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Rod puppet representing Kuraisin
Kuraisin is one of the characters in Wayang Golek Menak, a Javanese adaptation of the Amir Hamzah stories that had circulated widely in the Islamic world from Persia. Amir Hamzah stories chronicle the many adventures of the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, Amir Hamzah, travels the world and fights the enemy of Islam. In the Javanese version of Hamzanama (Epic of Hamza), the structure of stories in wayang golek Menak shares similarities with the Panji Romance. In the Menak stories, Dewi Kuraisin is the daughter of Amir Hamzah, or Amir Ambyah as he is called in the Javanese version, with Dewi Ismayati. Dewi Ismayati is the princess of Ngajrak and the daughter of the king of djins (spirits) named Taminasar who enlists the help of Amir Ambyah to defeat the giant armies.
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Rod puppet of a princess; possibly Chandra Kirana
Chandra Kirana is the protagonist in East Javanese tales of the Panji Romance, a princess who vanished before her wedding to Panji. In order to return to Panji, Chandra Kirana has to go on her own adventure where she has to disguise herself as a man and eventually becomes the King of Bali. In the climax of the story, Chandra Kirana has to face Panji in a battle in which she manages to wound him with her hairpin. She fulfills the commands of the Gods who said that she could only win back her beloved prince if she could wound Panji in a face-to-face combat.
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Patih
This rod puppet of wayang golek seems to be a representation of a character type depicting a patih or an official. It is likely a part of the wayang play of the East Javanese stories, such as Panji or Damarwulan.
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Irawan
Irawan is one of the minor characters in the epic of the Mahabharata. He is the son of Arjuna with Ulupi who died in the Great War of the Bharata. In Javanese wayang, Irawan and his step-brother, Abhimanyu, are featured in more than forty lakons (stories) set in the period of the Pandawa. He is often depicted with a small and extremely refined figure with white face and dubbed with a light and floating voice to represent his modest and controlled personality.
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Arjuna Sepuh
Arjuna Sepuh refers to Arjuna when he is old. Arjuna is one of the most popular wayang characters in Java and Bali as his adventures to find love and prowess never cease to entertain the Javanese and Balinese. In the Mahabharata epic, Arjuna is the third brother of the Pandawa who is tasked with killing Karna, one of the Kurawas, in the Great Battle of the BHe is always depicted in a refined manner to depict his halus character - the embodiment of his quiet, polite, conscientious, and brave nature. Even though he is an unmatched hero in the battlefield, he is physically delicate and beautiful. He has both a strong will and a tender heart, a satrya or a noble warrior with a deep sense of loyalty towards his family but who is forced to kill his own step-brother, Karna. For many Javanese, Arjuna is the epitome of the whole man. harata. The conflict between fulfilling a duty and the hesitance to kill his own kin is one of the major sequences in the Mahabharata story.
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Shadow puppet representing Karna
Karna is in many ways equal to Arjuna. He has one of the most tragic and complicated backstories as he was the son of Dewi Kunti, who is also the mother of the Pandawa. In the Great War of the Bharata, Karna has to die in the hands of Arjuna because the Gods have willed it so. Karna was abandoned by Dewi Kunti and was raised by a charioteer before he entered the service of the Kurawa and is bestowed with honor by the King of Kurawa. Even though later he found out that he was the older brother of Yudhistira, his sense of honor of being a satrya, a caste of noble warrior, tells him that a betrayal against the king is more disgraceful than fighting against his own family.
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Rawwana
Rawwana or Rahwana or Dasamuka is the demon king often depicted with many hands and heads who ruled Alengka who abducts Sita as a form of vengeance towards Rama after Rama rejects the love of Rahwana’s sister, Surpanakha, and physically wounds her. Rahwana flies Sita to Alengka and keeps her captive while trying to poison and seduce her. At the end of the epic, Rahwana was slain by Rama with the help of Hanuman and his monkey armies.
