Kakawin are long narrative poems composed in Old Javanese, also called "Kawi", written in verse form with rhythms and meters derived from Sanskrit literature.
Poets composed and performed the poems at the courts of central and east Java kings between the 9th and 16th centuries,[1] and in Bali.
[2] Although the poems depict events and characters from Hindu mythology, the narratives are set in the local landscapes of the islands.
They are rich sources of information about courtly society in Java and Bali.
Each line has a set number of syllables per line, set in patterns of long and short syllables based on Sanskrit rules of prosody.