Mountain Crossroads: Jabalkat Mountain as a Source of Javanese Authority

Mountain Crossroads: The Tomb of Sunan Tembayat in Mountain Jabalkat as Source of Javanese Religious Authority By Adieyatna Fajri For religious man, space or landscape is not homogeneous; they are qualitatively different from others. In this regards landscapes are covering both of sacred and profane which resulted from binnary opposition system of human language and thought, in which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. For the Javanese, mountain has long been perceived as a sacred place inhabited with unseen world which may pervade great mystical power. Within the new Islamic era, saint’s tombs become another characteristic feature of sacred mountain of Java. For the Javanese rulers, the Islamic saints presence on the mountain appeared to enhance their authority by legitimizing them. Through examining Hindu-Buddhist inscriptions, traditional Javanese sources and Dutch archives, this research try to reveal the importance of Javanaese...Show moreMountain Crossroads: The Tomb of Sunan Tembayat in Mountain Jabalkat as Source of Javanese Religious Authority By Adieyatna Fajri For religious man, space or landscape is not homogeneous; they are qualitatively different from others. In this regards landscapes are covering both of sacred and profane which resulted from binnary opposition system of human language and thought, in which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. For the Javanese, mountain has long been perceived as a sacred place inhabited with unseen world which may pervade great mystical power. Within the new Islamic era, saint’s tombs become another characteristic feature of sacred mountain of Java. For the Javanese rulers, the Islamic saints presence on the mountain appeared to enhance their authority by legitimizing them. Through examining Hindu-Buddhist inscriptions, traditional Javanese sources and Dutch archives, this research try to reveal the importance of Javanaese mountain which is reperesented by Mount Jabalkat along with Sunan Tembayat’s tomb as a source of religious authority particulary in the reign of Sultan Agung from Mataram in the 17th century. Furthermore, this research also discuss the relationship of the idea of Javanese sacred landscape in the Indo-Islamic context. In conclusion, Within naturally diversed political faction, mountain along with its saints appeared to be a potent of religious power which should be propitiated properly or it could otherwise ignite religious insurgences toward the royal court.Show less

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Mountain Crossroads: Jabalkat Mountain as a Source of Javanese Authority