2257) "Wayang Kulit", Indonesia: "Indonesia 2012 - World Stamp Championship, Jakarta 18-24.06.2012": Indonesia Post had issued a stamp sheet on buffalo hide depicting characters from the classical Javanese Puppet Drama showing the Pandav Brothers - Bhim, Arjun, Yudhishtra, Nakul and Sadewa (Sahdev), & Pandav Lima: Date of Stamp Sheet issue: 18.06.2012:
Wayang, also spelled Wajang, (Javanese: “shadow”), is a classical Javanese puppet drama that uses the shadows thrown by puppets manipulated by rods against a translucent screen lit from behind.
Developed before the 10th century, the form had its origins in the "Thalubomalata" (the "leather puppets" of Southern India).
The art of shadow puppetry spread to Java with the spread of Hinduism.
The prototype of the wayang figures is the "Wayang Kulit", (or "shadow puppet made of perforated, elaborately painted leather").
The plays utilizing wayang puppets are set in mythological times. The dramatic stories depict mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as local adaptations of cultural legends.
Some are of Javanese creation, being further elaborations of the Mahābhārata legends of the five heroic Pāndav brothers.
When the characters are introduced, the figures representing the forces of good are on the right, the evil ones on the left.
Traditionally, a wayang is played out in a ritualized midnight-to-dawn show by a "dalang", an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen, but most connoisseurs prefer to watch the figures as shadows cast on the screen.
Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a "gamelan orchestra" in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali.
The stylized shapes and movements of the early wayang kulit puppets were imitated by other forms of wayang, notably the "wayang golek", (or three-dimensional wooden figures manipulated by rods); the "wayang wong" (a pantomime by live actors) and the "wayang krunchil", (wooden puppets in low relief).
Wayang performances are still very popular among Indonesians, especially in the islands of Java and Bali. Wayang performances are usually held at certain rituals, certain ceremonies, certain events, and even tourist attractions and on such important occasions as birthdays and anniversaries.
In ritual contexts, puppet shows are used for "prayer rituals" (held in temples in Bali), "ruwatan ritual" (cleansing Sukerto children from bad luck), and "sedekah bumi ritual" (thanksgiving to God for the abundant crops).
In ceremonies contexts, it is used to celebrate "mantenan" (Javanese wedding ceremony) and "sunatan" (circumcision ceremony).
In events, it is used to celebrate Independence Day, the anniversary of municipalities, companies, and someone's birthday, commemorating certain days, and many more occasions. Even in this modern era where the development of tourism activities, wayang puppet shows are used as cultural tourism attractions.
Wayang is one of the peaks of the Indonesian's culture, which is the most prominent among many other cultures. Wayang traditions include acting, singing, music, drama, literature, painting, sculpture, carving, and symbolic arts. Wayang traditions, which continue to develop from time to time for more than a thousand years, is also a medium of information, preaching, education, philosophical understanding, and entertainment.
UNESCO designated Wayang the flat leather shadow puppet (wayang kulit), the flat wooden puppet (wayang klitik), and the three-dimensional wooden puppet (wayang golek) theatre, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve the tradition.
A Souvenir Stamp Sheet issued by Indonesia Post on buffalo hide in the World Stamp Championships held at Jakarta from 18-24.06.2012:
Indonesian Post issued a special Souvenir Sheet on 18.06.2012 during the World Stamp Championship held at Jakarta from 18-24.06.2012 depicting Mahabharata characters Bhim, Arjun, Yudhistra, Nakul, Sadewa (Sahdev), and Pandava Lima from Wayang Kulit ,the unique form of puppet theatre employing light and shadow. There is also a special stamp made up of light hide which is pasted on the stamp design.
The explanatory description reads inter alia:
"The puppets are crafted on 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 a light source, shadows are cast on the screen."
(The above Stamp Sheet is from the collection of Jayant Biswas. Post researched and compiled by Rajeev Prasad)
Rajan Trikha has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very informative".
Thank you Trikha sahab.
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