Sri Tanjung, also known as the tale of Banyuwangi ( Javanese for "fragrant water"), is a Javanese

folktale A folktale or folk tale is a folklore genre that typically consists of a story passed down from generation to generation orally. Folktale may also refer to: Categories of stories * Folkloric tale from oral tradition * Fable (written form of the a ...

about a faithful wife who was wrongfully accused. The story has been popular since the era of the

Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...

kingdom. The story is usually performed as ''

kidung Kidung is a form of Old Javanese poetry. They differ from kakawin in that they use Javanese meters instead of imported Sanskrit ones, and mostly appeared later. The subject matter is based on historical events. Like kakawin, they later became an im ...

'', a poem sung or chanted in Javanese ''

tembang Javanese poetry (poetry in the Javanese or especially the Kawi language; Low Javanese: ''tembang''; High Javanese: ''sekar'') is traditionally recited in song form. The standard forms are divided into three types, sekar ageng, sekar madya, and sek ...

''. The Kidung Sri Tanjung are performed in the traditional Javanese ', an exorcism ceremony. The name Sri Tanjung is linked to the Tanjung flower (''Mimusops elengi''), a flower with a sweet fragrance.

Origin

Like many other Indonesian folk stories, the author of this tale is unknown; however, it is suggested that the story originated from

Banyuwangi Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is the administrative capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 at the 2010 Census and 117,558 at the 2020 Census. The town ...

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

, since it is connected to the legend about the origin of the name "Banyuwangi." The story originated from the early

period around the 13th century. The story of Sri Tanjung can be found on

bas relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

s of the teples at

Penataran Penataran or Panataran ( id, Candi Penataran) is one of the largest Hindu temple ruins complex in East Java, Indonesia. It is located roughly 12 km northeast of Blitar, with the closest airport being farther away at Malang. Believed to have ...

, Bajang Ratu, Candi Surawana and

Jabung Jabung is a 14th-century Buddhist temple dated from Majapahit era, located in the Jabung Sisir village (''desa''), Paiton area, Probolinggo district, East Java, Indonesia. The temple is made from red brick measuring 16.20 metres. The temple was ...

Summary

Once upon a time there was a handsome and powerful

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

(knight) named Raden Sidapaksa, a descendant of the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

s. The knight served under King Sulakrama, the ruler of Sindurejo kingdom. Sidapaksa was sent to search for a medicine to king's grandfather, the hermit Bhagawan Tamba Petra who lived secluded in his hermitage on the mountains. Here Sidapaksa met Sri Tanjung, a girl of extraordinary beauty. Sri Tanjung was not an ordinary girl, since her mother was a vidhyadari (

apsara An apsaras or apsara ( sa, अप्सरा ' lso ' pi, अक्चरा, translit=accharā) is a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hinduism and Buddhist culture. They figure prominently in the sculpture, dance, literat ...

) who descended to earth and married a mortal man. Raden Sidapaksa fell in love and asked Sri Tanjung for her hand of marriage. The happy couple went home, back to the kingdom of Sindurejo to settle down. King Sulakrama secretly fell in love, smitten and infatuated by the beauty of Sri Tanjung. The king desired Sri Tanjung for himself and set an evil plot to separate the newly-wed couple. King Sulakrama ordered Sidapaksa to go to

Svarga Svarga (), also known as Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is regarded to b ...

loka in order to send a message to gods. He is ordered to hand the gods a letter written: ''"The bearer of this letter will attack the Svargaloka"''. Sri Tanjung lent her magic sash to her husband, a family heirloom received from her father Raden Sudamala. The magic sash was an enchanted garment belonging to her mother, the apsara, enabling her to travel from earth to heaven. Sidapaksa arrived at Svargaloka, not knowing about the message in the unopened letter, and handed the letter to the gods. Of course the gods were furious and attacked the unsuspecting Sidapaksa. Sidapaksa pleaded for explanation and explained himself as the descendant of Pandava. The gods learned about the misunderstanding and freed Sidapaksa. As the compensation for their mistake, the gods bestowed on Sidapaksa the blessing of a magic weapon. Meanwhile, on earth after Sidapaksa left for heaven, King Sulakrama made an advance on Sri Tanjung and tried to seduce her. Sri Tanjung refused the king's advances and tried to escape. However, the king chased and forced Sri Tanjung, holding her against her will and trying to rape her. Sidapaksa came home in time to find his wife held in the king's arms. The evil king told a lie, accusing Sri Tanjung of being a lustful unfaithful woman that tried to seduce him. Sidapaksa fell for the king's lies and in jealousy tried to kill her. Sri Tanjung cried and swore her innocence, pleading for her husband to believe in her. In desperation she swore, with god as her witness, that if she was truly innocent, her body would not spill blood, but instead fragrant liquid. Blinded by anger and jealousy, Sidapaksa fiercely stabbed Sri Tanjung with a

kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

. Sri Tanjung fell and died, but a miracle happened: just like her word, her spilled blood was a sweet-fragranced

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

, a testament of her innocence. Raden Sidapaksa realized his terrible mistake and fell into regret and despair. Meanwhile, the spirit of Sri Tanjung ascended to heaven and met the goddess

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

. After learning about injustice done to Sri Tanjung, the great goddess revived Sri Tanjung and reunited her with her husband. The gods ordered Sidapaksa to take revenge and punish the evil deed of King Sulakrama. Sidapaksa succeeded in defeating and killing King Sulakrama in a battle. It was said that the fragrant water, the perfumed blood of Sri Tanjung, became the origin of the name

or "fragrant water", the capital of

Blambangan The Blambangan Kingdom was the last Javanese Hindu kingdom that flourished between the 13th and 18th centuries, based in the eastern corner of Java. The capital was at Banyuwangi. It had a long history of its own, developing contemporaneously ...

kingdom.

References

;Sources * Prijono, 1938 ''Kidung Sri Tanjung''. ;Notes {{reflist Javanese folklore Majapahit Banyuwangi (town)

Origin

Summary

See also

References