Satapitaka Sr.; 671

Title in ENGLISH : An extensive collection of shadow puppets of the Wayang of Indonesia reproduced from the 36 fascicules of Serat Padalanan Ringit Purva published a century ago. The originals were presented to Prof. RaghuVira by President Soekarno of Indonesia in 1951. Wayang is the beauty of the episodes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana and other verse compositions in the enrapturing ambience of the Javanese royal Courts. A Javanese legend goes that once upon a time the gods descended to earth and cast their shadows on a white screen which became wayang. Wayang went from Kalinga and developed at the Court of Mataram. This book is the first after a century to illustrate the shadow puppets of the kakawins (= kavya) Bharatayuddha, Arjuna-wiwaha, Panji romances as well as legends of Indonesian history such as Damarwulan, Gajah Mada, Dipanagara and Kartini. Sumanasantaka of the 12th century mentions the performance of both the Epics. A long introduction details the history, philosophy, sacred rites, themes, and aesthetics of the shadow theatre over the last thousand years. A comparative study of the shadow puppets of Andhra and Orissa with the Indonesian Wayang would highlight sensitive aspects of the performing arts. At the purification ceremony, the dalang sips some of the holy water with the mantra svaranku manik astagina may my voice (svara) be endowed with the jewel (manik) of eight virtues (astagina = astaguna). This book is the jeweline presentation of a theatrical idiom that has been a cultivation of unlettered minds over centuries, and the joie de vivre of the sophisticated.

ISBN 13: 9788198236852

ISBN 10: 8198236856

Edition: New Delhi

Year: 2025

Language: ENGLISH

Subject(s): Indological Studies, Epics