Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE RAMAYANA
Written in Sanskrit around the fourth century BC, the 24,000 verses that comprise the
Ramayana
have since fired the imaginations of writers, artists, dramatists and theologians
right across Southeast Asia. Like the other great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, the Ramay-
ana has been translated into the classical Javanese Kawi language and transcribed on to
sacred
lontar
texts.
GOOD AND EVIL
It's essentially a morality tale, a dramatization of the eternal conflict between the forces
of good (
dharma
) and the forces of evil (
adharma
). The forces of good are represented
by Rama and his friends.
Rama
, the hero, is a refined and dutiful young man, handsome,
strong and courageous, who also happens to be an avatar of the god Wisnu. Rama's wife,
Sita
, epitomizes the Hindu ideals of womanhood - virtue, fidelity and love - while Rama's
brother,
Laksmana
, is a symbol of fraternal loyalty and youthful courage. The other im-
portant member of the Rama camp is
Hanuman
, the general of the monkey army, a wily
and athletic ape who is unfailingly loyal to his allies. On the opposing side, the forces of
evil are mainly represented by the demon king
Rawana
, a lustful and devious leader whose
retainers are giants and devils.
The story begins with Rama, the eldest son of the king, being banished to the forests for
thirteen years, having been cheated out of his rightful claim to the throne by a scheming
stepmother. Sita and Laksmana accompany him, and together the trio have various encoun-
ters with sages, giants and seductresses.
SITA'S ABDUCTION
The most crucial event in the epic is the
abduction of Sita
by Rawana, a crime that inspires
the rather unwarlike Rama to wage battle against his enemy. A favourite subject for dances
and carvings, the episode starts with Sita catching sight of a beautiful golden deer and
imploring her husband Rama to catch it for her. The golden deer turns out to be a decoy
planted by Rawana, and the demon king duly swoops down to abduct Sita as soon as Rama
and Laksmana go off to chase the animal. The distraught Rama determines to get Sita back
and, together with Laksmana, he sets off for Rawana's kingdom. En route he meets Hanu-
man, the monkey general, who agrees to sneak him into Sita's room at Rawana's palace
and
give her Rama's ring
. Eventually, Rama, Laksmana, Hanuman and his monkey army
all arrive at Rawana's palace and, following a big battle, Sita is rescued and Rawana done
away with.
Legong
Undoubtedly the most refined of all the temple dances, the
Legong
is an acquired taste, char-
acterized by the restrained, intricate weavings of arms, fingers, torsos and heads. It's always
