Shadow puppet representing Mohandas K. Gandhi
- Audio guide stop: 603
- Gallery: Room 33
- Object type: shadow puppet
- Materials: skin
- Museum number: As1972,13.3
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a shadow puppet representing Mohandas K. Gandhi. Made from painted skin, it is translucent and features movable arms and lower legs, allowing it to be manipulated for shadow play. The puppet is colored brown, with a green loincloth and brown sandals, reflecting Gandhi’s simple and recognizable clothing.
This shadow puppet was collected in Andhra Pradesh, India, and acquired in 1972 from M. V. Ramana Murty. It measures just under 1.5 meters in height, making it a particularly large example in this form of traditional storytelling.
Shadow puppets like this one are used in performances that project silhouettes onto a screen, often accompanied by narration and music. This piece honors Gandhi, the revered figure known as the Mahatma, offering a glimpse into how he might be depicted in traditional Indian theatrical arts.
See it in person
Shadow puppet representing Mohandas K. Gandhi is on display in Room 33 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 603, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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