Wayang is the traditional shadow puppet theatre in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.
There is no evidence that wayang existed in ancient Indonesia.
The earliest evidence is from the late 1st millennium CE, in medieval-era texts and archeological sites.
The origins of wayang are unclear, and three competing theories have been proposed:
Indian origin: this is the generally favored theory, since Hinduism and Buddhism arrived on the Indonesian islands in the early centuries of the 1st millennium, and along with theology, the peoples of Indonesia and Indian subcontinent exchanged culture, architecture and traded goods.
Puppet arts and dramatic plays have been documented in ancient Indian texts, dated to the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE and the early centuries of the common era.
Further, the coastal region of Southern India (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) which most interacted with Indonesian islands has had an intricate, leather-based puppet art called tholu bommalata, which shares many elements with wayang.
Some characters such as the Vidusaka in Sanskrit drama and Semar in wayang are very similar.
Indian mythologies and characters from the Hindu epics feature in many of the major plays performed, all of which suggest possible Indian origins, or at least an influence in the pre-Islamic period of Indonesian history.
Jivan Pani states that wayang developed from two arts of Odisha in Eastern India, the Ravana Chhaya puppet theatre and the Chhau dance.

Indigenous origin: the word wayang is not found in Indian languages, but is Javanese.
Similarly, some of the other technical terms used in the wayang kulit found in Java and Bali are based on local languages, even when the play overlaps with Buddhist or Hindu mythologies.
This suggests, state some scholars such as Hazeu, that wayang has indigenous roots.

Chinese origin: the least popular theory, it is based on the evidence that puppet arts based on animism existed in ancient China (1000 CE) and it may have been the "place of origin of all Asian shadow theatre", according to Brandon.

Regardless of its origins, states Brandon, wayang developed and matured into a Javanese phenomenon.
There is no true contemporary puppet shadow artwork in either China or India that has the sophistication, depth and creativity expressed in wayang.
Wayang is the traditional shadow puppet theatre in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. There is no evidence that wayang existed in ancient Indonesia. The earliest evidence is from the late 1st millennium CE, in medieval-era texts and archeological sites. The origins of wayang are unclear, and three competing theories have been proposed:
Indian origin: this is the generally favored theory, since Hinduism and Buddhism arrived on the Indonesian islands in the early centuries of the 1st millennium, and along with theology, the peoples of Indonesia and Indian subcontinent exchanged culture, architecture and traded goods. Puppet arts and dramatic plays have been documented in ancient Indian texts, dated to the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE and the early centuries of the common era. Further, the coastal region of Southern India (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) which most interacted with Indonesian islands has had an intricate, leather-based puppet art called tholu bommalata, which shares many elements with wayang. Some characters such as the Vidusaka in Sanskrit drama and Semar in wayang are very similar. Indian mythologies and characters from the Hindu epics feature in many of the major plays performed, all of which suggest possible Indian origins, or at least an influence in the pre-Islamic period of Indonesian history. Jivan Pani states that wayang developed from two arts of Odisha in Eastern India, the Ravana Chhaya puppet theatre and the Chhau dance.
Indigenous origin: the word wayang is not found in Indian languages, but is Javanese. Similarly, some of the other technical terms used in the wayang kulit found in Java and Bali are based on local languages, even when the play overlaps with Buddhist or Hindu mythologies. This suggests, state some scholars such as Hazeu, that wayang has indigenous roots.
Chinese origin: the least popular theory, it is based on the evidence that puppet arts based on animism existed in ancient China (1000 CE) and it may have been the "place of origin of all Asian shadow theatre", according to Brandon.
Regardless of its origins, states Brandon, wayang developed and matured into a Javanese phenomenon. There is no true contemporary puppet shadow artwork in either China or India that has the sophistication, depth and creativity expressed in wayang.
Wayang