Kakawin Ramayana

The Old Javanese version of the Ramayana appears in a poem known as the Kakawin Ramayana, written around 870 AD in Central Java. It includes the ever popular Javanese deity Semar and his three sons, all of whom appear in the wayang kulit or shadow puppet versions of the epic together with other indigenous deities and kings – making it quite different from the original Hindu epic. And as in the Thai version, our hero is equally flirtatious!

The ancient 9th century Hindu temple site of Prambanan in Central Java, roughly 18km east of Yogyakarta, was constructed by King Rakai Pikatan. Having originally about 240 temple structures, it also functioned as the royal temple of the Mataram kingdom with hundreds of monks and a sophisticated civilisation remaining in use till around 930.

Today, an archaeological park stands with stages built for the performances of the Javanese Ramayana as a Javanese ballet, held every full moon night from May to October. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the galleries of the main temple dedicated to Shiva have bas-reliefs depicting the Ramayana and these continue all the way to the Brahma temple area, where depictions of Hanuman may be viewed. Hanuman in modern times, has apparently been adopted as the mascot of the Indonesian Military Intelligence - and why not, since he was the only being who could track down Sita. ag KHONG SWEE LIN is a docent at several museums in Singapore, including The Peranakan Museum, the Malay Heritage Centre, the Indian Heritage Centre and Gillman Barracks Outreach. She also guides at special exhibitions for the Asian Civilisations Museum, National Museum and at the Singapore Biennale.