Tantu Pagelaran
Encyclopedia
Tantu Pagelaran or Tangtu Panggelaran is Old Javanese manuscript written in Kawi language
originated from 15th century Majapahit period. The manuscript is describing the mythical origin of Java
island.
) has ordered the god Brahma
and Vishnu
to fill the Java island with human beings. However at that time Java island was floating freely on the ocean, ever tumbling and always shaking. To make the island still, the gods decided to nailed the island upon the earth by moving the part of Mahameru
in Jambudvipa (India
) and attaching it upon Java.
The god Vishnu
transformed into a giant turtle
and carried the part mount Meru upon his back, while the god Brahma
transformed into a giant naga
serpent and wrapped his body around the mountain and giant turtle's back, so the Meru mountain can be transported safely to Java.
Initially the gods placed the holy mountain on the first part of Java they had arrived upon, which is the western part of Java. However the enormous weight of the Meru mountain had tilted the island and caused the imbalance; the eastern end of Java had risen up high. The gods decided to move the mountain eastward; by doing so the gods had scattered the mountain fragments and created the volcanoes
and mountainous regions spanned from west to east along Java. When the main part of the Meru mountain attached upon the eastern part of Java, the island still tilted and not well balanced, this time it was the western part of that Java rose up. To make the island balanced, the gods cut a small tip and placed in northwest part of East Java. The tip become Mount Pawitra that today identified with Mount Penanggungan
, while the main part of Meru mountain became Semeru
volcano and became the abode of Lord Shiva
.
When Sang Hyang Shiva
arrived at Java, he saw so many Jawawut plants, thus the island named Java. Vishnu became the first ruler of Java and incarnated as the king named Kandiawan. He brought civilizations and uphold the order, manage the government, social, and religious matters.
and Bali
is corresponds and suitable with Hindu
mythology. Hindu cosmology
believed that Mount Meru
or Mahameru is the abode of gods and connected the realm of mortals with svarga
, the realm of gods. People of Java and Bali
still revered mountain as the abode of Gods, Devata, Hyang
, and other spiritual beings. The legend mentioned that the island of Java is occasionally shaking is interpreted as the traditional native way to explains the earthquake
natural phenomena.
Kawi language
Kawi is a literary and prose language on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok, based on Old Javanese, a language with a sizable vocabulary of Sanskrit loanwords. Kawi is the ancestor language of modern Javanese. The name "kawi" is derived from the root ku, which in Sanskrit means “poet”, and, in...
originated from 15th century Majapahit period. The manuscript is describing the mythical origin of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
island.
Legend of moving Meru to Java
The manuscript explained that Batara Guru (ShivaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
) has ordered the god Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
and Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
to fill the Java island with human beings. However at that time Java island was floating freely on the ocean, ever tumbling and always shaking. To make the island still, the gods decided to nailed the island upon the earth by moving the part of Mahameru
Mount Meru (Mythology)
Mount Meru is a sacred mountain in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology as well as in Jain cosmology, and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes...
in Jambudvipa (India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) and attaching it upon Java.
The god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
transformed into a giant turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
and carried the part mount Meru upon his back, while the god Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
transformed into a giant naga
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
serpent and wrapped his body around the mountain and giant turtle's back, so the Meru mountain can be transported safely to Java.
Initially the gods placed the holy mountain on the first part of Java they had arrived upon, which is the western part of Java. However the enormous weight of the Meru mountain had tilted the island and caused the imbalance; the eastern end of Java had risen up high. The gods decided to move the mountain eastward; by doing so the gods had scattered the mountain fragments and created the volcanoes
Volcanoes of Java
Java is almost entirely of volcanic origin, and contains numerous volcanoes, 20 of which have been active in recent historical times. As is the case for many other Indonesiain islands, volcanoes have played a vital role in the geological and human history of Java. Indeed, land is created on Java...
and mountainous regions spanned from west to east along Java. When the main part of the Meru mountain attached upon the eastern part of Java, the island still tilted and not well balanced, this time it was the western part of that Java rose up. To make the island balanced, the gods cut a small tip and placed in northwest part of East Java. The tip become Mount Pawitra that today identified with Mount Penanggungan
Mount Penanggungan
Mount Penanggungan is a small stratovolcano, located immediately on the north side of Arjuno-Welirang volcanic complex in East Java province, Java island, Indonesia. Several sanctuaries, sacred places and monuments are located on the mountain dating from AD 977–1511. Lava flows and pyroclastic...
, while the main part of Meru mountain became Semeru
Semeru
Semeru, or Mount Semeru , is a volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is the highest mountain on the island of Java...
volcano and became the abode of Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
.
When Sang Hyang Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
arrived at Java, he saw so many Jawawut plants, thus the island named Java. Vishnu became the first ruler of Java and incarnated as the king named Kandiawan. He brought civilizations and uphold the order, manage the government, social, and religious matters.
Interpretation
The mountainous volcanic nature and geographic conditions of JavaJava
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
is corresponds and suitable with Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
mythology. Hindu cosmology
Hindu cosmology
In Hindu cosmology the universe is, according to Hindu mythology and Vedic cosmology, cyclically created and destroyed.-Description:The Hindu cosmology and timeline is the closest to modern scientific timelines and even more which might indicate that the Big Bang is not the beginning of everything...
believed that Mount Meru
Mount Meru (Mythology)
Mount Meru is a sacred mountain in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology as well as in Jain cosmology, and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes...
or Mahameru is the abode of gods and connected the realm of mortals with svarga
Svarga
In Hinduism, Svarga is a set of heavenly worlds located on and above Mt. Meru. It is a heaven where the righteous live in a paradise before their next reincarnation...
, the realm of gods. People of Java and Bali
Balinese people
The Balinese population of 3.0 million live mostly on the island of Bali, making up 89% of the island's population. There are also significant populations on the island of Lombok, and in the eastern-most regions of Java The Balinese population of 3.0 million (1.5% of Indonesia's population) live...
still revered mountain as the abode of Gods, Devata, Hyang
Hyang
Hyang is an unseen spiritual entity that has supernatural power in ancient Indonesian mythology. This spirit can be either divine or ancestral. The reverence for this spiritual entity can be found in Sunda Wiwitan, Kejawen, and Balinese Hinduism. In modern Indonesian this term tends to be...
, and other spiritual beings. The legend mentioned that the island of Java is occasionally shaking is interpreted as the traditional native way to explains the earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
natural phenomena.