Sanggar Aksara Jawa Kidang Pananjung Cikedung-Indramayu
Script:
Javanese
Writing support:
Palm-leaf
Watermark?:
No
Countermark?:
No
Manuscript cover?:
No
Binding?:
No
Manuscript cover dimension:
23.5 x 2.5 cm
Manuscript paper dimension:
22 x 3 cm
Text block dimension:
20 x 1 cm
Number of pages:
106 pages
Rubrication?:
No
Illumination?:
No
Illustration?:
No
Manuscript condition:
Good
Description of manuscript content:
In the old days, Indramayu society
strongly held on to the traditions they
inherited from their ancestors.
Jawoka/mantras have a special place in
the hearts of the Indramayu people. The
elderly and those considered as elders
are believed to have special, charismatic
qualities they derive from using
mantras. Mantras in Indramayu are
influenced by those from Cirebon,
Central Java, East Java, and Buddhism
etc.
These mantras offer a picture of
Indramayu culture as it was in the past.
Although the manuscript only contains
53 mantras, it gives a picture of the way
people used to live. Indramayu society
believes in malevolent and benign
ghosts and spirits. The mantras are
closely linked to daily life and are, for
instance, used to dispel spirits and
ghosts that threaten agriculture, inner
rest, safety and offer herbal alternatives
can be used to change character traits
and the influences of the calendar on
births and so forth. The text ends abruptly
Other notes:
The mantras were copied to preserve
the old vocabulary and ways of
expression used in them that have
almost disappeared.