BUTTA BOMMALU
 Butta Bommalu" literally means Basket dolls. Butta Bomma is huge
puppet of about 8ft tall and 3 ft wide that is Very light in weight. The performers tie
these puppets firmly on to their waist and shoulders and dance to a non-verbal rhythm.
This is a typical folk dance popular in West and East Godavari districts of Andhra
Pradesh. However it is performed all over Andhra Pradesh on festive occasions.
The Butta Bomma is made of thin bamboo strips woven into a long circular basket
figure using other materials like wood husk, dry grass and cow dung. This is later smeared
with the paste of tamarind seeds to make different mythical figures like Lord Rama,
Ravana, Hanuman, Satyabhama, Shakti etc. These are then painted in bright colors to make
them expressive. The bottom part is made hollow with small holes at the waist of the
figure to enable the performer, wearing the puppet, see through.
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