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

This title is available online in its entirety in Open Access. This publication provides a new understanding of the religious function of the East Javanese temples. The study of the cap-figures and their symbolism yields an outstanding contribution to the uniqueness of Majapahit culture.

In this fascinating study the lives and mores of women in one of the least understood but most densely populated areas of the world are unveiled through the eyes of generations of court poets. For more than a millennium, the poets of the Indic courts of Java and Bali composed epic kakawin poems in which they recreated the court environment where they and their royal patrons lived. Major themes in this poetry form include war, love, and marriage. It is a rich source for the cultural and social history of Indonesia. Still being produced in Bali today, kakawin remain of interest and relevance to Balinese cultural and religious identities. This book draws on the epic kakawin poetry tradition to examine the institutions of courtship and marriage in the Indic courts. Its primary purpose is to explore the experiences of women belonging to the kakawin world, although the texts by nature reveal more about the discourses concerning women, sexuality, and gender than of the historical experiences of individual women. For over a thousand years these royal courts were major patrons of the arts. The court-sponsored epic works that have survived provide an ongoing literary testimony to the cultural and social concerns of court society from its ealiest recorded history until its demise at the end of the nineteenth century. This study examines the idealized images of women and sexuality that have pervaded Javanese and Balinese culture and provides insights into a number of cultural practices such as sati or bela (self-immolation of widows).

Old Myths and New Approaches: Interpreting Ancient Religious Sites in Southeast Asia brings together recent research by leading experts on Southeast Asia in the pre-modern era. The authors examine sites from early and Angkor-period Cambodia and Vietnam, on the mainland, to temples in Java and Bali, and discuss many different aspects of these sites’ uses and functions. This comprehensive, innovative and interdisciplinary work will be invaluable to scholars and students of historical Southeast Asia.

Detailing the contents of the 1,204 texts inscribed in these 478 manuscripts, Nancy K. Florida's fully-indexed catalogue of Javanese-language manuscripts guides the reader through a wide range of materials.