# Hyang > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hyang > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Hyang.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyang > Source revision: 1298742789 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Spiritual entity in Java-Bali mythology}} [[File:HYANG.gif|thumb|Calligraphy [Javanese Script](/source/Javanese_Script) "Hyang"]] [[File:Acintya_Bali.jpg|thumb|293x293px|[Acintya](/source/Acintya), ''Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa'' as supreme [God](/source/God) in [Balinist](/source/Balinese_Hinduism) belief.]] '''''Hyang''''' ([Kawi](/source/Kawi_language), [Sundanese](/source/Sundanese_language), [Javanese](/source/Javanese_language), and [Balinese](/source/Balinese_language)) is a representation of the [supreme being](/source/King_of_the_gods), in ancient [Java and Bali mythology](/source/Mythology_of_Indonesia).{{Cite news |date=2015-12-17 |title=Penjelasan Lengkap Acintya (Sang Hyang Widhi atau Sang Hyang Tunggal) - Mantra Hindu Bali |language=id-ID |work=Mantra Hindu Bali |url=http://www.mantrahindu.com/penjelasan-lengkap-acintya-sang-hyang-widhi-sang-hyang-tunggal/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225033922/http://www.mantrahindu.com/penjelasan-lengkap-acintya-sang-hyang-widhi-sang-hyang-tunggal/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 25, 2015 |access-date=2018-07-13}} The spiritual entity can be either considered [divine](/source/Divinity) or [ancestral](/source/ancestral). The reverence for this spiritual entity can be found in the folk religions of Java and Bali, such as the [Sunda Wiwitan](/source/Sunda_Wiwitan) ({{aka}} Sundanism), [Kejawen](/source/Kejawen) ({{aka}} non-monotheistic Javanism), [Kapitayan](/source/Kapitayan) ({{aka}} monotheistic Javanism), and [Gama Tirta](/source/Balinese_Hinduism) ({{aka}} Balinism). The realm where ''Hyang'' resides is called the ''Kahyangan'', which is an [Old Javanese](/source/Old_Javanese) term that means "the abode of ''Hyang''", "part of ''Hyang''", or "[heaven](/source/heaven)".{{citation |last=Zoetmulder |first=P.J. |title=Old Javanese-English Dictionary |year=1982 |publisher=[Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde](/source/Royal_Netherlands_Institute_of_Southeast_Asian_and_Caribbean_Studies)}} The [Old Sundanese](/source/Old_Sundanese_language) manuscript [Sanghyang Siksa Kandang Karesian](/source/Sanghyang_Siksa_Kandang_Karesian),{{Cite book |last=Piliang |first=Santo Saba |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=603rDwAAQBAJ&q=sunda+wiwitan+hyang&pg=PA241 |title=LEMURIA INDONESIA |date=2020-06-14 |publisher=Santo Saba Piliang |language=id}} has stated that ''Hyang'' can be interpreted as "[Omnipotence](/source/Omnipotence)". Similarly, in the highest [Sunda Wiwitan](/source/Sunda_Wiwitan) [Spirituality](/source/Spirituality), ''Hyang'' is also referred to as ''[Sang Hyang Kersa](/source/Sang_Hyang_Kersa)'' (the Powerful).{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2dcTAQAAMAAJ&q=sunda+wiwitan+religion |title=Tempo: Indonesia's Weekly News Magazine |date=2006 |publisher=Arsa Raya Perdana |language=en}} [Gama Tirta](/source/Balinese_Hinduism) {{aka}} Balinism describes Hyang as a venerated spiritual existence that deserves special reverence. Hyang is commonly described as a sacred and luminous personal form. It is also referred to as the name for a spiritual existence that has supernatural powers, portrayed like the sun in a dream and often mentioned in a [masculine form](/source/masculine_form). A Hyang's arrival in a person's life is reputed to give great contentment and happiness to the person. Indonesians generally recognize this term to refer to the cause of beauty, the cause of all existence (creator), or simply to refer to God. In [Kejawen](/source/Kejawen) {{aka}} Javanism, the concept of the [monotheistic](/source/Monotheism) [God](/source/God) is described as the ''Sang Hyang Tunggal'' or ''Sang Hyang Wenang''. Raden Ngabehi [Ranggawarsita](/source/Ranggawarsita) in his book, ''Paramayoga'', detailed the names and designations for Javanese concept of God as the objective of worship, including ''Sang Hyang Suksma Kawekas'', ''Sang Hyang Suksmesa'', ''Sang Hyang Amurbeng Rat'', ''Sang Hyang Sidhem Permanem'', ''Sang Hyang Maha Luhur'', ''Sang Hyang Wisesaning Tunggal'', ''Sang Hyang Wenanging Jagad'', ''Sang Hyang Maha Tinggi'', ''Sang Hyang Manon'', ''Sang Hyang Maha Sidhi'', ''Sang Hyang Warmana'', ''Sang Hyang Atmaweda'', etc.