Panji tales

The Panji tales (formerly spelled Pandji) are a cycle of Javanese stories, centred around the legendary prince of the same name from East Java, Indonesia. Along with the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the tales are the basis of various poems and a genre of wayang (shadow puppetry) known in East Java as wayang gedhog (the meaning here is unclear, as "gedhog" means "a thumping sound"). Panji tales have been the inspiration of Indonesian traditional dances, most notably the topeng (mask) dances of Cirebon and Malang, as well as gambuh dance-drama in Bali. Especially in the environs of Kediri, the suggested homeland of the tales of Panji, local stories grew and were connected with the obscure legendary figure of Totok Kerot. Panji tales have spread from East Java (Indonesia) to be a fertile source for literature and drama throughout Indochina Peninsula (a region that includes modern-day Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, South Vietnam) and Malay World as well. In these romances, he is said to do deeds traditionally ascribed to mythical ancestors, and it has also been conjectured that the basis of the story reflects an ancient sun and moon myth. Some details of Panji may also be based on Kameçvara, a twelfth-century Javanese king of Kediri. While the details of Panji's consort, Chandra Kirana, was based on queen Çri Kirana. The curious thing is, the kingdoms in the tale was switched from the historical kingdoms. In the tale Panji was said to be the prince of Janggala, while the historic Kameçvara was the prince of Kediri. Vice versa, in the tale, Chandra Kirana was said to be the princess of Kediri, while the actual historic Çri Kirana was the princess of Janggala. In the Surakarta court poet Rangga Warsita's genealogy Pustaka Radja Mada, the Javanese kings, including Panji, are considered the descendants of the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. Scenes from the Panji cycles appear in the narrative reliefs of the walls of East Javanese candi from the 13th century, where they are presented gracefully, naturalistically and delicately, in contrast to wayang style.