About Wayang Kulit

Wayang kulit or shadow puppet theatre is a traditional art form from Indonesia and Malaysia. A solo puppeteer, known as a dhalang in Javanese, manipulates and provides voices for puppets cut from animal hide and painted on both sides. The shadows of these puppets fall on a white cotton screen. In Java, wayang performances are watched from both sides of the screen, as either a shadow show or a puppet show.
Performances in Java are accompanied by a full gamelan, which might have 15, 25 or more musicians. A typical performance begins at 7.30 or 8pm with a musical overture and runs until 3 am or later.  Most plays are based on the Ramayana and Mahabharata epics, which were imported from India to Java perhaps 1500 years ago. Dialogue is not written down, but largely extemporized based on oral formulae. Plays blend action, comedy, philosophy, romance and displays of statesmanship. Wayang kulit is so comprehensive in scope that it is described by many commentators as an encyclopaedia of Javanese culture.
Some performances have ritual significance. In these ritual dramas, the dhalang recites magical incantations and presents offerings to invisible spirts. One such performance, designed to drive away malevolent spirits, is translated in Matthew Cohen’s book Demon abduction: A wayang ritual drama from West Java (Lontar, 1999).
Wayang kulit is a living art form, and there are also many contemporary productions and cross-art collaborations.
Wayang was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The art form has attracted much attention since the nineteenth century from artists in Europe, the United States and around the world. (See Matthew Cohen’s article Contemporary Wayang in Global Contexts.) In 1999, the first major gathering of international wayang practitioners (dubbed dalang mancanegara) occurred as part of the Pekan Wayang national festival at Taman Mini in Jakarta. Matthew Cohen was among those who performed at this festival, and he also spoke at the festival’s international seminar.

sumber : http://kandabuwana.wordpress.com/about-wayang-kulit/

Wayang golek (rod puppets)

Wayang golek (rod puppets)

A pair of wayang golek from West Java

Panakawan, the friendly gestures of cepot, the red face; petruk the long noses and gareng the round nose

Wayang golek are wooden doll puppets that are operated from below by rods connected to the hands and a central control rod that runs through the body to the head. The simple construction of the puppets belies their versatility, expressiveness and aptitude for imitating human dance. Today, wayang golek is mainly associated with Sundanese culture of West Java. However the wooden wayang also known in Central Java as Wayang Menak, originated from Kudus Central Java.
Little is known for certain about the history of wayang golek, but scholars have speculated that it most likely originated in China and arrived in Java sometime in the 17th century. Some of the oldest traditions of wayang golek are from the north coast of Java in what is called the pasisir region. This is home to some of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Java and it is likely the wayang golek grew in popularity through telling the wayang menak stories of Amir Hamza, the uncle of Muhammad. These stories are still widely performed in Kabumen, Tegal, and Jepara as wayang golek menak, and in Cirebon, wayang golek cepak. Legendary origins of wayang golek attribute their invention to the Muslim saint Wali Sunan Kudus, who used the medium to proselytize Muslim values.
In the 18th century the tradition moved into the mountainous region of of Priangan West Java where it eventually was used to tell stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabarata in a tradition now called Wayang Golek Purwa, which can be found in Bandung, Bogor and Jakarta. The adoption of Javanese Mataram kejawen culture by Sundanese aristocrats was probably the remnant of Mataram influence over the Priangan region during the reign of expansive Sultan Agung. While main characters from Ramayana and Mahabharata are similar with wayang kulit purwa version of Central Java, some of punakawan (servant also jester) were rendered in Sundanese names and characteristics, such as Cepot or Astrajingga as Bagong, Dawala or Udel as Petruk. Wayang golek purwa has become the most popular form of wayang golek today and the most famous puppeteer family is the Sunarya family which has produced several generations of stellar performers.

sumber : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang

Wayang wong

Wayang wong

Pandava and Krishna in an act of the wayang wong performance.

Wayang wong also known as Wayang orang (literally human wayang) is a type of Javanese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episode of Ramayana or Mahabharata.
While wayang gedog usually the theatrical performance that took the themes from the Panji cycles stories from the kingdom of Janggala, in which the players wear masks known as wayang topeng or wayang gedog. The word "gedog" comes from "kedok", which, like "topeng" means "mask". The main theme is the story of Raden Panji and Candra. This is a love story about princess Candra Kirana of Kediri and Raden Panji Asmarabangun, the crown prince of Jenggala. Candra Kirana was the incarnation of Dewi Ratih (goddess of love) and Panji was an incarnation of Kamajaya (god of love). Kirana's story was given the title "Smaradahana" ("The fire of love"). At the end of the complicated story they finally can marry and bring forth a son, named Raja Putra. Panji Asmarabangun ruled Jenggala under the official names "Sri Kameswara", "Prabu Suryowiseso", and "Hino Kertapati". Originally, wayang wong was performed only as an aristocratic entertainment in four palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. In the course of time, it spread to become a popular and folk form as well.

reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang

Rahwana

Rahwana, the ogue giant king of Alengkadiraja, his other name was Dasamuka, a scary giant with ten faces. (see Ramayana and the Kingdom of Alengka). Since his youth, he had a bad behavior, a real giant (giant in Javanese is Buto means blind, a "blind" man can’t differentiate the goods and the bads). He thought only for himself, his own pleasure. He was not interested, the feeling or the fate of others. He would crush everyone who was against his wish.

