Wayang kulit

Wayang kulit
Wayang kulit performance with Dalang
Types	Indonesian wayang form
Ancestor arts	Javanese
Originating culture	Indonesia
Originating era	Hindu—Buddhist civilisations

Wayang Puppet Theatre
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
The Wayang Kulit performance by the Indonesian notable "dalang" (puppet master) Manteb Soedharsono, with the story "Gathutkaca Winisuda", in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Indonesia, on 31 July 2010
Country	Indonesia
Criteria	Performing arts, Traditional craftsmanship
Reference	063
Region	Asia and the Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	2008 (3rd session)
List	Representative List
Wayang kulit, wayang golek, wayang klithik

Wayang kulit (Javanese: ꦮꦪꦁ​ꦏꦸꦭꦶꦠ꧀) is a traditional form of shadow puppetry originally found in the cultures of Java and Bali in Indonesia.^[1] In a wayang kulit performance, the puppet figures are rear-projected on a taut linen screen with a coconut oil (or electric) light. The dalang (shadow artist) manipulates carved leather figures between the lamp and the screen to bring the shadows to life. The narratives of wayang kulit often have to do with the major theme of good vs. evil.

Wayang kulit is one of the many different forms of wayang theatre found in Indonesia; the others include wayang beber, wayang klitik, wayang golek, wayang topeng, and wayang wong. Wayang kulit is among the best known, offering a unique combination of ritual, lesson and entertainment.

On November 7, 2003, UNESCO designated Wayang the flat leather shadow puppet (wayang kulit), the flat wooden puppet (wayang klitik), and the three-dimensional wooden puppet (wayang golek) theatre, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve the tradition.^[2]