Puppetry was a way of narrating stories

Rural and urban areas of Ambalangoda and the well-known mask and puppet maker Ariyapala is world famous for puppet art of Sri Lanka. The Traditional Puppet Arts Museum in Dehiwela is the closest to a city dweller to visit.

Puppetry was a way of narrating stories. Around 10 craftsmen participate for a puppet show, playing traditional musical instruments while doing speeches and singings to entertain the crowds. The puppeteers have created a tradition while having great skill to dance the puppets dressed with garments and masks connected with strings which are used for traditional Bali, Thovil, healing rituals and folk dance characters. Rural characters like Gamarala the village headman, Gama mahage and Gama Diyaniya the headman’s daughter, kolam dances like Jasaya & Lenchina are played by these puppeteers. These puppeteers are clever enough to make humor, fear, sympathy and satire to the audience by presenting of dialogs, poems and speeches.

The museum is for you to enjoy. There will be puppets of various sizes around each corner. The place is well lit and follows an interesting theme. The museum resembles a palace with various Sri Lankan traditional folktales embodied by puppet art depicted in different sections.

Among the puppets you will find the puppets of kings and jesters, villagers and lords, devils and priests and more according to legendary folktales and culture. Their clothing and style hail from a time long gone, but maintained with these traditions of drama and puppetry that was once used as the main form of entertainment in the villages and royal cities of Sri Lanka.