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All Journal Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage
I Made Suparta
University of Indonesia
Religion Arts Humanities Civil Engineering, Building, Construction & Architecture

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From Mahābhārata Warrior to Sacred Ontological Figure: The Deification of Bhīma in the Late Majapahit Merapi-Merbabu Scriptorium Muhammad Heno Wijayanto; Sofwan Noerwidi; Putu Eka Guna Yasa; Turita Indah Setyani; I Made Suparta
Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage Vol. 15 No. 1 (2026): HERITAGE OF NUSANTARA
Publisher : Center for Research and Development of Religious Literature and Heritage

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.31291/hn.v15i1.885

Abstract

This article addresses an unresolved problem in Javanese cultural heritage, namely the persistence of interpretive fragmentation between archaeological data and philological analysis. Focusing on Bhīma’s transformation from an epic warrior in the Mahābhārata to a sacred spiritual entity during the late Majapahit era, the study examines how the Merapi-Merbabu scriptorium reconstructed his identity through a convergence of material sculptural evidence and esoteric textual formulas. Methodologically, the study adopts an interdisciplinary qualitative design combining philological text editing, iconographic analysis, and cross-media interpretation. Two primary corpora are analyzed: a visual-material corpus consisting of the regional Sukuh-Lawu Mountain-style Bhīma statue, and a textual corpus consisting of the Bhīma Swarga manuscripts from the Merapi-Merbabu scriptorium (specifically codices 1 L 234, 1 L 333, 5 L 5, and 9 L 156), alongside the Nawaruci text. The findings show that material survival alone does not restore cultural coherence, as sacred heritage remains fragmented across media. However, cross-media comparison successfully reconstructs recurring iconographic features, such as the pañcanakha (five-clawed nails) and poleṅ (chequered) cloth, and reconnects sculptural evidence with textual memory. This process uncovers a systematic somatic ontology where Bhīma is reinterpreted as the absolute source of breath (ambĕkan), life (urip), and consciousness (pramāṇa). The article argues that the preservation of sacred heritage becomes most meaningful when it moves beyond object visibility toward cultural legibility, allowing the late Majapahit religious identity to remain interpretable across material statues and textual abstractions.
From Vedic Rite to Javanese Power: The Rājasūya as Political Allegory in the Sabhāparwa Merapi–Merbabu Manuscript Tradition Galang Adhi Pradipta; I Made Suparta; Rindu Parulian Simanjuntak
Heritage of Nusantara: International Journal of Religious Literature and Heritage Vol. 14 No. 2 (2025): HERITAGE OF NUSANTARA
Publisher : Center for Research and Development of Religious Literature and Heritage

Show Abstract | Download Original | Original Source | Check in Google Scholar | DOI: 10.31291/hn.v14i2.866

Abstract

This study examines how the Rājasūyarambha section of the Sabhāparwa Merapi–Merbabu (SP MM) manuscript reconfigures the Indian Rājasūya consecration rite into a political allegory for Javanese royal legitimation. Although previous scholarship has addressed the Vedic origins of the Rājasūya or its later cultural reception, the specific textual mechanisms through which the Old Javanese parwa tradition transforms this ritual into a model of political authority remain insufficiently explored. This research fills that gap by analyzing how the SP MM adapts ritual structure, narrative sequencing, and symbolic motifs to articulate a distinctly Javanese conception of kingship. The study employed qualitative descriptive analysis based on primary manuscript data from three SP MM witnesses (lontar and paper codices). Data were examined through comparative textual analysis, juxtaposing Javanese narrative elements with Vedic ritual sources and Javanese inscriptional terminology. The findings reveal three key mechanisms of allegorization: (1) the transformation of ritual violence into a metaphor for military conquest and territorial unification; (2) the elevation of spiritual recognition as a source of charismatic authority; and (3) the consolidation of social hierarchy through the cakravartin ideal. These mechanisms demonstrate how the SP MM functions as an ideological blueprint that shaped Javanese political thought. The study concludes that the SP MM not only legitimized rulers in its original context but also evolved into a repository of political memory, influencing later Javanese courts and sustaining long-term models of authority.
Co-Authors Galang Adhi Pradipta Muhammad Heno Wijayanto Putu Eka Guna Yasa Rindu Parulian Simanjuntak Sofwan Noerwidi Turita Indah Setyani