Javanese sacred places
Javanese sacred places are locations on the Island of Java, Indonesia that have significance from either village level through to national level as sacred, and in most cases deserve visitation—usually within the context of ziarah regardless of the ethnicity or religion of the visitor. The dominant form for many places is a sacred grave, or a place associated with persons considered to have special attributes in the past—like Wali Sanga or Royalty.
Form
The tendency has been for graves to equate to sacred places, but the full range can include- Caves
- Trees, or a group of trees
- Mountains and volcanoes
- Landscape
- Springs
- Rock Outcrops
- Man made fixed structures - temples, buildings, and ruins
- Kraton structures are considered sacred
- Places of rest of Javanese saints or legendary characters
Terminology
Common expressions in Javanese and Indonesian for these places are:- Pundhen - short for pepundhen
- Tempat Keramat
- Tempat Ziarah
- petilasan - traces - of ancestors.
National
The graves of national and regional heroes and significant people—either of distant historic nature, or of more recent dates—national heroes of the last 100 years or so, and leaders and 'special people'.Some examples:
- Borobudur, 9th century Mahayana Buddhist Temple, a powerful symbol for Indonesia to testify for its past greatness
- Prambanan, 8th-century Hindu temple
- Menang, in Pagu sub-district of Kediri Regency, dedicated to King Jayabaya of Kediri
- Mount Tidar in Magelang
- Ratu Boko
- The graves of the Wali, Sunan Kalijaga
- The grave of Sultan Agung at Imogiri
- The grave of Sukarno in Blitar
- National Heroes cemetery in Kalibata, Jakarta
Regional
The graves and sites related to regionally significant figures who might be ethnically or regionally specific, rather than of national significance.- Graves of local officials
- Graves of local families related to the Palaces, such as Yogyakarta, Surakarta
Local
The graves relating specifically to an individual—one's parents' graves, or grandparents' graves. Also sites within the localities of one's birth, or the graves of one's parents.Natural sites - such as trees, rock outcrops, and springs carry significant folklore, some of which is collected and published.