CARUBAN NAGARI and CIREBON

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Pak Ganja, I wonder if you could clarify something for me.

You advise that Cirebon was the first Islamic kingdom in Jawa.

Can you quote your reference for this information?

Prof. Dr. Slamet Muljana seems to think that Demak was the first Islamic kingdom in Jawa,and that the Islamic Kingdom Cirebon was established with the assistance of forces from Demak. In fact, prior to reading your post, my readings of other sources all seemed to confirm this.Agreed that Cirebon did exist prior to the establishment of an Islamic Kingdom at that place, and agreed that Islam had a presence in the area of Cirebon prior to the kingdom being established. However, first sultan of Cirebon was Sunan Gunung Jati who died in 1570.

Raden Patah was responsible for the construction of the Mesjid Agung Demak, and according to the chronogram at Lawang Bledheg, that mosque already existed in 1466.

Your advice that Cirebon preceded Demak as an Islamic kingdom is quite surprising. Is this new information due to recent discoveries of which I am unaware?

Your references would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

(Although this thread is not directly related to keris world, but I think I need to clarify this, as requested by Mr Alan G Maisey)

Caruban Nagari

Dear Alan,
Yes, probably that was a mistake. But I could tell you why I mentioned Cirebon was the first Islamic Kingdom in Java. Probably it should be read better as “the keraton of Cirebon was formally built by an Islam Prince, Pangeran Cakrabuana or Rakean Walangsungsang in 1452 M – prior to the Demak Mesjid (mosque) that was built in 1466.”

Sunan Gunung Jati was the first Sultan of the Islamic Sultanate, and he used too the Istana Pakungwati – that was formerly built by Pangeran Cakrabuana, a Pajajaran prince. Actually, Pangeran Cakrabuana was regarded as the pioneer of the Cirebon Sultanate until now…

I would like to write my explanation a bit chronologically. I have read a documentation – which quoted an official source of Publication Catalog of National Library of Republic of Indonesia (Printed by Perum Percetakan Negara RI 2003) that told about the history of Caruban Nagari -- old name of Cirebon, before becoming Sultanate of Cirebon under their first Sultan Syarif Hidayatullah the then Sunan Gunung Jati.

In the year of 1415, the northern coast of Galuh Purwa Kingdom (Pajajaran) of West Java was called as Singapura Nagari (pls not to be misunderstood as Singapore). Situated at Mertasinga Village, near Cirebon now.

Singapura Nagari was ruled by a Mangkubumi (certain official middle rank in that coastal state at that time) named as Ki Gedeng Tapa or Ki Gedeng Jumajan Jati. He was also a harbour administrator (Syahbandar) of Muara Jati, port of Singapura Nagari.

Mangkubumi Ki Gedeng Tapa had a wife, named Nyi Ratna Kranjang, and a beautiful daughter named Nyi Mas Larang Tapa or popularly known as Nyi Mas Subang Larang. This daughter of Ki Gedeng Tapa, had a spiritual (religion) teacher, an Islamic ulema called Syeikh Quro. This Syeikh Quro originated from Champa, (now in Indochine) who built a Pondok Pesantren (Islamic dormitory) in Karawang (West Java, about 100 km west of Cirebon now) in 1416 M. Nyi Mas Subang Larang also got a religion lesson in Islam from Syeikh Dzatul Kahfi – an Islamic ulema from Baghdad, Persia which had built Pondok Pesantren Gunung Jati near the port of Muara Jati at 1420 M.

The beautiful Nyi Mas Subang Larang who had turned to Islam religion, was married to the Hindhu crown Prince of Galuh Purwa Nagari, named Sang Pamanah Rasa or Prabu Dewata Wisesa, or Prabu Jaya Dewata, or Prabu Dewata Prana, or Sri Baduga Maharaja who was then famous with his name, Prabu Siliwangi of Galuh Purwa Nagari (Pajajaran). In an Islamic marriage ceremony in Singapura Nagari.

