Nirartha
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Danghyang Nirartha, also known as Pedanda Shakti Wawu Rauh, was a
Shaivite Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the supreme being. It is the second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million Hindus, found widely across South Asia (predominantly in ...
religious figure in
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
and a
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
traveler, during either the 15th or the 16th century. He was the founder of the Shaivite priesthood in Bali. Nirartha is also called Pedande Sakti Wawu Rauh (the newcomer of Holy Priest); in Lombok he is known as Pangeran Semeru, and in Sumbawa as Prince Sangupati.


Early life

A representative of elite social milieus, Nirartha was a disciple of Muslim saint Syekh Siti Jenar. Jenar was a Javanese member of the ''
Wali Sanga ''Wali Songo'' (), also transcribed as ''Wali Sanga'', are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word ''wali'' is Arabic for "trusted one ...
'' (revered Muslim saints) in Java who proned a more mystical approach of
sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
, called pantheist Sufism (union of man and God, ''wujûdiyah, manunggaling kawulo gusti'') - which opposed shariatic Sufism such as that of Sunan Kudus.


Travelling to Bali: politics

Balinese texts define Nirartha as “a poet, intellectual, wonderworker, and advisor to rulers”, a well-travelled innovator or reformer. He was sent by the Javanese royal court of
Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...
to Bali. Balinese oral accounts give his arrival in Bali in 1492, during the reign of King Waturenggong of Gelgel. He brings the support of the spiritual world (''niskala'') - and the sanction of Java's earthly powers - to confirm Dalem Baturenggong's Gelgel kingship over
Pasuruan Pasuruan () is a city in East Java Province of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 186,262 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 208,006 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at ...
, Blambangan, Puger, Bali, Nusa Penida, Sasak, and
Sumbawa Sumbawa, is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but th ...
. He was to select a local priest who would lead the ''rajasurya'' or ''aswameda'' ceremony hosted by King Dalem Watu Renggong for the occasion. Some accounts of the life of Nirartha say that he came into conflict with I Krahdng, sometimes called the king of Lombok. Krafeng Jarannika is reported to have died in about 1700 while resisting Karangasem's rule of Lombok. A tradition, well known amongst ''
brahmana The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedas, Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rigveda, Rig, Samaveda, Sama, Yajurveda, Yajur, and Athar ...
'' in Bali, is that ''wetu telu'' Islam (a mix of Islam and animism) was brought to the
Sasaks The Sasak (Balinese script: ᬲᬸᬓᬸ​ᬲᬲᬓ᭄, ''Wång Sâsak'') people live mainly on the island of Lombok, Indonesia, numbering around 3.6 million (85% of Lombok's population). They are related to the Balinese people, Balinese in ...
as the teachings of Nirartha or Dwijèndra, the ancestor of the Balinese brahmana siwa. One of the versions is that Nirartha disguised himself as Pangèran Sangupati in
Lombok Lombok, is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is rou ...
to found Islam there, and as Tuan Seméru or Suméru in
Sumbawa Sumbawa, is an Indonesian island, located in the middle of the Lesser Sunda Islands chain, with Lombok to the west, Flores to the east, and Sumba further to the southeast. Along with Lombok, it forms the province of West Nusa Tenggara, but th ...
to spread similar teachings there. Another version is that Pangèran Sangupati is a different person from Nirartha and may have been a Sasak pupil of his. Nirartha's travels in Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa are recounted in a '' lontara'' called ''Dwijendra Tatwa''. Admittedly he was still in Bali and alive in 1537: he penned a colophon attached to a copy of the ''kakavin'' ''Sumanasāntaka'', which states that “the copy was completed on 14 July 1537 in Bali, at the ''sima'' Kanaka by one whose parab was Nirartha”. One year before that, in 1536, according to the ''Dwijendratattwa'' and the ''Babad Brāhmaṇa'' he completed a work called ''Mahiṣa Mĕgat Kūng''.


Religious work

Nirartha was responsible for facilitating a refashioning of
Balinese Hinduism Balinese Hinduism (; , ''Hindusmé Bali''), also known in Indonesia as ''Agama Hindu Dharma'', ''Agama Tirtha'', ''Agama Air Suci'' or ''Agama Hindu Bali'', is the form of Hinduism practised by the majority of the population of Bali.McDaniel, J ...
. He was an important promoter of the idea of ''
moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...
'' ( freedom from the cycle of death and rebirth) in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. He founded the Shaivite priesthood that is now ubiquitous in Bali, and is now regarded as the ancestor of all Shaivite pedandas. He introduced in Balinese
Hindu temples A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to whom it is dedica ...
the shrine ( ''padmasana'') of the empty throne as an altar to the supreme god
Acintya Achintya (from Sanskrit: अचिन्त्य, "the inconceivable", "the unimaginable"), also known as Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa ( Balinese: "The Divine Order") and Sang Hyang Tunggal ("The Divine Oneness"), is the Supreme God of Indonesian Hin ...
''Bali and Lombok'', p.46-47, 2001, Dorling Kindersley Limited, London or
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
, as a result of Shaivite reformation movement. The temples on the coasts of Bali were augmented with the ''padmasana'' shrines by the dozen during Nirartha's travels.


Legends

Bali had been hit with many plagues in the years before. Some myths state that he made the journey from Java to Bali on top of a
pumpkin A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...
, giving rise to the
taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
among some Balinese
Brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
on the consumption of pumpkins.Of Temples and Dragons
Bali Plus
The legend says that Nirartha presented the king with a hair from his head, stating that this would remove the sufferings. This hair was placed in a temple which became a prominent Shaivite pilgrimage spot in Bali.


Notes and references


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Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nirartha, Dang Hyang Javanese people Shaivite religious leaders Hindu missionaries Hinduism in Bali Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown Indonesian missionaries Indonesian Hindu religious leaders