This shadow puppet from Belgaum, Karnataka, in south-west India depicts a Rakshasa or demon. It would probably have been used in performances of the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic which tells the story of Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, his exile in the forest and his battles against the ten-headed demon king Ravana, who abducted Rama's wife Sita and took her to Lanka, his island fortress and home of his army of rakshasas. Rakshasas could change their shape at will; in Hindu belief most, though not all, were evil and some feasted on human flesh. They often disturbed the religious sacrifices made by priests and sages.
The shadow puppet performance would have been carried out with lamps and a cloth screen (made of dhotis or saris) set up in the village. The puppeteers, members of hereditary groups, were positioned behind the screen and would hold and manipulate the puppets by their integral cane or bamboo sticks. The Ramayana would have been performed in its entirety and would have been accompanied by music as well as singing and narration. There are different styles of shadow puppets in various regions of India, and those of Karnataka are called Togalu Gombe Atta.