It Represented The Hindu Goddess
Durga, Called In Java, Lora Jonggrang (The Exalted Virgin).
She
has eight arms, and stands on the back of a kneeling bull.
Her
lower right hand holds the tail of the bull, while the
corresponding left hand grasps the hair of a captive, Dewth
Mahikusor, the personification of vice, who has attempted to slay
her bull. He has a cord round his waist, and crouches at her feet
in an attitude of supplication. The other hands of the goddess
hold, on her right side, a double hook or small anchor, a broad
straight sword, and a noose of thick cord; on her left, a girdle
or armlet of large beads or shells, an unstrung bow, and a
standard or war flag. This deity was a special favourite among
the old Javanese, and her image is often found in the ruined
temples which abound in the eastern part of the island.
The specimen I had obtained was a small one, about two feet high,
weighing perhaps a hundredweight; and the next day we had it
conveyed to Modjo-Kerto to await my return to Sourabaya. Having
decided to stay some time at Wonosalem, on the lower slopes of
the Arjuna Mountain, where I was informed I should find forest
and plenty of game, I had first to obtain a recommendation from
the Assistant Resident to the Regent, and then an order from the
Regent to the Waidono; and when after a week's delay I arrived
with my baggage and men at Modjo-agong, I found them all in the
midst of a five days' feast, to celebrate the circumcision of the
Waidono's younger brother and cousin, and had a small room in an
on outhouse given me to stay in.
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