Karna, half-brother of the Pandava brothers

Types of Puppets

A puppet master’s collection generally consists of fifty to ninety puppets. Sets of puppets include nobles, jesters, gods, demons, and servants. Although identifying specific characters can at times be difficult, most puppets can be categorized as representing characters with either refined or coarse personalities. The extremely stylized features of some puppets are clues to their personalities. The most refined have white faces, bowed heads, and narrow eyes and noses. The upright heads of the cruder figures have red faces, round eyes, and protruding noses.

The puppet master (dalang) manipulates each character in a distinctive way. The movements of nobles are slow and smooth and their voices soft. In contrast, the rough characters are given wide gestures and harsh voices. The movements of the dalang are also closely linked to the rhythm of the gamelan orchestra.