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Kid Friendly Version of Ramayan's Timeless Tale Below
A long time ago, there lived a king named Dasharatha, the ruler of the kingdom of Ayodhya. He had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. The first wife, Kausalya, gave birth to the eldest son, Rama. The second wife, Kaikeyi, gave birth to Bharata, while the third wife, Sumitra, had twins and named them Lakshmana and Satrughna. In no time, the kids grew up into handsome princes and became well-known across the kingdom for their wisdom and strength. King Dasharatha loved all his kids but had a soft spot in his heart for his eldest son, Rama.
One day, sage Vishwamitra took the young princes to the neighbouring kingdom of Mithila, which King Janaka ruled. He had organised a swayamvar for his daughters, Sita and Urmila. “Welcome, Princes!” announced King Janaka. “As you all know that I have organised this swayamvar for my two beautiful daughters, and any of you can get married to them. However, the only condition is that you have to string this great bow by Lord Shiva.” Many princes took turns stringing the bow, but none of them succeeded. In the end, Rama went and strung it in his first attempt to win King Janaka’s elder daughter Sita for marriage. Urmila got married to Lakshmana, and all of them were welcomed back to the kingdom with great pomp and show.
Things were fine until one day, King Dasharatha expressed his willingness to throne Rama as the king. “My dear Ayodhya citizens. I have served you all for many years now. Now I am growing old and want to appoint my eldest son Rama as the king”, announced King Dasharatha, and the entire kingdom danced with joy. However, Dasharatha’s second wife, Kaikeyi, was unhappy with the decision as she wanted his son, Bharat, to be the king. She was charmed into thinking so by one of her closest servants Manthara. She immediately called for the king and asked him to fulfil the two wishes that he had granted him a long time back.
“My dear King. I guess it’s time for you to fulfil the two boons you had given me”, said Kaikeyi. “I want you to make my son, Bharat, to be the king and send Rama to the forest for an exile of fourteen years”. Poor king had no option but to send Rama to exile. He was accompanied by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to the forest.
As soon as Rama left for the forest, Dasharatha could not accept the fact and died within a few days. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived a life full of hardships in the forest. One day, Ravana’s sister, Surpanakha, saw Rama and was mesmerised by his beauty. She wanted to marry him, but Rama refused. Angrily, she went to attack Sita, but Lakshmana cut her nose in rage to protect Sita. She returned to Lanka and narrated the incident to her brother Ravana, who decided to take revenge on them.
One day, Sita saw a beautiful deer in the forest and asked Rama to get it for her. The deer was nothing else but a trap by Ravana. When Rama did not return after a long time, Sita sent Lakshmana to look for him. Lakshmana was hesitant to go but eventually left after drawing a magic line on the door.
“I urge you not to cross this line in any circumstances”, said Lakshmana and left.
Meanwhile, Ravana came to Sita dressed as a sage and asked her to offer some fruits. As soon as Sita crossed the line, he grabbed Sita and took her to Lanka on his rath. When Rama and Lakshmana came to know about what had happened, they rushed to rescue Sita. On the way, they met the monkey king Sugreev and Hanuman, who decided to help them to rescue Sita.
Hanuman flew to the kingdom of Lanka in search of Sita and saw her sitting in one of the backyards. She went to her and said, “Mata Sita. I am a messenger of lord Rama, and I am here to give you this ring. Lord Rama has sent this ring and said that he will come to rescue you very soon.”
Later, the guards caught Hanuman and set his tail on fire. He burnt Ravana’s entire palace and returned to Rama. After that, Rama and the monkey army started their journey to Lanka to rescue Sita. They reached there after many days, and finally, the war began.
Kumbhkarna, Ravana’s mighty brother, Indrajith, Ravana’s son, and other great warriors lost their lives in the battle.
Finally, Lord Rama and Ravana came face to face. Lord Rama killed Ravana. that day is known widely as Dussehra when the victory of good over evil is celebrated. It took Lord Rama, Laxmana and Hanumaan twenty one days to take Sita back to the kingdom of Ayodhya, where he was crowned as the king. The day they returned and Lord Rama was crowned king is celebrated as Deepavali as the city was lit up with rows of diyas.
Learn More about the Artistry of Leather Puppets and Their Origin
One of the earliest shadow puppet traditions in India is Andhra Pradesh’s leather puppetry. It serves as a platform for entertainment, the dissemination of folklore, and the exchange of knowledge and information. The societal environment surrounding the artists has impacted most leather puppets and continues to do so.
Shadow puppetry’s origins were closely tied to religious doctrine and traditional cultural practices, just like most other performing arts in India. It mostly portrayed stories from religious books, such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, fusing them with regional traditions and legends.
The Anantapur district’s Nimmalakunta is where this very compelling art style was first created. Tholu bommalata is preceded by the sweet emotion that wherever the location is selected to be the stage for the puppet show would have plenty of rain and wealth. In Telugu “Tholu” means “leather” and “bommalu” means “dolls”.
The background conversation and music of “Tholu bommalata,” which is well-known for portraying some historical events. It is typically performed by the artists and accompanied by drums and harmonium.
And to put on the performance, these performers travel from remote areas. And what appears to be only the movements of faces as a kind of art has been blocked off for one hour each day by hours of labor from artisans working around the clock.
The Artistry
Everyone could enjoy the puppet shows, which featured both religious epics for the pious and comedic relief for the unfocused. Despite the fact that there are fewer puppeteers today, puppetry is still performed, especially at festivals.
Getting The Leather Sheet Ready
The artisans utilized goatskin to create the leather sheet. They get it from a local butcher shop. It is softened by soaking it in water for a few hours after being sourced. The hair on the skin is then removed after it has been fully flattened and thoroughly cleansed in hot water to destroy all bacteria.
The skin is then washed and cleaned numerous times until it becomes transparent paper. After drying for a few days, this process is repeated. Despite the complexity of the original process, some artists are now seen importing paper from other countries to circumvent the tiresome cleaning procedure.
Rough Sketches Of The Puppets
Adding Color To The Puppets
Previously, these colors were created using natural pigments; however, today’s artists choose acrylic paints and brushes.
The Cutting And Sewing Of Puppets
Setting Up The Puppets
The products are cut into individual pieces, which are then sewn together to create the puppets. As a result, puppeteers may move around more easily when performing a puppet show. A stick that will be used to control the puppets is prepared by the artist. The head and limbs of the puppet are cut apart, and they are then attached to each other separately to allow for freedom of movement.
Special mention : The puppets at the event have been handcrafted this national award winning artisan group.They were sourced from Ganesh, son of the Shri Sinde Anjaneyulu
