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Question 49 of 58 · Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes
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'Tolu Bommalata', the traditional leather shadow puppet show, is an art form of:

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Answer: Option D — Andhra Pradesh

Detailed Solution

"Tolu Bommalata" ("the dance of leather puppets") is the traditional shadow puppet theatre of Andhra Pradesh. It is also performed in Telangana.

About Tolu Bommalata:

  • The puppets are made from goat or deer skin, which is treated until it becomes thin and translucent, and then painted in bright colours on both sides.
  • The puppets are large, sometimes as tall as a person, and have jointed limbs that can be moved with sticks.
  • They are pressed against a white cloth screen, with a light (traditionally an oil lamp) behind them, so that the audience sees colourful shadows.
  • Performances tell stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas, with music, songs and dialogue.
  • The performers traditionally come from wandering families who perform at village festivals through the night.
  • Leather puppets from Nimmalakunta village (in Sri Sathya Sai district, Andhra Pradesh) are famous and have received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Shadow puppetry traditions of other states:

  • Togalu Gombeyatta: Karnataka.
  • Tholpavakoothu: Kerala; performed in temples, especially of Bhagavathi, with stories from the Kamba Ramayanam.
  • Ravanchhaya: Odisha; the puppets are not coloured and not jointed, so they cast solid shadows.
  • Tholu Bommalattam: Tamil Nadu.
  • Chamdyacha Bahulya: Maharashtra.

Other types of puppetry in India:

  • String puppets: Kathputli (Rajasthan), Kundhei (Odisha), Gombeyatta (Karnataka) and Bommalattam (Tamil Nadu).
  • Rod puppets: Putul Nach (West Bengal) and Yampuri (Bihar).
  • Glove puppets: Pavakoothu (Kerala) and Beni Putul (West Bengal).

Institutions:

  • The Sangeet Natak Akademi promotes traditional puppetry.
  • World Puppetry Day is observed on 21 March.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Odisha has Ravanchhaya shadow puppets and Kundhei string puppets.
  • ✗Kerala has Tholpavakoothu shadow puppets.
  • ✗Rajasthan is famous for Kathputli string puppets.

Quick tip

Remember: Tolu Bommalata = Andhra Pradesh leather shadow puppets (Nimmalakunta GI); Togalu Gombeyatta = Karnataka; Tholpavakoothu = Kerala; Ravanchhaya = Odisha; Kathputli = Rajasthan string puppets.

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Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Paintings, Crafts, Dress & Tribes, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's traditional painting styles (such as Madhubani, Warli, Pattachitra, Kalamkari, Gond and Tanjore), handicrafts and textiles, traditional dresses, and the major tribes of each state and their customs. It also includes Geographical Indication (GI) tags given to crafts and products. Questions usually ask which state a painting or craft belongs to, which tribe lives in a region, or what a traditional dress is called. Warli belongs to Maharashtra, Madhubani to Bihar, Pattachitra to Odisha and West Bengal, and Gond art to Madhya Pradesh. Grouping tribes by state, and noting the largest tribe of key states (such as the Bhils and the Santhals), helps with elimination. Practise the paintings, crafts and tribes questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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