Like many works of Old Javanese literature, the kakawin Arjunawijaya (Arj.) was first introduced to the wor1d of Western scholarship in 1849 through the well-known report of Friederich, Voorloopig Verslag van het Eiland Baii. In this report Friederich (1959: 25) says: 'The Arjuna Vijaya ("the Triumph of Arjuna") is fonned after the Uttarak??l4a ... It contains the combat of Arjuna with R?vat]. a and his victory. R?vat]. a is here bound, but not yet killed, because his time has not yet arrived. Re is to be destroyed by R?ma ... ' Written in 1849, when the study of Old Javanese had barely taken the first step in its slow progress on a long and arduous road, Friederich's report was a promising start. It is therefore disheartening to discover how, 120 years later, the Arj. is still little more than a closed book. To the best of my knowledge there is not one article exclusive1y devoted to any aspect of the poem, let alone a major publication. It would be an exaggeration, however, to say that the Arj. is completely unknown to students of Old Javanese. Short descriptions of the manuscripts of this kakawin, and even outlines of their contents, have been given in the Catalogues of the Old Javanese manuscripts in the possession of the Library of the University of Leiden, and in the few articles and books treating Old Javanese literature in general. Occasionally a reference to the Arj

Like many works of Old Javanese literature, the kakawin Arjunawijaya (Arj.) was first introduced to the wor1d of Western scholarship in 1849 through the well-known report of Friederich, Voorloopig Verslag van het Eiland Baii. In this report Friederich (1959: 25) says: 'The Arjuna Vijaya ("the Triumph of Arjuna") is fonned after the Uttarak??l4a ... It contains the combat of Arjuna with R?vat]. a and his victory. R?vat]. a is here bound, but not yet killed, because his time has not yet arrived. Re is to be destroyed by R?ma ... ' Written in 1849, when the study of Old Javanese had barely taken the first step in its slow progress on a long and arduous road, Friederich's report was a promising start. It is therefore disheartening to discover how, 120 years later, the Arj. is still little more than a closed book. To the best of my knowledge there is not one article exclusive1y devoted to any aspect of the poem, let alone a major publication. It would be an exaggeration, however, to say that the Arj. is completely unknown to students of Old Javanese. Short descriptions of the manuscripts of this kakawin, and even outlines of their contents, have been given in the Catalogues of the Old Javanese manuscripts in the possession of the Library of the University of Leiden, and in the few articles and books treating Old Javanese literature in general. Occasionally a reference to the Arj

In Alcohol in Early Java: Its Social and Cultural Significance, Jiří Jákl offers an account of the history of alcohol in pre-Islamic Java (9-15th C.E.).

Like many works of Old Javanese literature, the kakawin Arjunawijaya (Arj. ) was first introduced to the wor1d of Western scholarship in 1849 through the well-known report of Friederich, Voorloopig Verslag van het Eiland Baii. In this report Friederich (1959: 25) says: 'The Arjuna Vijaya ("the Triumph of Arjuna") is fonned after the Uttarak??l4a . . . It contains the combat of Arjuna with R?vat]. a and his victory. R?vat]. a is here bound, but not yet killed, because his time has not yet arrived. Re is to be destroyed by R?ma . . . ' Written in 1849, when the study of Old Javanese had barely taken the first step in its slow progress on a long and arduous road, Friederich's report was a promising start. It is therefore disheartening to discover how, 120 years later, the Arj. is still little more than a closed book. To the best of my knowledge there is not one article exclusive1y devoted to any aspect of the poem, let alone a major publication. It would be an exaggeration, however, to say that the Arj. is completely unknown to students of Old Javanese. Short descriptions of the manuscripts of this kakawin, and even outlines of their contents, have been given in the Catalogues of the Old Javanese manuscripts in the possession of the Library of the University of Leiden, and in the few articles and books treating Old Javanese literature in general. Occasionally a reference to the Arj.

The Kakawin Ramayana, arguably the oldest Old Javanese epic text in Indic metres (circa 9th century AD), holds a unique position in the literary heritage of Indonesia. The poem has retained a remarkable vitality through the centuries in the Archipelago, inspiring many forms of artistic expression not only in the domain of literature but also in the visual and performing arts, from the reliefs of the majestic Central Javanese temples to modern puppet-show performances. Displaying a virtuoso array of metrical patterns, the Kakawin Ramayana is among the very few Old Javanese texts for which a specific Sanskrit prototype has been identified, namely the difficult poem Bhattikavya (circa 7th century AD), itself a version of the great Ramayana epic ascribed to Valmiki (circa 6th–1st century BC). The Old Javanese poem is an original and skillful work of re-elaboration that documents a fascinating interaction between cultural elements of the Sanskritic tradition with those indigenous to the Javanese setting. The studies included in this volume, written by experts in a wide range of disciplines, focus on disparate aspects of the Kakawin Ramayana and the constellation of cultural phenomena revolving around it, providing the reader with a key to the understanding of the rich Old Javanese textual heritage and the transcultural intellectual dynamics that contributed to shaping the cultural heritage of Indonesia up to the present. With contributions from Andrea Acri, Helen Creese, Arlo Griffiths, Thomas Hunter, Roy Jordaan, Lydia Kieven, Cecelia Levin, Wesley Michel, Stuart Robson and Adrian Vickers, this book is the result of a workshop held at the KITLV branch in Jakarta on May 26th–28th 2009 and supported by the Australia-Netherlands Research Collaboration, the École Française d’Extrême-Orient, and the Stichting J. Gonda Fonds.