Work / monument · text

Arjunawiwaha

c. 1030 · 11th century

The Arjunawiwaha, "Arjuna's Wedding", is an Old Javanese poem (kakawin) written around 1030 by Mpu Kanwa at the court of King Airlangga in East Java. Based on an episode of the Mahabharata, it tells of Arjuna's penance, his resistance to temptation and his victory over a demon king, and is often read as an allegory of Airlangga's own rise. It became a lasting source for Javanese shadow-puppet theatre.

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kahuripan

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Arjunawiwaha. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arjunawiwaha
MLA
“Arjunawiwaha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arjunawiwaha. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Arjunawiwaha.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arjunawiwaha.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Arjunawiwaha’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/arjunawiwaha (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