What is "panji"

Panji (formerly spelled Pandji) was a legendary prince in East Java, Indonesia. His life formed the basis of a cycle of Javanese stories, that, along with the Ramayana and Mahabharata, are the basis of various poems and a genre of wayang (shadow puppetry) known in East Java as wayang gedog ("gedog" means "mask"). Panji tales have been the inspiration of Indonesian traditional dances, most notably the topeng (mask) dances of Cirebon and Malang. Especially in the environs of Kediri, the suggested homeland of the tales of Panji, local stories grew and were connected with the obscure legendary figure of Totok Kerot. Panji tales have spread from East Java to be a fertile source for literature and drama throughout Malaya, a region that includes modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia.