devotional arts
What is Pinguli Tholu Bahulya and how does it differ from Tolu Bommalata?
What Pinguli shadow puppetry is
Pinguli is a village in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, and it gives its name to this form. The tradition belongs to the Thakar community, who have passed it down through families over generations. The puppets are cut from animal hide and treated so they become partly translucent. Light passes through them onto a cloth screen, and the figures glow with colour. The main stories come from the Ramayana. Performances are tied to village festivals, especially those honouring Khandoba, a deity widely worshipped across Maharashtra and Karnataka. The puppets are not just entertainment. They are part of the devotional act itself, offered to the deity during the festival.
Where it fits in India's shadow puppet world
Shadow puppetry using leather figures is found across several Indian states, and each tradition grew up around its own community, its own deities, and its own stories. Pinguli Tholu Bahulya and Andhra Pradesh's Tolu Bommalata both use translucent hide puppets and a backlit screen, so they look related at a glance. But they developed separately, in different regions, among different communities, and in service of different religious needs.
How it differs from Tolu Bommalata
Tolu Bommalata is the shadow puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh, practised by the Killekyata community. Both forms use large, colourful, translucent leather figures. But there are real differences. Tolu Bommalata draws on both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and its performances are often connected to the worship of Shiva and local goddess traditions. Pinguli Tholu Bahulya stays closer to the Ramayana and is more tightly bound to Khandoba worship and the festival calendar of rural Maharashtra. The puppet styles also differ. Tolu Bommalata figures tend to be very large, sometimes taller than a person, and the performances can run through the night. Pinguli puppets are generally smaller. The music, the language of narration, and the ritual context are all shaped by the region they come from.
Today
Pinguli Tholu Bahulya is considered endangered. Only a small number of families still practise it. Village festivals remain the main setting where it is performed, but the audiences have shrunk and fewer young people are learning the craft. Some cultural organisations have worked to document and support it, though the tradition remains fragile. Tolu Bommalata faces similar pressures in Andhra Pradesh. Both forms are now recognised as rare survivals of a much older devotional art.