Ravana Chhaya literally means as Ravana shadow. This is traditional shadow-theatre form of puppetry in Orissa. It is noteworthy that though this style draws exclusively upon the Rama legend, its name comes from Ravana, his adversary. The usual explanation is that Rama, a god, hence a luminous being, cannot have a shadow. Therefore this shadow theatre is named after Ravana.

This has led to the surmise that Ravana`s importance over Rama could reflect the influence of Buddhism and Jainism, the two religions that held sway over Kalinga i.e. ancient Orissa in 2000 years ago. It is not known what version of Rama`s story Ravana Chhaya followed earlier, but for the last hundred years or so it has delivered the text of Vichitra Ramayana by Vishvanath Khuntia. Vishvanath Khuntia was a medieval Oriya poet. The puppets are made of opaque deerskin and cast black and white shadows in bold dramatic poses. To keep them straight, split bamboo sticks are attached vertically, which have a handle at the lower end. Many props such as trees, mountains, chariots, are also used to create appropriate `sets`. Ravana Chhaya figures are quite simple. Off screen they look neither artistic nor attractive, but their shadows formed by shimmering golden lamplight acquire a breathtaking beauty. Although small in size they create very powerful yet lyrical shadows, especially when manipulated in the puppeteers` peculiar jerky movement.

A bowl-shaped earthen lamp, filled with castor oil and lit with two thick wicks made of cotton rags soaked in oil, forms the light source. The lamp is placed on a stand made of a bamboo stick with a small wooden plank fixed to one side. The height of the stand is so adjusted that the lamp is about 30-37 cm from the bottom of the screen at the central line. The distance between light and screen is at most 30 cm. The manipulators raise the puppets in between while sitting on the ground. The leader stands on the other side of the screen in full view of the audience, singing and playing a khanjani held in his hands. Khanjani is a small frame drum. A vocalist often assists him from behind the screen. All of them deliver the impromptu prose dialogue for the puppets, but the soul of the performance is music. The songs admirably blend both folk and classical Odissi, specially the traditional Chhanda form in which all the poems of the Vichitra Ramayana are composed. Besides khanjani, a pair of wooden castanets called daskathi provides percussive accompaniment to the singing.

Kathinanda Das was born into a village family of hereditary Ravana Chhaya puppeteers in 1909. He single-handedly kept the form alive in modern times. He crafted as well as manipulated his puppets, and handed the technique down to Kolha Charan Sahoo. He was the president and guru of the Ravana Chhaya Sansad since 1986, and author of a book on the form, who took his puppets on performances all over India.