The Nature Trail is inaccessible due to pathworks by Lewisham Council. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Shadow puppet of a demon (bala or raksasa), made of carved and painted leather. He is painted grey, has a bald head apart from long curls hanging from the nape of his neck behind. A large round eye, open mouth, red gums and bared teeth. Unclothed, and with genitals visible. He carries a mallet for killing his enemies. A follower of Rahwana in the Ramayana story.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
