Prajñāpāramitā of Java refer to a famous depiction of

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

devi Prajñāpāramitā, originated from 13th century

Singhasari Singhasari ( jv, ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦔ꧀ꦲꦱꦫꦶ, translit=Karaton Singhasari or , id, Kerajaan Singasari) was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri as ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

, Indonesia. The statue is of great aesthetical and historical value, and is considered as the masterpiece of classical Hindu-

Buddhist art Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, an ...

of ancient Java. Today, the statue is one of the prized collection of the

National Museum of Indonesia ) is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, right on the west side of Merdeka Square. Popularly known as the Elephant Museum ( id, Museum Gajah) after the elepha ...

, Jakarta.

Description

The statue of Prajnaparamita of East Java is probably the most famous depiction of the goddess of transcendental wisdom. The serene expression and meditative pose and gesture suggest peace and wisdom, in contrast with rich and intricate jewelry and decorations. The goddess is in a perfect lotus meditative position called ''vajrasana'' posture, sitting on a double lotus cushion called ''padmasana'' (lotus pedestal) on top of a square base. The statue sits before a carved stela. The statue was made of light gray andesite stone measuring a height of , width and thickness . The goddess performs ''dharmachakra-mudra'' (the mudra symbolizing turning the wheel of dharma). Her left arm is placed around an ''utpala'' (blue lotus), on top of which sits her attribute; the lontar palm leaf book

Prajnaparamita Sutra A Tibetan painting with a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra at the center of the mandala Prajñāpāramitā ( sa, प्रज्ञापारमिता) means "the Perfection of Wisdom" or "Transcendental Knowledge" in Mahāyāna and Theravāda B ...

. The head and face are perfectly chiseled, with downcast eyes and forehead ''urna''. The goddess wears her hair high, arranged in a ''Jatamakuta'' crown. Behind her head radiates ''prabhamandala'', a

halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

or aura of light to suggest a

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine< ...

that has reached the highest wisdom. The statue was discovered in almost perfect condition in the

Cungkup Cungkup is an Indonesian square building with a roof made to shade or protect something, usually a grave, inscription, or nameplate. Though they are also used to shade other important objects. The cungkup has also been thought to have inspired the ...

Putri ruins near

Singhasari temple Singhasari ( jv, ꦏꦫꦠꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦱꦶꦔ꧀ꦲꦱꦫꦶ, translit=Karaton Singhasari or , id, Kerajaan Singasari) was a Javanese Hindu kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292. The kingdom succeeded the Kingdom of Kediri as ...

, Malang,

. Local tradition links the statue to Queen

Ken Dedes Ken Dedes was the first queen of Singhasari. She was the consort of Ken Arok, the first ruler of Singhasari, Java, Indonesia. She was later considered the origin of the lineage of kings that rule Java, the great mother of the Rajasa dynasty, the ...

the first queen of Singhasari, probably as a deified portrayal of the queen. Another opinion links the statue with Queen

Gayatri Rajapatni Gayatri Rajapatni (1276—1350) was the queen consort of Majapahit's founder and first king Kertarajasa Jayawardhana, and also the mother of Tribhuwana Wijayatunggadewi, the queen regnal of Majapahit. A devout Buddhist, she was the youngest dau ...

, the consort of Kertarajasa the first king of Majapahit.

History

Prajnaparamita is a goddess of high standing in Mahayana Tantric Buddhism; she is considered the

shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and r ...

, or consort, of the highest Buddha in the Buddhist pantheon known as

Vajradhara Vajradhara (Sanskrit: वज्रधर. (Also, the name of Indra, because 'Vajra' means diamond, as well as the thunderbolt, anything hard more generally) Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང། rdo rje 'chang (Dorje Chang); zh, t=金� ...

; she symbolises perfect knowledge. In the 13th century, the tantric Buddhism gained royal patronage of king

Kertanegara Sri Maharajadiraja Sri Kertanegara Wikrama Dharmatunggadewa, Kritanagara, or Sivabuddha (died 1292), was the last and most important ruler of the Singhasari kingdom of Java, reigning from 1268 to 1292. Under his rule Javanese trade and power deve ...

, and thereafter some of Prajnaparamita statues were produced in the region, such as the Prajnaparamita of Singhasari in East Java and Prajnaparamita of Jambi, Sumatra. Both of East Java and Jambi Prajnaparamitas bear resemblance in style as they were produced in same period, however unfortunately Prajnaparamita of Jambi is headless and was discovered in poor condition. On the other hand, the Prajnaparamita of Singhasari was discovered in almost perfect condition. The pristine condition of the statue indicates that it was buried for quite some time. It was found near Candi E, the southernmost structure in the temple complex near

. The structure is called Candi Wayang or Cungkup Putri by local inhabitants. The Prajnaparamita of Java was discovered in 1818 or 1819 by D. Monnereau, a Dutch East Indies official. In 1820 Monnereau gave the statue to C.G.C. Reinwardt, who later brought the statue to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where it became a prized possession of the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde in

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wi ...

. For more than 158 years the statue resided in Leiden, the Netherlands. In January 1978, the Government of the Netherlands returned the statue to the Republic of Indonesia, when

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. S ...

visited the former Dutch colony. Today, the statue is placed in

. The statue is nowadays displayed on 4th floor of the new wing of Gedung Arca, Indonesian National Museum, Jakarta. It has become perhaps the best known icon of ancient Indonesian art, as one of the rare images that successfully combines aesthetic perfection and spirituality.

Gallery

File:Prajnaparamita Java.jpg, Prajñāpāramitā statue from

. File:Prajnaparamita Java Front.JPG, Prajñāpāramitā statue from East Java (front). File:Prajnaparamita clothes detail.JPG, Detail of Prajñāpāramitā statue (clothing), resemble ''jlamprang''

batik Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...

motifs.

References

{{authority control 13th-century sculptures 1818 archaeological discoveries 1819 archaeological discoveries Archaeological discoveries in Indonesia Buddhist sculpture Sculptures of goddesses Singhasari National Museum of Indonesia Hinduism in Indonesia Buddhism in Indonesia Stone statues

Description

History

Gallery

See also

References