What is Tholu Bommalata?

Tholu Bommalata is the shadow-puppet craft of Andhra Pradesh, in which hide is scraped thin, perforated and painted, then performed against a lit screen. The name translates roughly as hide doll. This diary carries the same worked hide as a book cover rather than as a puppet.

Where does Tholu Bommalata come from?

Tholu Bommalata belongs to Andhra Pradesh, and the cluster that still works in it is centred around Nimmalakunta in Anantapur district. The tradition is closely related to shadow-puppet forms in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, which share the technique but not the style.

Is this the same as a leather-bound journal?

A leather journal is bound in plain tanned leather for durability; this cover is worked puppet hide that has been thinned, punched and hand painted as artwork. The two are not the same object. Expect something closer to a small artwork that opens than to a rugged travel notebook.

What hide is used in leather puppetry?

Leather puppetry in this tradition is worked on goat hide today, and historically on deer hide, which is no longer permitted.

Does Tholu Bommalata carry a GI tag?

Tholu Bommalata leather puppetry from Andhra Pradesh has been the subject of GI filings, but we do not claim a Geographical Indication for this diary. If you need a documented claim, check the public register at ipindia.gov.in/gi rather than taking any seller's word for it.

How do I care for a painted hide cover?

A painted hide cover is wiped with a soft dry cloth and nothing else. Leather conditioner, polish and solvents will lift hand-mixed colour, and damp will warp the hide, so keep it away from bathrooms, car dashboards and sunny windowsills.

Will the colours fade?

The colours will soften with years of daylight, as hand-applied pigment on hide does. Kept off a sunny sill it holds well, and the fading is even rather than patchy, so the cover ages rather than spoils.

Why is a puppet craft being used on a diary?

Demand for full puppet performances has fallen sharply, and the artisan families who still work hide have moved the same skills onto lamps, jewellery and covers like this one. Buying the object supports the technique staying in use, which is the part at risk, not the imagery.

What are Indian shadow puppets called?

Indian shadow puppets go by different names by region: Tholu Bommalata in Andhra Pradesh, Togalu Gombeyaata in Karnataka, Tholpavakoothu in Kerala and Ravanachhaya in Odisha. They share the lit-screen method and differ in scale, colour and repertoire.

Who makes this diary?

Studio Moya makes this diary working with leather-puppetry artisans in Andhra Pradesh.

Is a Tholu Bommalata diary a good gift?

It is a good gift for someone who will recognise the craft or enjoy being told about it, since most of its value is in what the cover is. It is a poor gift for someone who wants a hard-wearing everyday notebook.

Leather Diary

Rs. 900

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Product Details

The cover of this diary comes out of Tholu Bommalata, the shadow-puppet craft of Andhra Pradesh, where hide is scraped thin, perforated and painted by hand. On a puppet that surface is lit from behind. Here it sits flat on a book, so the punch work reads as texture and the colour has to hold up on its own. Studio Moya brings the work off the performance screen and onto something you use daily.

Art TypeLeather Puppetry

Packaging Dimension32X22X6

Materials & Care

Avoid moisture and perfumes. Clean gently with a soft, dry cloth. Do not machine wash.

Product Disclosure

SKU: SM-LPD-PK-01Style Code: SM-LPD-PKHSN Code: 48201000State: Andhra pradesh

Curated by Studio Moya

Each piece is handcrafted, so slight variations in colour, texture and dimension are natural and celebrate its handmade origin.

What this is, and what it is not: This is not a leather-bound journal in the usual sense. The cover is a piece of worked puppet hide, painted and punched by hand, so it behaves like a small artwork that happens to open. If you want a plain writing diary that disappears into a bag, this is the wrong book. If you want the thing on your desk to be the interesting object in the room, it is the right one.

Where to keep it: It reads best somewhere it is seen: a desk, a studio table, a shelf where the cover faces out. Set it against plain wood or unpainted metal rather than a patterned surface, because the punch work needs quiet around it to register. Give it room. Keep it out of direct sun, which is what fades hand-mixed colour fastest.

Daily use versus occasion use: It takes daily writing without complaint, but the cover is the part that ages. Carry it in a sleeve or an inner pocket rather than loose among keys, chargers and whatever else has collected at the bottom of the bag since the last time you emptied it. As a gift it suits someone who will recognise what the cover is, and it makes more sense for a person who works at a desk than for someone who writes on trains.

Living with it: Hide does not like damp or heat. Keep it away from bathrooms, car dashboards and windowsills, and wipe it only with a soft dry cloth. Do not use leather conditioner, polish or any solvent on a painted surface, because the colour sits on top of the hide and will lift.

Where the craft comes from: Tholu Bommalata is the shadow-puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh, worked on hide and performed against a lit cloth screen through the night. The word means hide doll. The surviving artisan cluster is centred around Nimmalakunta in Anantapur district, where families have carried the craft across generations. The figures were built for Ramayana and Mahabharata performances, and the trade has since had to find other work for the same hands.

Preparing the hide: The hide is soaked, the hair is taken off, and the surface is scraped down repeatedly until it thins to the point where light passes through it. That thinning is the whole technical ambition of the craft. It takes days. A thick hide blocks the lamp and the figure reads as a black shape; a properly scraped one glows.

Punching and colouring: The design is drawn on, then perforated with iron punches of different profiles, which is what gives the surface its dotted and pierced lines. Colour goes on in transparent washes, applied to both faces so the figure holds up whichever way the lamp falls.

What changes on a book cover: A diary has no lamp behind it. The translucency that a puppet is built for does nothing here, so the piece has to work by reflected light instead: the perforation becomes surface texture rather than a pattern of light, and the colour has to carry on its own rather than being lifted by a flame. That is the interesting compromise in this object, and it is why a hide cover looks flatter in hand than the same work does on a screen.

Telling it apart: Worked hide carries tool marks, slight thickness variation and punch holes with raised edges you can feel. A printed or embossed leather cover repeats evenly and has nothing to catch a fingernail.