The Legend Of Queen Of The Indian Ocean

Legend / tales is parts of Culture Heritage which has been passed from generation to generation by word of mouth.
The Landscape where the Legend made itself is a treasure houses of culture.
To the painter, it's a scene of beauty; to the writer, it will have story to tell; to the mystic, it will offer serenity for meditation.
The Landscape across Southern coast of Java, started from Western bank to eastern bank; Anyer, Carita, Pelabuhan Ratu, Ujung Genteng, Pangandaran, Parangtritis, Barong and G-Land of Banyuwangi; all of them bring atmosphere full of excitement and mystery; particularly for those who know the legend of The Queen Of Indian Ocean Nyai Lara Kidul.
In Indonesia it would be an exception if someone had not heard of Nyai Lara Kidul Legend; it could only compared to the Western tales like Odyssey, Edda and also Mobidick which inspired from the Oceans. Karl Jaspers have said that the West Philosopher have started by Thales, ones who inspired his thinking from idea of Water.

For Jasper Oceans is the sources of unlimited chiffers; while Oceans itself belongs to oceans of unlimited chiffers, unlimited free horizon view from different angle, existed the transcendence possibility, flexibility, eternality and bring uncertainty for man to discover it. Here is the real places for man to found his liberty.

The Story Of Queen Of The Indian Ocean
Nyai Lara Kidul maiden name was Dewi Srengenge (The Sun Maiden). beauty was unsurpassed; The King of Banyumas in Central Java fell in love wiht her and made her his favourite wifes. This made one of his wives, Dewi Kundali jealous of the beauty Dewi Srengenge. So she employed an old wizard who used his magical power to turn Dewi Srengenge into the ugly and frightening creature.
Dewi Srengenge was so distressed tha she ran away. A she wandered, she met a kind-hearted old man who listened to her story and took pity to her. The old man reported her story to the Kings, who immediately sentenced Dewi Kundati and wizar to death. Alas but no one could give back Dewi Srengenge her beauty back. In deept sadness, she roamed from villages-to-villages,until she finally reached the southern coast of West Java. At the beach near Samudara in Pelabuhan Ratu of sukabumi, she heard a voices calling " Come, Dewi Srengenge. Come !. A Kingdom waits for you. You will regain your beauty an llive forever; Come!" lured by the voice; Dewi Srengenge entered the Sea and from then on was known as Nyai Lara Kidul The Queen Of The Indian Ocean.

It happened th Nyai Lara KIdul had a beloved sister who had been searching for her; it was not long before she searh led her to the same spot where Dewi Srengenge had entered the sea.
Grieving over the loss of her sister, she stood there boabing when suddenly a voice made itself heard " You need a fish tails if you wish to join your sister Dewi Srengenge"; there upon Lara Kidul Sister was transformed into a mermaid and she swam into the Ocean to join her Queen Sister in her Watery Palaces in Indian Oceans.

Hoever the story does not end here.
It Said that Senopati Ing Alaga the Kings of Mataram Empire in Joyakarta, once went to southern beach Parangtritis to meditate.
His meditation made the Indian Oceans swallows and warmed the water there; The Queen Lara Kidul stastled "what happened outside there?, Why the water became hot? IF the Sun was falled, or was it Appocalypse?".
She came out of her pallaces on her Chariot followe by her cavalry, but she found nothing happened outside there on the beach. What she had seen only a young man meditated alone, the she appeared before him and pleased him to stoped his meditation.
Both of them made partnership betwen Kingdoms Of South Ocean and The Great Royal House Of Mataram.
Queen Lara Kidul promissed to come to the Aid of King Senopati and his Royal descendates whenever they wanted her services.

The deep spiritual significante of the union of Queen Lara Kidul and The King Of Mataram can be witnessed during the Labuhan ceremony, which clebrate annually at the Water's edge of Parangtritis.
The ceremony is to honour the Queen Lara Kidul and ask for her blesing on the Sultan Of Mataram, his court and his people.
Offering are brought from the Sultan palace in Yogjakarta to Parang Kusumo beach on the southern coast facing the indian ocean; through sacree spots from villages Kretek on the western bank of Opak Rivers to Parangtritis villages at the water edge.
The Sajen (offering) included complete set of clothing for a princess, a sarong, javanese Kebaya blouse, selendang (shawl) batik and an umbrella, beside the foods; the sajen also included cutting of Sultan hairs and clipping of his fingernails.
The offerings are then placed on a bamboo raft and cast out to Sea; eventually it will be washed back by the waves, the believers collected these offerings since they belief it contain supranatural owers as well as spiritual good fortune.
However the Sulktan hair and finger nails will burrier in the sand in a special wallet in spot on the beach.

The Rituals ceremonies influence deep the local tradition and belief. On special occasion during court festiviites, Queen Lara Kidul is again venerated in a palaces dance called Bedoyo Ketawang, which originated ordered by Sultan Agung to commemorate Queen Lara Kidul.

Philosophical View
Aristotles : Arts is copy/ imitation of Nature, later i called it mimesis.
Problem Of Art - Susanne K. Langer:
Symbol forming principle is abstraction, where it's symbol in Arts or science (she means Atom models)
In Science => symbol came from concrete things/matter in event process that have similiarity in their general featuring ranks process.
In Arts => Symbol cane through total abstraction of things/object; not merely as constructive product like in science modeling.
My favorites thinker Karl Jaspers said almost the same to Susanne.
Chiffer is shadows, echoes and footmarks of transcendency. Chiffer exits in anywhere, so it means everithings which exits or not sgould be seen as transparance, transfix for everyone depend on their own Grenzsituation - limits situational condition.
Man have limited knowledge but always tryed to search for answer for anythings.
Within our Logic and rationale think, we don't believe anythings that we could not fells/see/reach... with our senses, but we beliefes the Atom model that can produced energy.

It's very Human and everythings remaind your own personal problems;-P.

Happy Existentialist

NOTE:
Senopati Ing Alaga former named is Ngabehi Loring Pasar, and ordinary people who setled in Mataram area before he build it become a Kingdom which later rulled also the Majapahit Empire in East Java.
Sultan Agung is the only King Of Mataram which could beatup the Dutch in Batavia/Jakarta, but he would no grounded the Dutch from Java.