Prince Pamanah Rasa then went back to Galuh Kaler Nagari and became a Pajajaran king, named as Prabu Siliwangi but turned back to Hindhu – the official religion of Pajajaran kingdom. Nyi Mas Subang Larang was still faithful follower of Islam. Even she educated her two children, Rakean Walangsungsang and the younger sister Nyi Mas Rarasantang in Islamic way in the Pajajaran palace.

When Nyi Mas Subang Larang (Siliwangi’s wife) passed away in 1440, king Siliwangi asked the two children Walangsungsang (20) and Rarasantang (18) to turned to Hindhu or they would loose their right as crown prince and royal family. The two chose to leave the kingdom, and went to their Islamic spiritual teacher Syeikh Quro in Muara Jati (port of Cirebon now).

In Caruban Nagari, Walangsungsang worked hard to build Islamic society among the local people, and built his Istana (palace) named as Pakungwati palace (now still exists, as Keraton Kasepuhan Cirebon). Since 1452, Walangsungsang then called as Panembahan Cakrabuana. And Caruban Nagari then called as Pakungwati Nagara. Built with the financial aid of Syahbandar Ki Gedeng Tapa their teacher who was also Chief Administrator of Muara Jati port.

In Pajajaran, Walangsungsang’s younger brother (from different mother) Rakean Raja Sengara then was named as the new Pajajaran king of Galuh Kaler Nagari instead of Walangsungsang. He was the youngest brother of Walangsungsang…

Sunan Gunung Jati

Who was the famous Cirebon sultan, Sunan Gunung Jati? In the year of 1447, according to this documentation, Prince Walangsungsang and his sister Nyi Mas Rarasantang went to Mekkah, to go for their Haj. Nyi Endang Geulis – Walangsungsang’s wife – not joined them because she was pregnant.

During Haj in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, Nyi Mas Rarasantang met an Arabian named Syeikh Abdullah (22nd line of Prophet Muhammad SAW) from Egypt. After Haj, Walangsungsang and sister stayed for a while in Egypt, for three months. His sister was married to the Egyptian, and was named as Hajjah Syarifah Muda’im. Hajjah Syarifah or Nyi Mas Rarasantang promised to send his child to Jawa someday, and she stayed in Egypt.

From Egypt, Rakean Walangsungsang then went to Baghdad in Persia, and then Champa in Indochine to learn more on Islam before went back to Jawa. And in the mean time, on 1448 when his sister Nyi Mas Rarasantang was in advaced stage of pregnancy, she went Haj to Makkah again with her Egyptian husband Syeikh Abdullah. Their first son was born in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and he was named as Syarif Hidayat (the then Sunan Gunung Jati).

In the age of 18 years in 1466, Syarif Hidayat went for Haj to Makkah, and then learn Tauhid knowledge and Islam in Madinah (Arab), Baghdad (Persia) and asked permission to go to Jawa to teach Islam in Jawa. He went to Yunan (southern China now) to teach Islam, and met a Ming dynasty princess Ong Tin Nio (some years later, Ong Tin Nio came to Jawa to marry Syarif Hidayat – then Sunan Gunung Jati).

When Syarif Hidayat arrived in Jawa in 1479 M, Rakean Walangsungsang or Panembahan Cakrabuana -- his uncle -- handed his rule on Caruban Nagari to Syarif Hidayat. And since then, Syarif Hidayat became the Sultan of Caruban Nagari – apart from Pajajaran kingdom of Galuh Kaler Nagari. Panembahan Walangsungsang then became sultan’s adviser with absolute right of power to decide on certain thing in Cirebon sultanate.

Political and moral support came from Persia too. Syarif Abdurrakhman with his 1.200 followers came from Irak and dwelled in Dukuh Panjunan, in Cirebon. Also, support from Islamic king of Demak, Raden Patah (mixed blood of king Majapahit descent and a Champa or Indochinese wife) who built the Islamic Kingdom of Demak in the year 1475 M. Together, they fought against Hindhu Majapahit kingdom, under King Kertabumi or Brawijaya V. Then Majapahit collapsed, as did Hindhu Pajajaran kingdom.

Syarif Hidayat then became one of the nine Islamic wali or regarded as sacred ulemas, “Walisongo”, and then named as Sunan Gunung Jati.

I hope you won't waste your time to read this not-useful thread...

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