DVARAPALA, TEMPLE GUARDIANS, 1347, MAIN TEMPLE, CANDI PANATARAN, BLITAR, EAST JAVA. 1.55M, ANDESITE STONE. PHOTO: LESLEY PULLEN - TAASA Review March 2023

DVARAPALA, TEMPLE GUARDIANS, 1347, MAIN TEMPLE, CANDI PANATARAN, BLITAR, EAST JAVA. 1.55M, ANDESITE STONE. PHOTO: LESLEY PULLEN – TAASA Review March 2023

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This article was originally found in the March 2023 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 32, Issue 1, Page 9).

The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.

with which they are closely associated such as textiles, especially where patterns are considered sacred’ (2022:36).

The answer as to why so many Majapahit sculptures display the kawung pattern may reside in the belief that the protection of their subjects was the ultimate duty of any king, with the need to sustain this beneficial duty even after death by continuing to protect their subjects in their deified form (Pullen 2021:57-8). The Serat Tatatjara and Kidung Harsawijaya are Javanese texts on manners and customs and describe dress in the 18th to 20th centuries.

They contain numerous historic accounts and references to dress...