IIAS_NL#39 09-12-2005 17:00 Pagina 17 > Research Rocks washed by the sea as Hayam Wuruk probably saw them at the cape of Tanjung Papuma. courtesy of author In the footsteps of Hayam Wuruk In the Old Javanese text Nagarakertagama or Desawarnana (1365), the Buddhist poet Prapanca describes King Hayam Wuruk’s journey through East Java in 1359. We followed the royal tracks in a 900-kilometer jeep expedition in June 2005 and discovered that many of the places can still be identified. Amrit Gomperts Renes, the caravan passed through a for- descending the steep ravine is impossi- cape of Tanjung Papuma, nowadays a human hands on the southern shore of est referred to as Jati Gumelar or ‘spread ble. Thus, in 1359, the wooden or bam- small tourist resort. The rocks jutting up Ranu Segaran, in front of a terraced gar- out teak trees’ (DW 23.1). The Dutch boo bridge may have been in a moul- close to the beach remain as Hayam den; this site may well indicate the loca- he expedition departed from the topographic maps show details of vege- dering state but it could not have been Wuruk may have seen them (see photo- tion of the bwat ranten. Tcourt of Majapahit, during the day tation that locate the forest near the vil- entirely in tatters. Such bridges chal- graph). of the full moon on 8 September 1359. lage of Tasnan which my Javanese trav- lenge our archaeological imagination. At the end of the journey, the royal car- The royal caravan drove in ox-carts, with el companions recognized as jati ‘teak’. Close to this location, Prapanca’s topo- Prapanca’s (DW 32-33) lyrical descrip- avan headed for the court of Majapahit. dozens or possibly hundreds of follow- Prapanca also distinguishes irrigated graphical reference pasawahan or ‘area tion of the Siwaite forest hermitage of Prapanca, however, turned off for Rabut ers on foot; together they covered over rice-fields (sawah) and non-irrigated of irrigated rice fields’ suddenly Sagara is aptly expressed in the follow- Tugu to where his own family lived in 900 kilometres in two months. fields (tegal) which are also marked on appeared before us (DW 21.2). On both ing excerpts from Robson’s translation pahyangan, ‘the area of worship’ (DW maps. We were able to identify the road sides of the descending road that leads (1995:46-47). My additional interpreta- 59.1). Kern’s identification of Rabut R.A. Kern’s overlooked but nearly com- that Hayam Wuruk took to the city of from the ravine of Bobo Runting, sawah tions are in brackets [...]: Tugu with the village of Sumbertugu plete map of Hayam Wuruk’s journey Singhasari from the poet’s reference to extended into the plains as far as the eye appears well founded. A farmer of the (Kern 1927) provided the basic data for tegal (DW 38.2). could see. When the King departed to go on, it settlement of Sumbertugu showed us a our venture. Consultation of 500 Dutch was the forest hermitage of Sagara that stone pillar on a venerated spot amidst and Indonesian small-scale topo- Prapanca’s terminology may include Medieval tourists he headed for.... the maize fields. Locals refer to the loca- graphic sheets of the area verified and both toponyms and geographical The poet continues with the description It was splendid and extraordinary, in tion as Pepunden Tugu or ‘sacred land appended Kern’s work. Sixty per cent descriptions, and some distinctions can of a pleasure trip of Hayam Wuruk to the midst of the wooded mountains, its with pillar’, which is synonymous with of the two hundred place names and only be verified in the field. For exam- the shore of the Indian Ocean. This is layout bewilderingly beautiful.... Rabut Tugu. We left the pillar untouched topographical descriptions mentioned ple, Pakalyan is the name of a river, but the only part of the journey not includ- The bwat ranten pavilion bore several for the archaeologists. by Prapanca could be identified from the Old Javanese word pakalyan also ed on Kern’s map (Bullough 2004:19). paintings of stories and had a base of maps only. denotes a ‘river-bed’. As the riverbed Prapanca did not attend the trip (DW stone, polished and high; Much remains to be done on the geo- itself is jumbled with rocks, the royal 22.4-5), but he versified the words of Flowers of the nagakusuma tree lay graphical and archaeological aspects of We determined a geodetical datum for party must have travelled along the road someone else, expressed in Robson’s thick in the yard, the [shore-]side[s] Hayam Wuruk’s journey. With all Dutch Java and converted geographical coor- following the river of Pekalen (Robson translation as follows (1995:41): (tira) of which was [were] lined with a cartographic material of Java now freely dinates from