8Th Century Musical Instrument on Kalasan Temple's Relief
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 21 (1) (2021), 115-122 p-ISSN 2541-1683|e-ISSN 2541-2426 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/harmonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v21i1.28530 8Th Century Musical Instrument on Kalasan Temple’s Relief Susilo Pradoko, Maria Goretti Widyastuti, Fu’adi, Birul Walidaini Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Indonesia Submitted: 2021-01-17. Revised: 2021-03-23. Accepted: 2021-04-26 Abstract This research aims to unveil the types, size, figures, and functions of musical instruments carved as reliefs of Kalasan Temple as a way to revitalize the music from the 8th century. This research implements heuristic methods with Panofsky’s iconology analysis in three steps, which are pre- iconography, iconography, and iconology to analyse the reliefs of the Temple. The researchers validated the findings through forum group discussion with the Cultural Heritage Preservation Board of Yogyakarta. The findings show that (1) the relief of musical instruments in Kalasan temple is located on the head of Kala; (2) the musical instruments on the head are two wind in- struments made of shells and a stringed instrument named vina; (3) there are two figures of musi- cians carved, which are two wind instruments players and a player of stringed instruments. The figures are depicted as heavenly creatures namedGandharva ; (4) the measurement shows that the wind instruments have 35.98 cm length and 12.85 cm width, another one has 23.13 cm length and 12.85 cm width. Meanwhile, the stringed instrument has a length of 92.52 cm and 12.85 cm width; and (5) the musical instruments were performed to worship the Goddess of Tara. Keywords: Kalasan Temple, musical instruments, relief How to Cite: Pradoko, S., Widyastuti, M. G., Fu’adi, & Walidaini, B. (2021). 8Th Century Musical Instrument on Kalasan Temple’s Relief. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research And Education, 21(1), 115-122 INTRODUCTION the location, which is named Sari Temple. Both Kalasan and Sari have similarities in Kalasan temple is located in Kalibe- their fineness and sculptural subtlety. The ning, Tirtamani, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The specific character of the temple is that they place is specifically located 10 km south have vajralepa (bajralepa), which is a layer of Yogyakarta’s central business district that covers the ornaments and reliefs on and around 5 km from Prambanan temp- the outer wall. le. In Kalasan inscription, Kalasan temple Apart from the characteristics, Kala- is named after its location. The inscription san temple displays musical instruments explains that the location is called Kala- on its south relief. The displays attracted san, and the place is blessed in a meeting the researcher’s attention when a musical involving important figures, such as pang- performance was held in the area in 2017. kur, tawan, and tirip (sets of local Javanese Hence, the researchers initiated this rese- leaders) along with the ancestors of the arch based on the curiosity to know detai- village (Source:Prasasti Kalasan BPCB DIY led information regarding the types, size, Inventory Number D 147). figures, and functions of musical instru- There is another temple not far from ments carved as reliefs of Kalasan Temple. Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected] 115 116 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 21 (1) (2021): 115-122 From the raised problem, it is a fact This research employed a musical that Indian culture’s influence in Indonesia archeology approach. Broadly speaking, reached its peak between the 8th and 11th musical archeology is an approach that centuries. During the time, there was a de- covers the history of musical sound art velopment of Javanese culture, especially phenomena. The research findings focus in architecture, fine arts, and music. As an on music that is dug and provide sound example, a lot of temples were built in the artefact (ancient musical and sound instru- civilization. ments), instrumental depiction, singer, There are many musical instruments dancer with musical instruments, posture displayed on the temples’ reliefs. Some of of performances, and real performance. the instruments came from India or Indo- Archeological approach has already provi- nesia, such as kledi, flute, siter (Javanese ded a sociocultural presentation and histo- violin), angklung, xylophone, sapeq, gen- rical meaning of ancient music (Both, 2009, dang, bells, gong, saron, bonang, and several p. 1). wind instruments (Prier, 1991, p. 80). Prior studies have analysed some The character of a musical instru- temples in Indonesia. A research has been ment is based on the sound that it produ- conducted on a historical site in Kedulan. ces or simply its timbre. According to Sach Kedulan contains the remains from the & Erick, musical instruments are classified 9th century on the Temple of Hindu Ma- based on how to use them: (1) idiophone taram Kingdom at