Javanese tales but more often on Javanese

adaptations of the Hindu epics,

the Ramayana and Mahabharata.