Dutch topographical maps 1995:115). wall. ... available on the website of the Royal (1915-1942) into the current standard. Departing from there the King came And all the hermits and especially the Tropical Institute in Amsterdam Finally, we entered all the geographical A second example: the Javanese under- directly to Kuta Bacok where he dis- nuns, young and old, were virtuous (www.kit.nl), and because GPS technol- coordinates into a GPS satellite naviga- standing of the word jurang is more ported himself on the shore, and clever.... ogy is increasingly affordable, further tion system. A few highlights of our elaborate than just ‘ravine’. My Javanese Absorbed in looking at the rocks The young and pretty hermit-girls fieldwork is within easy reach. Finally, findings are sketched on the map below companions showed me that it may also engulfed by waves with showers of spray remained behind pining every one. archaeological research – and funding with references to Prapanca’s text refer to a river running through a ravine resembling rain. – is urgent to prevent the reduction of Desawarnana (DW; Brandes 1902). but crossed by a bridge. Following The toponym Sagara is geographically the subject to historical geography. < Kern’s map, we passed over modern The unusual term bacok, literally mean- associated with the area around Ranu Places not found on the maps bridges spanning impressive ravines. ing ‘chopped-off’, appears on one of our Segaran – literally ‘lake of Segaran’. The References A number of Prapanca’s toponyms The royal party must have traversed the Dutch topographic maps as the name of region comprises a total of five crater - Brandes, J.L.A. 1902. Nagarakertagama. could only be traced in the field. A place four jurang dalem or ‘deep ravines’ of the the village Gunung Bacok. We found it lakes with a diameter of 750 meters in a Lofdicht van Prapantja op Koning Rasad- called Daleman identified by Kern does river of Sampean (Robson 1995:112). near a stone quarry to which several remote and wooded area that retains its janagara, Hajam Wuruk, van Madjapahit. not appear on any of the detailed maps Such crossings would have required families of the village have long held the poetic beauty. The yard’s wall possibly Batavia: Landsdrukkerij. (DW 31.1). With the help of local farm- bridges spanning 50 meters strong male hereditary right of exploration. The stood on the shore (tira) of a lake. Zoet- - Bullough, Nigel. 2004. Menulusuri Jalan ers we found Daleman – a small run- enough to carry ox-carts. Another such excavated boulders are sold as house mulder (1982:1504) has suggested that Perjalanan Raja Hayam Wuruk ke Lama- ning spring amidst rice fields – along ravine is Bobo Runting which literally fundaments, offering an obvious expla- ranten might be the Old Javanese high jang pada Tahun 1281 r. Unpublished the road between Besuki and Binor. We means ‘mouldered and in tatters’ (DW nation for the etymology of the village speech form of the word ranu ‘lake’. paper, State University of Surabaya, 12 Feb- also were told that an ancient stone stat- 21.2). We identified it as the bridge name. In the 14th century, there was a Therefore, in combination with the cur- ruary. ue of a goddess, said to include an crossing the river of Sawaran near the hill with a kuta bacok ‘chopped-off peak’. rent toponym ‘lake of Segaran’ and the - Kern, R.A. 1927. De Reis van Koning Hajam inscription, had disappeared from the village of Juranglor, literally ‘North of the Today, after 650 years of excavating, it reference to shore (tira), the Old Woeroek door Lamadjang in 1359 A.D. Tijd- spot in 2004, suggesting that the place Ravine’. Today, piles support the con- has been reduced into a gunung gacok Javanese bwat ranten probably denotes schrift van het Koninklijk Nederlandsch may be of archaeological importance. crete bridge. There is no other road that ‘chopped-off hill’. From here, it is eight a ‘lake-pavilion’. Furthermore, the Genootschap 44:613-624. the caravan could have taken, and kilometres to the white beaches at the female hermits must have had access to - Robson, S.O. 1995. Desawarnana (Naga- The village of Balerah, which was passed water for drinking and sanitation pur- rakartagama) by Mpu Prapañca. Leiden: by the royal party to the east of the town poses. Of the five lakes, we found out KITLV Press. of Pasuruan, also does not appear on our from villagers that only the water of the - Zoetmulder, P.J. (and S.O. Robson). 1982. topographic sheets (DW 21.1). Neigh- lake of Ranu Segaran is potable. There- Old Javanese-English Dictionary. ’s-Graven- bouring villagers, however, recognized fore, the geographical location of the hage: Nijhoff.