Gunungan (wayang)
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The gunungan ( jv, ꦒꦸꦤꦸꦔꦤ꧀; "mountain"), also known as kayon or kayonan (from ''kayu'', "wood" or "tree") in Bali, is a figure in the Indonesian theatrical performance of wayang e.g. wayang kulit, wayang klitik,
wayang golek ''Wayang golek'' ( Sundanese: ) is one of the traditional Sundanese puppet arts from West Java, Indonesia. in contrast to the wayang art on other area of Java island that use leather in the production of wayang, wayang golek is a wayang art m ...
, and wayang beber. Gunungan is a conical or triangular structure (tapered peak) inspired by the shape of a mountain (
volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...
). In wayang, gunungan are special figures in the form of pictures of mountains and its contents. Gunungan has many functions in wayang performances, therefore, there are many different depictions. In the standard function, as the opening and closing of a performance stage, two things are depicted on two different sides. On one side, at the bottom is a picture of a gate guarded by two
Rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma wh ...
holding swords and shields. It symbolizes the palace gate, and when played the gunungan is used as a palace. At the top of the mountain is the tree of life (
kalpataru Kalpavriksha () is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in Indian religions, like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Its earliest descriptions are mentioned in Sanskrit literature. It is also a popular theme in Jain cosmology and Buddhism. ...
) which is entangled by a dragon. On the tree branch depicted several forest animals, such as
tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
,
bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...
s, monkeys, and birds. The picture as a whole depicts the situation in the wilderness. This side symbolizes the state of the world and its contents. On the other side, a blazing fire is depicted. It symbolizes chaos and hell. Before the puppet is played, the gunungan is stuck in the middle of the screen, leaning slightly to the right which means that the wayang play has not yet started, like a world that has not yet been told. After playing, Gunungan is removed, lined up on the right. Gunungan is used as a sign of changing plays/story stages. For that the mountains are plugged in the middle leaning to the left. In addition, gunungan is also used to symbolize fire or wind. In this case the side of the mountain is reversed, on the other hand there is only red-red paint, and this color symbolizes fire. Gunungan can act as land, forest, roads and others by following the dialogue of the
dhalang The dhalang or dalang ( jv, dhalang; id, dalang) is the puppeteer in an Indonesian '' wayang'' performance. In a performance of ''wayang kulit'', the dalang sits behind a screen (''kelir'') made of white cotton stretched on a wooden frame. Ab ...
. After the play is finished, Gunungan is plugged again in the center of the screen, symbolizing that the story is finished. Gunungan there are two kinds, namely Gunungan Gapuran and Gunungan Blumbangan. Gunungan Blumbangan was composed by
Sunan Kalijaga Sunan Kalijaga (1460-1513), born as Raden Mas Said son of a Duke of Tuban in East Java, Indonesia, was one of the "nine saints" of Javanese Islam (Wali Sanga). the "Kalijaga" title was derived from an orchard known as "Kalijaga" in Cirebon. O ...
in the era of the Demak Kingdom. Then during the
Kartasura Kartasura ( jv, ꦏꦂꦠꦱꦸꦫ, also spelled Kartosuro) is a district ''(kecamatan)'' in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. Kartasura is considered as a Surakarta's satellite city, and a junction of highways to Yogyakarta and Semara ...
era, it was composed again with the Gunungan Gapuran. Gunungan in puppet terms is called Kayon. Kayon comes from the word Kayun. Gunungan contains high philosophical teachings, namely the teachings of wisdom. All of this implies that the play in the wayang contains lessons of high value. This means that wayang performances also contain wayang performances that also contain high philosophical teachings.


Outside Indonesia


Malaysia

In
Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...
,
Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, a similar figure is set up in the local iteration of the performance known as the ''pohon beringin'' ("
banyan A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
"). The beringin is often displayed in the beginning and the end of the performance symbolizing "a world loaded with lives...in the water, on the land and in the air''".''


Gallery

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangfiguur met twee slangen dat als pauzefiguur fungeert TMnr 2267-176.jpg, a Javanese gunungan with closed porch and two large yakshas on the sides. The roots of the tree rise into the water. There are some animals in the tree crown, but the demon head (kala) is missing File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangfiguur van leer TMnr 3812-5.jpg, The figure of Api ("fire"), a Balinese fire demon, which has a similar form with the kayonan File:ZP_05_Gunungan_00.jpg, A gunungan from a variation of wayang kulit of Lombok, with which the story of Serat Menak Sasak is told File:Wayang_Beber_Opened.jpg, A wayang beber at the Mangkunegaran Palace in Surakarta. Typical combat scene, gunungan slightly to the right of the center File:G20 Indonesia 2022 logo.svg, Gunungan is used as the official logo for the
2022 G20 Bali Summit The 2022 G20 Bali summit ( id, Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi G20 Bali 2022) was the seventeenth meeting of Group of Twenty (G20), which was held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia on 15–16 November 2022. Indonesia's presidency began on 1 December 2021, l ...


See also

* Wayang * Javanese culture *
Theatre of Indonesia ''Indonesian theatre'' is a type of art in the form of drama performances that are staged on a stage, with a distinct Indonesian nuance or background. In general, theatre is an art that emphasizes the performing arts that are displayed in fron ...
*
Culture of Indonesia The culture of Indonesia has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is centrally-located along ancient trading routes between the Far East, South Asia and the Middle East, ...


References

;Main sources * * * {{Indonesia UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage Shadows Wayang Arts in Malaysia Arts in Indonesia Precursors of film Theatrical genres