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H: 18 Inch · Leather
Estimated Delivery in 2 weeks
Takes approximately 1 week to handcraft
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This vivid Tholu Bommalata artwork by Sindhe Siva depicts Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna and, in certain Vaishnava traditions, counted among the ten principal avatars of Vishnu in place of the Buddha. Rendered in the age-old shadow puppet style of Andhra Pradesh, the piece brings together the folk vibrancy of Tholu Bommalata with the calm, powerful bearing associated with this lesser-depicted but deeply significant deity.
Tholu Bommalata, meaning "the dance of leather puppets" is the traditional shadow theatre of the Telugu-speaking Deccan, with a lineage reaching back two thousand years and a repertoire built chiefly on the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and episodes from the Bhagavata Purana. Puppets are fashioned from goat, deer or buffalo hide that is cleaned, treated with natural oils and pigments over roughly two weeks until it becomes supple and translucent, then painted in bold vegetable dyes and pierced with fine perforations so that backlighting animates every figure into a radiant, coloured shadow. Sindhe Siva continues this craft as part of the Nimmalakunta puppeteering community of Dharmavaram, Anantapur district, a family lineage of National and State award-winning artists now in its eighth generation.
Balarama is shown here in profile, his skin rendered in a warm orange tone typical of the tradition's depiction of divine figures. His garments are in orange, red and olive green, patterned with fine dotted and diamond motifs and finished along the hem with a striped, fan-like flourish at the shoulder. His hair is tied in a sage knot that sits like a crown, and his jewellery is elaborately worked, with round earrings, a beaded necklace and matching armlets and anklets rendered in gold-toned perforation work. True to his iconography, Balarama carries his two defining attributes: the hala, a long curved plough slung across his shoulder, a tool that marks him as a deity of agrarian strength rather than a conventional warrior-king.
In the Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic sources, Balarama is celebrated for his immense physical strength, his fierce loyalty to Krishna, and episodes such as his diverting the course of the river Yamuna with his plough when it refused to come to him. His attributes, the plough and the pestle, symbolise his dominion over agriculture and the tilling of the earth, distinguishing him from Vishnu's other avatars who typically bear the conch, discus, mace and lotus. In some Dashavatara lists, particularly in regions with strong Krishna-worship traditions, Balarama replaces the Buddha as the ninth avatar, underscoring the closeness between the two brothers in devotional memory.
Together, the sculptural boldness of the perforated leather and the calm strength of Balarama's pose make this artwork a compelling record of a lesser-seen but mythologically rich avatar. Sindhe Siva's rendering honours both the specificity of Balarama's iconography and the broader visual language of Tholu Bommalata, ensuring that this quieter, agrarian deity receives the same craft and reverence as his more celebrated younger brother.
Each of our artworks are hand painted by master artists across India. We provide a digital authentication certificate with this artwork signed by the artist which will be sent over email after 3-4 days of delivery of the artwork.
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