RAKSASA & Buta Bajang Figure Hilts

[ganjawulung]

Some of them are not like "buta" or "raksasa", but like figures of Javanese wayang...

GANJAWULUNG

[A. G. Maisey]

Nice handles Pak G.

You're right, it is a pity we do not have any guide book relating to this form of hilt.

I've posted some rough pics of a few of mine, but really, I don't know if they strictly fit the parameters or not --- but I'm certain that they fit the "whatever" classification.

[ganjawulung]

Thanks a lot, Alan for sharing your fantastic "butas"... Is there any thing to tell on some of their 'gesture'. Any 'speculation' idea on the "mudra", the special gesture of their hands and fingers maybe?

GANJAWULUNG

[VVV]

My favourite kind of keris hilt!
In the late Karsten Sejr-Jensen´s book and CD there is an analysis of the mudra signs etc.

Here are some of mine.

Michael

[A. G. Maisey]

Sorry Pak Ganja, this is an area that I know virtually nothing about.

Supposedly many of these figures are found in the pralambapada mudra, but my knowledge is insufficient for me to confirm this, or to speculate upon the reason, if indeed they are.

It has been suggested to me by a Chinese academic who teaches in this area of knowledge that perhaps these mudras are not so accurately portrayed and that to truly interpret them might be more than a little difficult.

These hilts are probably very fertile ground for some serious research.

[harimauhk]

Nice hilts. I too don't know much about them, but having grown up around Hinduism (I'm Indian and Nepalese), I find Indonesian representations of figures from Hindu mythology fascinating. Just out of curiosity, does 'buta' mean ghost?

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by harimauhk

Nice hilts. I too don't know much about them, but having grown up around Hinduism (I'm Indian and Nepalese), I find Indonesian representations of figures from Hindu mythology fascinating. Just out of curiosity, does 'buta' mean ghost?

Not 'ghost', but 'giant'. In some (javanese) wayang stories, giants were not always gigantic in size. Only the form (appearance) is 'giant' like, but the size of the creature is told as -- sometimes even smaller than human being. "Buta Bajang" means "Dwarf giant"... Literally "buta" (javanese) means "giant". Unfortunately, in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) "buta" means "blind"..

GANJAWULUNG

[ganjawulung]

Originally Posted by VVV

My favourite kind of keris hilt!
In the late Karsten Sejr-Jensen´s book and CD there is an analysis of the mudra signs etc.

Here are some of mine.

Michael

Thanks, Michael, for showing "your avatar" in complete view.. Thanks a lot too, to Erik and David. These are more pictorial post of such hilts...

GANJAWULUNG

[ganjawulung]

And more poses of this old model...

GANJAWULUNG

[erikscollectables]

Really great examples Ganjawulung!
Thanks for sharing!

I am always searching for these but really good ones are harder and harder to find...(at least here in Holland)

Erik

[David]

Originally Posted by ganjawulung

And more poses of this old model...

Nicely carved fellow, but he doesn't look particularly old...