249 Java’s Mongol Demon. Inscribing the Horse Archer into the Epic History of Majapahit 1 Jos Gommans Abstract The temple of Panataran near Blitar in Java features a unique scene in which one of the Ramayana demons, Indrajit, is depicted as a Mongol mounted horse- warrior. This essay explores the meaning of this representation on the basis of the multi-layered history and historiography of Java’s Mongol invasion. “Everything that happened in the Ramayana was absolutely real.” Maheshvaratirtha, sixteenth century (cited in Pollock 1993: 279) Panataran Temple Walking anti-clockwise around the base of the main terrace at Panataran Tem- ple, twelve kilometres north-east of Blitar in Java, the visitor is treated to the truly remarkable display of 106 relief panels carved with sequential scenes from the story of the Ramayana – the source of this particular series is the Kakawin version, which almost certainly dates from the ninth century CE, making it the earliest surviving work of Old Javanese poetry. Interestingly, the main charac- ter in this pictorial rendering is not the more customary figure of Rama, the exiled king, but instead his loyal monkey companion Hanuman. However, given the popularity of Hanuman in the Indic world in around the time the Panataran panels were made – the mid-fourteenth century – his prominence is perhaps not all that surprising after all (Lutgendorf 2007). Except for Hanu- man’s unusual role, the panels follow the conventional narrative, starting with the abduction of Rama’s wife Sita by Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Many of the panels depict Hanuman’s heroic fights with demons (rakshasas), and the first series of battles culminates in panel 55, which shows Hanuman being attacked by Ravana’s son Indrajit. 1 This essay profited from the comments of my colleagues Marijke Klokke at Leiden University (The Netherlands) and Tjahjono Prasodjo of Universitas Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta (Indonesia). Of course, all mistakes remain my own.