Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called Kawi, written in verse form with rhythms and meters derived from Sanskrit literature, in a formalized literary language rather than the vernacular. Poets composed and performed kakawin at the courts of central and east Java kings between the ninth and sixteenth centuries, and in Bali; though the poems depict events and characters from Hindu mythology, their narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands, making them rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.
Facts
Place of OriginJava and Bali, Indonesia 1 Notable Example Defining TraitFour-line stanzas with syllable counts based on Sanskrit prosody 1 FAQs
Do kakawin retell Indian stories or Javanese ones?
Hindu mythology told in local island settings.
Both elements are present. The poems depict events and characters from Hindu mythology, but their narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands, which makes them rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Kakawin - Wikipedia
Lead section, sentence 2
Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east Java kings between the 9th and 16th centuries, and in Bali.
Structure section, example stanza sentence
the opening stanza of the Kakawin Arjunawiwaha
Structure section, opening definition
A kakawin stanza consists of four lines. Each line has a set number of syllables per line, set in patterns of long and short syllables based on Sanskrit rules of prosody.
In Group: Epic and Heroic Poetry Traditions, Lead
long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese
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