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Sadewa
Nakula and Sadewa are the twins and the last brothers of the Pandawa. As twins, Nakula and Sadewa have the same physical characteristics and have similar iconographical representations for their clothes, attributes, and so on. However, each of them has a distinct mark on their foreheads. Nakula has two small red curve marks, while Sadewa has three marks.
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Nakula
Nakula and Sadewa are the twins and the last brothers of the Pandawa. As twins, Nakula and Sadewa have the same physical characteristics and have similar iconographical representations for their clothes, attributes, and so on. However, each of them has a distinct mark on their foreheads. Nakula has two small red curve marks, while Sadewa has three marks.
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Yudistira
Yudistira is the first-born of the five Pandawa known for his scholarly pursuit and wisdom as represented by his headdress that spirals inward. He is the quintessential representation of the Good King who rules over his kingdom with a balanced sense of justice and aloof benevolence.
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Arjuna
Arjuna is one of the most popular wayang characters in Java and Bali as his adventures to find love and prowess never cease to entertain the Javanese and Balinese. In the Mahabharata epic, Arjuna is the third brother of the Pandawa who is tasked with killing Karna, one of the Kurawas, in the Great Battle of the Bharata. The conflict between fulfilling a duty and the hesitance to kill his own kin is one of the major sequences in the Mahabharata story. He is always depicted in a refined manner to depict his halus character - the embodiment of his quiet, polite, conscientious, and brave nature. Even though he is an unmatched hero in the battlefield, he is physically delicate and beautiful. He has both a strong will and a tender heart, a satrya or a noble warrior with a deep sense of loyalty towards his family but who is forced to kill his own step-brother, Karna. For many Javanese, Arjuna is the epitome of the whole man.
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Shadow puppet representing Semar
Semar is considered to be the most powerful of gods in the world of wayang despite his comical depiction that shows him with bulging tired eyes, flat nose, and big belly and behind. He is regarded as the guardian spirit of Java and is venerated by the Javanese for his wisdom, humility, humor, and his ability to give critical commentaries related to current events or issues, and therefore, connecting the world of wayang with the reality of the people. Amongst wayang characters, puppeteers and artists also regard Semar as the hardest and the most sacred character to make. Practitioners are usually required to undergo a certain ritual before being deemed able to depict Semar. Within the epics of the Mahabharata or Ramayana, Semar serves as the advisor of the good forces.
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Arjuna: Permadi
Arjuna Permadi refers to Arjuna when he was “good looking.” Arjuna is one of the most popular wayang characters in Java and Bali as his adventures to find love and prowess never cease to entertain the Javanese and Balinese. In the Mahabharata epic, Arjuna is the third brother of the Pandawa who is tasked with killing Karna, one of the Kurawas, in the Great Battle of the Bharata. The conflict between fulfilling a duty and the hesitance to kill his own kin is one of the major sequences in the Mahabharata story. He is always depicted in a refined manner to depict his halus character - the embodiment of his quiet, polite, conscientious, and brave nature. Even though he is an unmatched hero in the battlefield, he is physically delicate and beautiful. He has both a strong will and a tender heart, a satrya or a noble warrior with a deep sense of loyalty towards his family but who is forced to kill his own step-brother, Karna. For many Javanese, Arjuna is the epitome of the whole man.
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Shadow puppet representing Panji
Panji is the hero in the tales of Panji Romance that are often played in the wayang theatre and mask dance performances in East Java. His character is believed to be based on the figure of King Hayam Wuruk, the known ruler of the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit Kingdom that ruled Java and the surrounding islands from 1293-1520 C.E. Panji is often called the Arjuna of the East Java as he shares similarities in character types and love adventures with Arjuna.
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Bima
Bima is the second son of Pandu and one of the five Pandawa brothers in the epic of the Mahabharata. He is known for his physical might and prowess in the battlefield as reflected iconographically through his bigger size, chest hair, and a slightly more kasar (rough) facial features in comparison to his brothers, Yudistira, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sadewa. In the Great War of Bharatayuda, Bima is the one who eventually slayed the king of the Kurawa, Duryodhana.