All his whole life, since a boy until his death, he was unbearable. He was the worst of the worst, pursuing only his interests. He could not be a good person since the very beginning. He was a fruit of Kama salah (bad sperm) according to Javanese traditional teachings (Kejawen).

The lusty Begawan Wisrawa had committed a shameful mistake as a saint/Begawan. He, as a wise Begawan had to abandon the material world and lust, was tempted to the beauty of Sukesi, the fiancée of his son Danaraja. He was not able to control his evil desires.

The love making of a man and a woman, with their minds loaded with lusts would produce Kama Salah (bad sperm). In the process, it should be a person with bad character. The moral education from their parents or teachers would not affect much. That was the case with Dasamuka.

Gunawan Wibisono, the fourth son of Wisrawa and Sukesi was a wise person seeking for the truth. How could it be?. He was a fruit of good Kama/sperm. The parents, especially Wisrawa, he had gain back his true consciousness when he made love with his wife. Of course as a normal human-being, he was sexually aroused, but he had a clear and peaceful mind (lejar in Javanese). A child behavior and fate was mostly pre-determined by the parents’ mind (notably the father) during intercourse, not the parents occupation or position in the society.

Rama and Sinta

Rama and Sinta are the two main characters in the story of the Hindu epic RAMAYANA. In the story of RAMAYANA, the Princess (Sinta) sees a golden deer and she asks the Prince (Rama) to hunt the golden deer for her. Before Rama leaves, he made a magic circle to protect Sinta. Sinta is supposed to stay within the circle while Rama is away. After Rama leaves, the Evil King (Rahwana) tempted Sinta to leave the magic circle by disguising himself into a golden deer. When Sinta sees this golden deer, she forgets her promise to Rama and she goes out the magic circle. Rahwana then kidnaps and take her to his Palace in Alengka Kingdom. One of Prince Rama’s friend, an eagle named Jatayu, tries to save the Princess but he fails. But before he dies, he leaves a clue for Prince Rama, telling him that Princess Sinta has been kidnapped by Rahwana. Prince Rama, with the help of the King of Monkey (Hanoman), goes to the Evil King’s palace and save Princess Sinta. However, Rama is doubtful whether his beloved wife is still pure. To prove her innocence, Rama grants Sinta’s request to burn herself. The fire does not consume Sinta, proving that she is faithful and still pure. RAMA/SRI RAMA (The Principal hero in the Ramayana epic) Rama is the descendant of Batara Wisnu, the God of humanity. He is married to Dewi Sinta. When his wife is kidnapped by Rahwana, a gigantic King of Alengka Kingdom, Rama rescues her with the assistance of Laksmana (his loyal brother), Wibiksana (Rahwana’s brother), Sugriwa (kind of the monkeys), and Hanoman (brilliant general of the monkey army). He is a symbol of loving husband who takes care of his wife. SINTA/DEWI SINTA (The Principal heroine in the Ramayana epic) Sinta is the daughter of King Janaka of Mantili. In Ramayana story, she is kidnapped by Rahwana. Yet she maintains her honor and is ultimately reunited with her beloved husband, Rama. To prove that she is still pure, she offers to burn herself but the fire does not harm her. She is a symbol of faithfulness, honor, and loyalty.

Hanoman

Hanoman, or Hanuman , known also as 'Anjaneya' (son of Anjana), is one of the most popular concepts of servants of God in Hinduism and one of the most important personalities in the epic, the Ramayana. His most famous feat, was leading a monkey army to fight the demon King Ravana to free his prisoner Sinta.

wayang

Wayang is an Indonesian word for theater. Bayang, the Javanese word for shadow or imagination, also connotes "spirit." When the term is used to refer to puppet theater, the puppet itself is sometimes referred to as wayang. There are many forms of wayang, including dances performed with masks and dramas performed with wooden, jointed puppets, but the most famous is wayang kulit, "shadow puppet theater." Only the silhouette shadows of the puppets are seen, projected onto a cotton screen. Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali. Although wayang may have existed before the arrival of Hindusim in Indonesia, many of the stories in wayang dramas are taken from the Mahabarata or the Ramayana, and portray the ongoing battle between good and evil. Later, wayang was also adapted to promulgate Muslim teachings and beliefs. Wayang plays can last as long as eight hours and are frequently performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions such as weddings, and for the public in the villages.
Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theater in the world. UNESCO designated wayang kulit as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.