ABSTRACT
Topeng is a dynamic performance art that has received a great deal of scholarly attention. Yet very few works focus on the presumed origins of the genre. This essay seeks to demonstrate that the origin of Topeng Pajegan and Topeng Panca , two of Bali's most important mask dances, are extensions of a grand historical mask theatre of royal origins performed during the heyday of the magnificent East Javanese Majapahit Empire (1293–1520) on great state occasions to glorify the dynasty and its legitimacy.
