This puppet represent Resi Rawana (Ravana) dressed as an ascetic, from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, in the Balinese 'wayang kulit' or leather shadow puppet theatre tradition. This is the guise he adopts just before abducting Dewi Sita (Sita).The Ramayana relates the struggle of Rama and his brother Laksmana (Lakshamana) in the rescue of his wife, Dewi Sita, from the ogre king Rawana.The majority of the 'wayang kulit' plays performed are drawn from the two great Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana as well as local stories. 'Wayang kulit' in Bali is like traditionally performed in temples, although today more likely to be viewed as entertainment for tourists.
