Advantages
Music of Kebyar
Commoners
Temporal Perspectives
Village Fields
Knowledge
Magnificent
Betutu
Evidences
Tropical
Mahendradatta
Music of Kebyar
Administrative

Wiwaha: A story used in Javanese dance drama patterned after the Mahabharata Hindu epic. First translated into Old Javanese by Mpu Kanwa in 1035 A.D. during the famous King Airlangga's reign. The story is an allegory of Airlangga's own life, who himself was a great ascetic living for many years in the wilderness of East Java, meditating to gain strength and accumulate wisdom. A demon king, Niwatakawaca, is bent on overthrowing all the gods of Indra's heaven. Like Achilles, his invulnerability is flawed by one secret spot. The gods appoint Ardjuna to vanquish him. Ardjuna' is found in deep meditation inside of a mountain in the Himalayas. In order to.test his strength and to prove his steadfastness, Shiva sends 7 lovely heavenly nymphs to tempt him by dancing near him, but his concentration doesn't fail him and Ardjuna remains unaffected by their alluring gestures. Shiva also visits him to test his ability and worthiness in battle. Then Indra himself appears in the form of an old weak holy man, to see if Ardjuna truly wants to save the world or else cop out and go into nirvana. Ardjuna satisfies them and the gods enlist his help to destroy the demons who are ravaging the heavens. Ardjuna travels to the titan's kingdom. A beautiful nymph accomplice tricks the demon king into revealing his one weak spot while Ardjuna watches invisibly. The titan finds out and a great battle takes place between all the monsters and giants and the gods. Ardjuna plays dead. While the demon is laughing at him and mocking him on the ground. Ardjuna shoots a magic arrow through his tongue (the secret spot) while the laughing mouth is open. As a reward for vanquishing the monster, Ardjuna is allowed to spend 7 months in 7 golden pavilions with the 7 nymphs who originally tried to tempt him during his meditations. Finally, exhausted, he returns to earth to his overjoyed people. the Panji cycle: These are mythological love stories full of suspense, setbacks, and the romances of a culture hero. This cycle developed in East Java about 500 years ago, but could have derived from an earlier sun and moon myth, woven into the recorded history of East Java. Candra Kirono is the name of a royal princess whom Panji is deeply in love with, but loses her on their wedding night. He is like an East Javanese Ardjuna, a great lover, superb warrior, the ideal noble prince. According to East Javanese legend, this prince forged the first kris. He always wore it and the weapon was symbolic of his supernatural powers. Panji was also an excellent game/an player and gongsmith. This popular story appeared in Java in the 14th Century (as a reaction against Indian influence?), spreading widely throughout Indonesia and even on to Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia, where its heroes go under different names. the 7 fairies: A widespread tale in the Indonesian archipelago is the legend of a number of fairies, usually 7, who descend from heaven to bathe, leaving their clothing hidden nearby, returning to their abode every morning before sunrise. Always one of the fairies, often the youngest and most beautiful, is unable to find her clothing and is thereby forced to remain on earth, marrying the man who has hidden her clothes. After some years pass and they have several children, she invariably finds out that it was her husband who hid the clothes, forces him to return them to her, and flies away. This legend has been recorded in different versions in such places as Madura, North Celebes, Sumatra, and Irian Jaya. It's also found in European fairytales, and is thought to have originated from the Thousand and One Nights.