Sunan Gunung Jati is one of the Nine Saint who successfully and
peacefully Islamized people in Java known as “Wali
Songo”. Not only as a spiritual leader, he also once a
Sultan in Cirebon Sultanate. He’s believed as the first
Sultan in Cirebon while the sultanate’s name was still
known as Keraton Pakungwati. | |  | |  | | |
| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Hall for the caretakers where the pilgrims ask their permission prior to enter the 5th gate. | |  | |  |
Entering the graveyard’s complex, you will see Balemangu
Majapahit in the form of Bale-bale with many levels as a present
from Demak during the marriage of Sunan Gunung Djati and Nyi Mas
Tepasari., the daughter of Ki Ageng Tepasan, he was one of the
high rank official in Majapahit at that time.
Take another step inside you will see Balemangu Padjadjaran,
another big Bale-bale as a present from Prabu Siliwangi to show
his appreciation during the coronation of Syarif Hidayatullah as
the Sultan from Pakungwati Sultanate (where the Kraton Cirebon
comes from).
The Tomb of Sunan Gunung Djati located in the hill of Gunung
Sembung (Sembung Mountain) and only those who has familial link
with the Kraton family and the selected tomb’s caretaker
are allowed to enter. The reason for this is because there are a
lot of precious pieces inside the tomb such as Chinese
porcelains, other pieces embedded into the walls and also water
jar along the tomb’s path. People believes that the Chinese
porcelains were originally from China and brought by Princess Ong
Tien, the Chinese wife of Sunan Gunung Djati. Even up to this
moment, those Chinese porcelains are still in a beautiful and
good conditions. So, if too many visitor come and go inside the
tomb the possibility of those pieces being stolen or damaged is
most certain.
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| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Pintu Mergu to separate the Chinese graveyard so the pilgrims can do their own ritual here. | |  | |  |
There are 9 gates (pintu) standing one after another in a
straight line in the Tomb of Sunan Gunung Djati to the top of the
hill. The gate in order are as follows : 1) Pintu Gapura, 2)Pintu
Krapyak, 3)Pintu Pasujudan, 4)Pintu Ratnakomala, 5)Pintu Jinem,
6)Pintu Rararoga, 7)Pintu Kaca, 8)Pintu Bacem, 9)Pintu Teratai.
All “Pintu” or Gate are closed and visitor are only
allowed to enter up to Pintu Jinem.
The gate are kept closed and only open during certain ritual
such as Thursday night Kliwon during the tahlil ritual. Looking
through the open gate, we can see many stairs leading to the hill
top of the Tomb of Sunan Gunung Djati.
The flocking pilgrims have to enter through the Eastern Gate
and it will bring them to the corridor and a hall used as the
quarter for the tomb’s caretakers. Pilgrims have to ask
caretaker on duty for their permissions to enter the tomb’s
area. Normally they will donate some money in the box provided.
After the caretaker allows them to pass then they will enter the
Western gate into a hall in front of Pintu Pasujudan.
 | |  | |  | | |
| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Chinese porcellains embedded in the wall decorating the tomb. | |  | |  |
You might never thought that inside the Tomb of Sunan Gunung
Djati there’s a graveyard for Chinese people separated by
Pintu Mergu. The graveyard locations are intentionally separated
from others so that those Chinese pilgrims can do their own
ritual such as burning incense without being disturbed by other
non-Chinese pilgrims.
Every week this tomb will be cleaned by the caretakers at
least three times. Fresh flowers will be replaced every Monday,
Thursday and Friday. On every Monday and Thursday the caretaker
will enter from the gate called dapur Pesambangan whereas on
Friday the caretaker will enter from the same gate with any other
pilgrims.
The number of all caretakers operating this tomb is 108 which
consist of 9 groups of 12 staffs who’s on duty for a period
of 15 days at rotation and headed by a Bekel Sepuh (Senior Bekel)
and Bekel Anom (Junior Bekel). The latest bekel was an additional
after kraton was divided into Kraton Kasepuhan and Kraton
Kanoman. Those whose on duty becomes a Bekel normally inherit
this job from their father or relative who doesn’t have
children, or can be because they earned the trust and formalize
it with certain ceremony and rituals. All of caretakers including
Bekel are headed by a Jeneng which appointed by Sultan.
