Balinese Keris Holders

[A. G. Maisey]

Here are a couple of blawongs with wayang characters. This type of wall board goes back at least to Majapahit times. At that time they were called "stambha", and mention of them can be found in the Nagara-Kertagama. The word "stambha" is related to the word "stambhana" which in Old Javanese had the sense of a magic defence against disaster.

As the North Coast culture developed, these boards became very popular around Cirebon, and along the north coast.

Pigeaud is of the opinion that in Majapahit it was unlikely that they were used as places to hang a keris, simply because keris during Majapahit were not particularly prevalent, however, they were certainly used for this purpose as the North Coast culture blossomed.