History of Wayang Kulit

Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in [[Indonesia]]. There is no evidence that wayang existed before [[Hinduism]] came to [[Southeast Asia]] sometime in the first century CE brought in by Indian traders. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE which says ''"si Galigi mawayang,"'' or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bhima from the [[Mahabharata]]
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Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, "The Mahabarata" and "The Ramayana". Some of the plays are also based on local happenings (current issues) or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or "Tok Dalang" to decide his direction.


The Dalang is the genius behind the entire performance. It is he who sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a resonant melody and its conventional rhythm, the Dalang modulates his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Invariably, the play climaxes with the triumph of good over evil.

Hinduism arrived in Indonesia from [[India]] even before the [[Anno Domini|Christian era]], and was slowly adopted as the local belief system. [[Sanskrit]] became the literary and court language of [[Java (island)|Java]] and later of [[Bali]]. The Hindus changed the ''Wayang'' (as did the [[Muslim]]s, later) to spread their religion, mostly by stories from the [[Mahabharata]] or the [[Ramayana]]. Later this mixture of religion and ''wayang'' play was praised as harmony between Hinduism and traditional Indonesian culture. On Java, the western part of [[Sumatra]] and some smaller islands traditionalists continued to play the old stories for some time, but the influence of Hinduism prevailed and the traditional stories either fell into oblivion or were integrated into the Hinduistic plays.

The figures of the ''wayang'' are also present in the paintings of that time, for example, the roof murals of the courtroom in [[Klungkung]], Bali. They are still present in traditional Balinese painting today.

When [[Islam]] began spreading in Indonesia, the display of [[God]] or [[deities#Hinduism|gods]] in human form was prohibited, and thus this style of painting and shadow play was suppressed. King [[Raden Patah of Demak]], Java, wanted to see the ''wayang'' in its traditional form, but failed to obtain permission from the Muslim religious leaders. As an alternative, the religious leaders converted the ''wayang golek'' into ''wayang purwa'' made from [[leather]], and displayed only the shadow instead of the figures itself.{{Fact|date=February 2009}} Instead of the forbidden figures only their shadow picture was displayed, the birth of the ''wayang kulit''.{{Fact|date=February 2009}}

The figures are painted, flat woodcarvings (a maximum of 5 to 15 mm thick -- barely half an inch) with movable arms. The head is solidly attached to the body. ''Wayang klitik'' can be used to perform puppet plays either during the day or at night. This type of ''wayang'' is relatively rare.

Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang, who command extravagant fees and are international celebrities. Some of the most famous dalang in recent history are Ki Nartosabdho, Ki Anom Suroto, Ki Asep Sunarya, Ki Sugino, and Ki Manteb Sudarsono.