Wawacan Sulanjana

Wawacan Sulanjana is the Sundanese manuscript contains the Sundanese mythology. The title means "The Tale of Sulanjana", derived from the name of the hero Sulanjana as the protector of rice plant against the attack of Sapi Gumarang cow, Kalabuat and Budug Basu boars symbolizing rice pestilence. The Wawacan Sulanjana contains Sundanese local wisdom through reverence of rice cultivation in its tradition.

The mythology in Wawacan Sulanjana tell the myth of the Sundanese gods, most especially telling the story of rice goddess Nyi Pohaci Sanghyang Asri. It also describe the wealth of ancient kingdom of Pajajaran or Sunda Kingdom with its legendary king Siliwangi. It also to describe the agriculture nature of Sundanese people. The origin of Wawacan Sulanjana was probably oral tradition of Pantun Sunda transmitted orally by village's story teller across generations. The present copy of Wawacan Sulanjana was estimated to be compiled and composed in later period, around 17th to 19th century after adoption of Islam into Sundanese culture. It contains several traces of Islamic mythology such as the Sundanese gods are connected to biblical figure of Adam, also the demon Idajil connected to the Devil (Satan) in Biblical tradition. The present myth contain influences of Hindu and Islamic mythology. However, most of the mythology actually derived from far older pre-Hindu and pre-Islamic aspect of ancient Sundanese culture. Some trace of Javanese culture also present, such as the reference to the deity Batara Ismaya disguised as the old servant Ki Semar, and the mentioning of Nawang Wulan apsara that magically cooks rice. In 1907 Plyte translated and compiled the "Wawacan Sulanjana".

The story began with the creation mythology of the universe by a single supreme God, and with peculiar connection to Biblical figure of Adam as the ancestor of Sundanese gods. these sections was probably added later to the original version in order to incorporate Islamic mythology and ideas after Sundanese people influenced by Islam. The highest God of Sunda Wiwitan belief, the Sang Hyang Kersa ("The Powerful") created the universe and also other gods such as Mother Goddess Batari Sunan Ambu, and Batara Guru (identified as Shiva after adoption of Hinduism). Many other gods were adopted from Hindu gods such as Indra and Vishnu. Batara Guru rules the kahyangan or svargaloka as the king of gods. Sang Hyang Kersa also created seven bataras (lesser demigods) in Sasaka Pusaka Buana (The Sacred Place on Earth), they ruled various locations in Sunda lands.

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