Tirtomartani, Kalasan, (percussions), e.g., xylophone, angklung, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta. The temple Belyra; (2) aerophone (wind instruments), was found accidentally by a sand digger e.g., aulos/ flute/flauto, clarinet, fagot, on November 24th, 1993 under several me- french horn, trombone, tuba, and trumpet; ters of modern Merapi’s vulcanoic deposit. (3) chordophone (stringed instruments) Technical studies are required to dig the kecapi, siter, harps, rebab, violin, cello, bass; temple carefully, specifically in geology (4) electrophone (electrical music instru- and geophysics. One of the geophysics ments), e.g., electric guitar, electric piano, methods applied on this study was by the and keyboard (Banoe, 2003). radar of soil penetration (georadar). The During the erection of Prambanan method used radar to get the profile from temple, Javanese Hindu has been identi- the sub-surface of the temple; thereby, the fied as using musical instruments like ke- scientists can explain the soil substrate capi, kinara, trumpet, drum, and symbals. based on the distinct dielectrical constant. The kecapi in Borobudur’s relief is slim Georadar investigation were conducted with different variations. It is predicted by Geological Engineering Department of that the kecapi entered Java during Syai- Engineering Faculty, Universitas Gadjah lendran age (c. 725 - c. 850). Kinara is a mu- Mada, on Desember 4, 2007. The main aim sical instrument on the relief which shows of this is to identify the location of the sto- the advanced development of music in ne fence as the approximate measurement Java. There is a trumpet-like instrument of the whole temple’s location (Husein et made of shells which represent a vital sto- al., 2015, p. 47). ry of service and war during the time. The Research of the Goddess of Tara has instrument is mentioned in old Javanese been conducted by Gogaoi, who states that literature under the name of sangka, mara, the Goddess of Tara is the second of ten and sungu. The drum musical instruments Mahavidya (Great and Magical Goddes- on Borobudur and Prambanan were diver- ses in Hinduism) (Gogaoi, 2011, p. 233). se. They were approximately coming from There is minimum information regarding the year 824 and the second half of the 9th the Goddess of Tara in Buddhism, which century. Cymbals were found on Pramba- shows the origin of the Goddess or the nan and Borobudy with a trophy-like figu- influence of the Hindu and non-Arya tri- re (Kunst, 1927, p. 56). be elements to the community (Jordaan, Susilo Pradoko et al., 8Th Century Musical Instrument on Kalasan Temple’s Relief 117 1997). The rise of the cult was based on the written sources of history are important northeast India. There was not any litera- documents, inscriptions, scripts, charters, ture or archeological evidence regarding chronicles, newspapers, books, research the existence of the Goddess before Gupta reports, and academic journals (Herdiani, era or in between the third to the fifth cen- 2016). The understanding supports Gott- tury, despite being limitedly mentioned in schalk who mentions that heuristic action Indian literature. Asides, Javanese inscrip- directs research to an exploration, search, tion of Kalasan on the year 778 becomes the and collection of sources which is going to earliest epigraphical reference supporting be researched in the location, whether as her existence (Jordaan, 1997, pp. 286–287). an exact thing or only verbal explanation Brandes compared the portrayal which refers to the historical evident (Rah- of the Goddess of Tara on the Buddhist man, 2017; Wasino, 2018). Temples in Central Java, which are Sewu The heuristic data collection of writ- Temple, Mendut Temple, and Kalasan ten literature on this research cover: (1) Temple (1904). The portrayal in Mendut Kalasan inscription which comes from the and Kalasan were most relevant with iden- Saka year of 700; (2) the report of Kalasan tical shapes and decoration as clearly de- temple’s reconstruction; (3) the procee- picted in Brandes’ articles (Jordaan, 1997, dings from the Association of Archeologi- p. 289). cal Expert of Indonesia; (4) the internatio- The Goddess of Tara has become nal academic journals which cover Kalasan the main issue to reconstruct the religious Temple and Widya Prabha Journals of worship. According to Monk Atisa in Ti- Cultural Heritage Preservation Board of bet, the Goddess possess 21 characters of Yogyakarta; and (5) relevant reference in God. Based on the data, it is impossible to the library of the Cultural Heritage Preser- see whether the characters are completely vation Board of Yogyakarta (BPCB DIY). A represented on the reliefs in Kalasan. field study was conducted as a visit to the Beyer states that the 21 positions of Kalasan temple, Yogyakarta. Taras are usually depicted as people sit- The musical instruments on the re- ting on the same position which is stret- lief were analysed in three steps, which ched right leg and pulled left leg. The are pre-iconography, iconography, and visible difference is only on the colour of iconology.