Wayang is a Javanese word for particular kinds of theatre (literally 'shadow'). When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. Performances of shadow puppet theatre are accompanied by gamelan in Java.

UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theatre and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003.

In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhim (Sanskrit: 鄐冢?鄐? Bh蘋ma, Tibetan: 鉠??蔡鉏???鉠??蔡鉠??膠鉏??膠鉧???, Wylie: mi 'jigs stan) (lit. 'terrible', 'awful'), also called Vrikodara (lit. 'one with a wolf's belly' also in Javanese: Werkudoro, is the second of the Pandava brothers. He is one of the central characters and is symbolic of great strength.