According to Pararaton and local tradition, Ken Arok's usurpation of Tunggul Ametung was caused by Ken Dedes' exceptional beauty and charisma. The story is that Ken Arok was standing close near the royal carriage as it halted and caught a glimpse of the young queen. When her clothes accidentally parted, Ken Arok caught sight of her body and thighs and he saw that her body were 'shining'. A
Brahmin, Lohgawe, told Ken Arok that this radiance was the sign that Ken Dedes bears the divine quality and would be the bearer of kings. Her beauty was said to have been so perfect that whoever married her, regardless of his status, would inevitably be destined to become king of kings. Because of this, Ken Arok was motivated to dispatch Tunggul Ametung. Ken Arok later launched a campaign that defeated Kertajaya, King of
Kediri and he founded his kingdom, Singhasari. Ken Dedes became his wife, the first queen of Singhasari. According to local beliefs, the statue of
Prajnaparamita, the goddess of transcendental wisdom in Buddhist tradition and found in
Cungkup Putri near Singhasari temple, was made in her likeness and probably served as her mortuary deified statue.
Anusapati, Ken Dedes's son from Tunggul Ametung, murdered Ken Arok and became the second ruler of Singhasari. ==References==