Work / monument · text

Kakawin Bharatayuddha

1157 · 12th century

The Kakawin Bharatayuddha is an Old Javanese poem retelling the great war of the Mahabharata, completed in 1157 under King Jayabaya of Kediri. It was begun by the poet Mpu Sedah and finished by Mpu Panuluh. It became one of the most influential works of Javanese literature and a source for the wayang shadow theatre.

Kakawin Bharatayuddha
Image: Gunning, Johannes Gerardus Hermanus, 1856-1914 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Kediri Kingdom

See also

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