Conclusion: Panji and the Cap-figure as intermediary characters on the path to Tantric rituals

Abstract

The author presents suggestions for a new understanding of the narrative reliefs with depictions of cap-figures and of Panji stories, which contribute to a new understanding of the religious practices and the function of the temples in the Majapahit period. To arrive at this understanding, she started from the iconographical analysis of the cap-figures depicted in reliefs at a representative sample of temples. The Panji stories, newly created in the East Javanese period, became increasingly popular during the Majapahit period. The Panji stories introduce the pilgrim on a mundane level to the Tantric doctrine, which is continuously symbolized in the sacred sphere of the temple with depictions of relevant scenes from the Indian epics. At Candi Yudha, Panji and his kadeyan are depicted as single figures outside a narrative context, pointing to the Arjunawiwaha and Ramayana.Keywords: Candi Yudha; cap-figure; Indian epics; Majapahit period; Panji stories; religious practices; Tantric doctrine