| Abstract: |
The Mahāyāna Buddhist goddess Prajñāpāramitā was widely patronized in East Java in the thirteenth century, as evidenced by the number of surviving images. This paper addresses the stylistic similarities between two stone sculptures of Prajñāpāramitā, one originating from Caṇḍi Singosari in East Java, now in the Museum Nasional Indonesia in Jakarta, and the other from the Muarajambi temple complex in central Sumatra, now in the site museum. Prima facie these two images suggest a close political, religious and artistic connection between Singhasāri and Muarajambi. Both figures are dressed in a cloth carved in bas relief with intricate repeated roundels, characteristic of a brocaded luxury cloth imported from China, but the roundels contain dissimilar designs and their carving differs markedly. Unfortunately, the lack of surviving inscriptions or other records has rendered problematic any research into their relationship. Consequently, it is only the sculptures themselves which remain as the primary source attesting to any connection.
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