Polyphonies of an epic tradition
THE RAMAYANA IN INDONESIA: Malini Saran, Vinod C. Khanna; Ravi Dayal Publisher, 51-E, Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi-110003. Rs. 900.
THIS BOOK describes how the legend of Rama as depicted by Valmiki reached the shores of Indonesia in the Ninth Century A.D. and how it gradually spread to the whole of Java and Bali and got reflected in sculptural representations, poetic renderings and performing arts. It makes a fascinating reading of how one culture absorbed the elements of another culture.
The book has a wealth of information and is amply illustrated. Some of the interesting details and observations made by the authors are recalled below. The ruins of the magnificent temples of Siva and Brahma in the temple complex of Lara Jonggrang contain exquisite sculptural representations of Rama episodes from Balakanda to Uttarakanda. These ruins, first discovered by a Dutch engineer in 1797 A.D., were explored fully after 1885 A.D.
The authors make an interesting point that the various representations relating to the story of Rama are based not only on Valmiki's rendering of the story but also on the modifications made by the Malay classic, Hikayat Seri Rama. There are, of course, some descriptions that do not conform either to Valmiki or to the Hikayat Seri Rama traditions. The authors provide many interesting examples of the differences between the Valmiki Ramayana and the Indonesian versions.
In the Candi (temple) Siva at Lara Jonggrang, 42 stone Reliefs in rectangular shape depict the story beginning with the episode of the gods approaching Vishnu for help against Ravana and ending with Rama and Lakshmana and the monkey army led by Sugriva arriving in Lanka. Candi Brahma being smaller than Candi Siva has 30 Reliefs. They begin with Vibhishana reaching the camp of Rama in Lanka and ending with Rama's union with his sons.
The meeting of Vibhishana with Rama found in the Relief No.1 is according to the Hikayat Seri Rama. In the Relief No. 2, a rakshasa is shown as cutting the ear of Angada and this is not according to the Valmiki Ramayana. In the Relief No. 11, Sita and Mandodari are informed about Ravana's death. They are both seated opposite to each other like mother and daughter.
According to the Hikayat tradition, Sita is Mandodari's daughter abandoned at birth. This invites comparison with the Relief No. 13 in Candi Siva which represents the episode of King Dasaratha's cremation in which along with Bharata, a female is shown giving away the gifts.
According to Valmiki only Bharata is said to have distributed the gifts. But in the Hikayat Seri Rama, there is a reference to Dasaratha's widow Mandodari distributing food and money to Brahmins. How Mandodari became the wife of Dasaratha is not clear. In the Relief No. 20 in Candi Brahma, Sita is shown comforted by Valmiki. In the Hikayat tradition Sita's foster father Maharishi Kali replaces Valmiki.
The ancient Javanese Ramayana written by a poet, Yogesvara known as the Ramayana Kakawin was the first Mahakavya in Old Javanese, an indigenous language in Central Java. Written in more or less the same period as Lara Jonggrang, the Ramayana Kakawin is divided into 26 cantos narrating the story from the birth of Rama until his return with Sita to Ayodhya.
In the 10th Century A.D., the political power shifted from Central Java to East Java. During this period, the Uttarakanda was written in Parwa style which was a distinct genre consisting of prose adaptations in old Javanese of the original Sanskrit texts. East Java was under the political power of Hindu Javanese Majapahit dynasties from the 12th Century A.D. till the beginning of the 16th Century A.D.
The poem "Nagarakrtagama" and the sculptural representations in the temple at Panataram built over several centuries narrate the Rama story in the style of the Ramayana Kakawin.
Surprisingly, the order of the Rama episodes is placed counter clockwise in the reliefs of Panataram which suggests that at least a part of the temple might be associated with death rituals. There are 105 Reliefs fairly big in size and the characters are presented in the style of "Wayang Kulit" (puppets) theatre.
From around the 13th Century A.D. Indonesia gradually adopted Islam and there came a marked change in the social, cultural, political and religious history of the archipelago. The Islamic period produced two well-known literary works of high quality — the Hikayat Seri Rama and the Serat Kanda Ramayana. Besides these two works, there was another tradition emanating from the Sundanese region of West Java. The story in the old Sundanese poem begins after the end of the Rama-Ravana battle and the death of Ravana.
Along with the sculptural and literary works on Rama tales, there existed the Wayang Kulit (puppet dancers) in ancient Java. There is a strong Javanese belief that Sufi Walis introduced the puppets, the gamelan or orchestra and the Ramayana.
Bali is the only island in the Indonesian archipelago apart from Java which has nurtured the old Ramayana culture. The Hindus of Bali continue to regard the classical Ramayana as sacred, in contrast to the Javanese for whom it has become a secular phenomenon.
Every lover of the Ramayana will find this book extremely absorbing and informative. The book shows how universal is the appeal of the Ramayana as a legend.
HARIPRIYA RANGARAJAN
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