Prajñāpāramitā of Java refer to a famous

depiction Depiction is reference conveyed through pictures. A picture refers to its object through a non-linguistic two-dimensional scheme, and is distinct from writing or notation. A depictive two-dimensional scheme is called a picture plane and may be cons ...

of Bodhisattvadevi

Prajñāpāramitā 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 ...

, originated from 13th century Singhasari, East Java, Indonesia. The statue is of great aesthetical and historical value, and is considered as the masterpiece of classical Hindu- Buddhist art of ancient Java. Today, the statue is one of the prized collection of the National Museum of Indonesia,

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, 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 A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...

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 or

aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a field of luminous multicolored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure Aura may also refer to: Places Extraterrestrial * 1488 ...

of light to suggest a divinity that has reached the highest wisdom. The statue was discovered in almost perfect condition in the Cungkup Putri ruins near Singhasari temple,

Malang Malang (; ) is a landlocked List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of Singhasari, Singhasari Kingdom. It is the second most popul ...

, East Java. Local tradition links the statue to Queen Ken Dedes the first queen of Singhasari, probably as a deified portrayal of the queen. Another opinion links the statue with Queen Gayatri Rajapatni, the consort of

Kertarajasa Raden Wijaya or Raden Vijaya (also known as Nararya Sangramawijaya, regnal name Kertarajasa Jayawardhana) (reigned 1293–1309) was a Javanese emperor, and the founder and first monarch of the Majapahit Empire.Slamet Muljana, 2005, ''Runtuhn ...

the first king of

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...

History

Prajnaparamita is a goddess of high standing in Mahayana Tantric Buddhism; she is considered the shakti, or consort, of the highest Buddha in the Buddhist pantheon known as Vajradhara; she symbolises perfect knowledge. In the 13th century, the tantric Buddhism gained royal patronage of king Kertanegara of Singhasari, and thereafter some of Prajnaparamita statues were produced in the region, such as the Prajnaparamita of Singhasari in East Java and Prajnaparamita of

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra and spans to the Barisan Mountains in the west. Its capital and largest city is Jambi. The province has a land area of 50,160.05 km2, and a sea area of 3, ...

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

. 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 Singhasari temple. 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 The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

official. In 1820 Monnereau gave the statue to

C.G.C. Reinwardt Caspar Georg Carl Reinwardt (5 June 1773 in Lüttringhausen – 6 March 1854 in Leiden) was a Prussian-born Dutch botanist. He is considered to be the founding father of Bogor Botanical Garden in Indonesia. Biography In 1787 he was appren ...

, who later brought the statue to the Netherlands, where it became a prized possession of the

Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde The National Museum of Ethnology (Museum Volkenkunde), is an ethnographic museum in the Netherlands located in the university city of Leiden. As of 2014, the museum, along with the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, ...

in Leiden. 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 visited the former Dutch colony. Today, the statue is placed in National Museum of Indonesia. The statue is nowadays displayed on 4th floor of the new wing of Gedung Arca, Indonesian National Museum,

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