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| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Handwritten Quran aged hundred years old. | |  | |  |
The story behind the number of 108 for the caretakers started
during the reign of Sunan Gunung Djati in Kraton Pakungwati. One
day a wrecked ship and 108 passengers and ship crew were
captured. All passengers came from Keling (Kalingga) under the
reign of Adipati Keling. These Keling people then surrender and
committed to devote their life to Sunan Gunung Djati. Later, they
choose to stay in the area around the tomb until the present
descendants. Most of the people lives in the Tomb of Sunan Gunung
Djati are the Keling’s descendants. The 12 people
who’s on duty was taken from the job of a ship
crew/sailor.
Other than the caretakers and those who has familial link with
Sultan’s family, no one are allowed to enter the Tomb of
Sunan Gunung Djati. People says inside the tomb there’s
something called Malela sand brought by Pangeran Cakrabuana from
Mecca. The caretakers are instructed to clean their feet before
stepping out from the tomb so the sand it will not be carried out
of the tomb by their feet. This instructions believes came from
Pangeran Cakrabuana himself since at that time bringing the sand
into this area took a lot of efforts.
Not far from the graveyard’s complex, there is a mosque
called Masjid Sang Saka Ratu or Dok Jumeneng which believes was
used by Keling people whose once was rebellious to Sunan Gunung
Djati. Inside this mosque we can see a hundred years old
handwritten Qur’an still in a good condition.
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| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Kamulyaan well around the mosque area. If you need to use the water then prior permission from caretaker needed. | |  | |  |
There are some Sumur (wells) inside the mosque called
Kemulyaan well and Djati well, Kanoman well and Kasepuhan well.
This mosque has 12 caretakers called Kaum which selected through
the official procedure from Sultanate along with all the rituals
and traditions. The 12 Kaums consist of 5 staffs as technical
assistance, 4 staffs as Muadzin, 3 staffs as Khotib and headed by
a Penghulu or Imam. Except for Penghulu or Imam, all of them has
to work in rotation on a weekly basis with formation of 1
technical assistance, 1 Muadzin and 1 Khotib.
There’s a legend in relations to Jalatunda well. It
believes the water coming from the net (jala) left by Sunan
Kalijaga when he was ordered to find water for all saints to for
wudhu. Now, the water from this Jalatunda well known as the
Zam-zam water of Cirebon.
Visiting this tomb actually is not hard at all. The location
is not so far from the town of Cirebon and the direction sign is
easy to find and take you to the entrance and a huge parking area
is also provided.
Unfortunately, a lot of local people asking for unofficial
donations to visitors. They have various ways of asking for the
‘donations’, from those whose asking/begging nicely,
follow you all the way until they get tired and realized you will
not give them any money, until those people who slams the table
where donation box was placed to scare visitors if they refuse to
pay. People who asks for ‘donations’ not only the
young but also elderly and toddlers. Some keep follow you and
even pull your shirt to get attentions. They will come up with
million reasons for getting this ‘donations’ such as
for tomb’s maintenance or as a fee for ‘opening
gate’. If you come to this place with group of people then
be prepared to face many ‘donation’ seeker who will
line-up waiting for you starting from the parking area to the
tomb’s gate.
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| | | [navigasi.net] Lain-lain - Makam Sunan Gunung Jati Sang Saka Ratu or Dok Jumeneng mosque which believed used by the Keling people. | |  | |  |
This action will only make visitor upset and very annoying at
certain levels. Our guide told us not to start giving them some
money as ‘donation’ whatsoever since it will trigger
others to follow us asking for the same thing. Though we have
already carefully spend the money for the donations by keep
saying “no” to those who asked, still, we have to
give away many times. It is very difficult to avoid this
situations.
According to our guide, many complain has been addressed and
there is an effort to stop this ‘donation’ things.
Once, Sultan had ordered the people here to stop asking for so
called donations but the instruction did not last long. One or
two weeks later people start their collecting activity again. It
is understandable since asking for ‘donations’ has
become their daily job.
It would be better for Kraton or the local authority to start
thinking a way for stopping this donation collections since it
will mark the image of this sacred place and not to mention, the
Moslem people. This activity also not a good example for children
and the next generations who lives in the neighborhood. It
won’t be surprise if later on they also become one of them
who forces people for getting a so-called donation. Though Sunan
Gunung Djati once said “Ingsun titip tajug lan fakir
miskin” which means “I left you this mosque and the
less fortunate” but I’m sure this is not the way it
should be.
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