Semar and the Punakawan: the clown-gods of Java

Variant

The most beloved Mahabharata characters in Java are not in the Mahabharata.

Javanese wayang adds clown-servants Semar and his sons Gareng, Petruk and Bagong who counsel the Pandavas. Semar is said to be the god Sang Hyang Ismaya in human form, elder to Batara Guru (Shiva), never mistaken and able to challenge the gods. He is one of few wayang figures not from Indian mythology; reliefs from 1358 (and Candi Sukuh 1439) show him. He resembles the Sanskrit vidushaka.

Who: Semar, Gareng, Petruk, Bagong

Bound to

Petruk becomes king; Semar builds heaven (lakon carangan) located-at

Places: Java, Indonesia

Where this comes from

folk-oral · Jakarta Post: Mahabharata Javanese stories
commentary · Wikipedia: Semar (Geertz 1960; Holt 1967)

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