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Srikandi Srikandi is one of Arjuna’s wives who is known for her prowess in the battlefield. Like Arjuna, Srikandi is a formidable hero and highly skilled in archery. For this reason, Srikandi often became the symbol and role model of powerful and modern women in Indonesia. In its original Indic version, Srikandi is also known to inhabit both feminine and masculine gender identity as she changed her sex and became a male Srikanda after she was banished by his father, King Drupada of Panchala. In Javanese wayang, however, Srikanda remains a woman but is widely celebrated as an equal warrior to Arjuna and the rest of the Pandawa Brothers. Srikandi’s name is often evoked when discussing topics of female empowerment and social justice. In 2012, an independent documentary film, Children of Srikandi, reframes this larger than life character as queer to depict the lives of eight LGBT women in Indonesia.
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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 comba
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Dalem mask Amongst the masks or topeng that Ben Anderson collected during his stay in Indonesia, the Dalem mask is the only one that was not made to fulfill a ritual or performative function. The mask was carved by the great Balinese artist, Ida Bagus Made, who gifted it to Ben when Ben departed Indonesia to return to the U.S. in 1967. The Dalem Mask is left unpainted, and thus shows the artistry of Ida Bagus’s woodcarving and his attention to form, surface, and the materiality of the wood.
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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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Patih Logender Patih Logender is one of the main characters in addition to Damarwulan, Dewi Suhita, Menak Jinggo, and Dewi Anjasmara, in the East Javanese tales of Damarwulan. Set during the Majapahit era, Damarwulan follows the story of the main protagonist who works and studies with Patih Logender to become a sage. Patih Logender has two sons, Layang Seta and Layang Kumitir, and a daughter, Dewi Anjasmara, who later becomes the second wife of Damarwulan.