The tradition of shadow puppetry originated in Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. While Rajasthan uses fabric puppets for entertainment, folk expression and art, the puppets in Andhra Pradesh are made of indigenous leather. These puppets are used to share folk tales and moral stories with villagers while entertaining them.

The whole process of crafting leather goods used to take several weeks, but newer methods have cut short the production time. Now, goat hides sourced from local markets are washed, dried and beaten to make moldable parchments. These serve as the base for making a puppet. The designs can be human, divine figures, or animals and even mythical bird-beasts. The artists draw the designs, then cut on the parchments to bring out details. Holes are punched in where required, and the designs are painted. Painting is traditionally done with nibs or paint tools made out of bamboo wood. Paints follow traditional colour stories with vibrant oranges, yellows, cobalt blues, brick browns, and reds. When a figure is fully drawn and done, the form is outlined to cut out. These pieces are then sewn together to make moveable puppets easy to use for performative art. 

Tolu Bommalata is the local name for shadow leather puppetry. When it blends with musical story-telling, singing and theatre for education and entertainment, it elevates the handicraft. They narrate stories from Mahabharata or Ramayana, but also of the forest and the mendicant, of animals and rural life. Master craftsman Sindhi Sriramulu is notable for life-size shadow puppets of temple figures as well as animals.

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