{{Cite web |author=Fadhil Nugroho Adi |date=2018-08-23 |title=Konsep Ketuhanan Menurut Ajaran Kejawen - suaramerdeka.com |url=https://www.suaramerdeka.com/arsip/117432-konsep-ketuhanan-menurut-ajaran-kejawen |access-date=2020-04-21 |website=www.suaramerdeka.com |language=id}} == Etymology == [[File:COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Sang_Hyang_dans_TMnr_60052123.jpg|right|thumb|The sacred [Balinese dance](/source/Balinese_dance) [Sanghyang](/source/Sanghyang) Dedari involved girls being possessed by hyangs.]] The term ''Hyang'' is [Old Javanese](/source/Old_Javanese) in origin. It means "god", "goddess", "deified being", or "divinity". It remains in {{langx|jv|ꦲꦾꦁ|Hyang}} and {{langx|ban|ᬳ᭄ᬬᬂ|Hyang}}, which bears the same meaning. In [Old Sundanese](/source/Old_Sundanese_language), the term ''"nga-hyang"'' means "disappear" or "unseen". In its development, the term "hyang" became the root word for many terms that are still known and used in modern [Indonesian](/source/Indonesian_language): * '''Reverence'''. If the word "hyang" is attached with prefixes attribute ''Sang-, Dang-, Ra-''; to form the word ''Sanghyang, Danghyang'', or ''Rahyang'', the word itself is used to honor or revere [gods](/source/gods) or the deceased ancestors. For example, [Sanghyang Sri Pohaci](/source/Dewi_Sri) and [Sang Hyang Widhi](/source/Acintya) refer to [gods](/source/gods), while the stylized name [Rahyang Dewa Niskala](/source/Niskala_Wastu_Kancana) refers to the name of the late king of [the Sunda kingdom](/source/Sunda_kingdom). The term ''Danghyang'', ''Dhanyang'', or ''Danyang'' conversely is used to refer to the guardian spirits of certain sacred or haunted places. The name of [the Srivijayan](/source/Srivijaya) empire founder, [Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa](/source/Dapunta_Hyang_Sri_Jayanasa), also contained the name "hyang" which suggested that he possessed supernatural power. * '''Place'''. ''Kahyangan'' — later ''kayangan'', from the prefix-suffix [conjugation](/source/Conjugation_(grammar)) ''ka-hyang-an'' — refers to the realm "where hyangs reside". Because of the belief that hyang prefer high places, some mountainous regions are considered as the abode of hyang. For example, [Parahyangan](/source/Parahyangan) refers to the mountainous region of [West Java](/source/West_Java). Originating from a conjugated word ''para-hyang-an''; ''para'' indicates plural, while the suffix ''-an'' shows the place, so Parahyangan can be interpreted as the abode of hyangs. The term kahyangan is also used to refer to a type of [Pura](/source/Pura_(Balinese_temple)) or Balinese temple. For example, ''Pura kahyangan jagad'' is a Balinese temple located in the mountainous region as the counterparts of ''pura segara''; a Balinese temple located by the sea.{{Cite web |title=Pura Kahyangan Jagat – Babadbali |url=http://new.babadbali.com/category/pura/daftar-pura/pura-kahyangan-jagat/ |access-date=2018-07-13 |website=new.babadbali.com |date=2 October 2016 |language=id}} [Dieng Plateau](/source/Dieng_Plateau) in [Central Java](/source/Central_Java) also shared the same origin, it is from the conjugation ''di-hyang'' which also means "hyang's place". [[File:Pura Parahyangan Agung Jagatkarta 6.jpg|thumb|right|''[Kramaning sembah](/source/Sembah)'' worship gesture during [Hindu Balinese](/source/Balinese_Hinduism) ''sembahyang'' at [Pura Parahyangan Agung Jagatkarta](/source/Pura_Parahyangan_Agung_Jagatkarta)]] * '''Activity'''. The word ''sembahyang'' in [Indonesian](/source/Indonesian_language) is [synonymous](/source/Synonym) with the Islamic [salat](/source/salat) ritual. It originated from the [compound word](/source/Compound_(linguistics)) ''sembah-hyang'' which means "worship the hyang".{{cite web |title=Sembahyang |url=http://kbbi.web.id/sembahyang |access-date=28 May 2015 |publisher=Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) |language=id}} One of the instances of sembahyang is the [Balinese](/source/Balinese_dance) ''[Sanghyang](/source/Sanghyang) Dedari'', a sacred dance that involves pre-pubescent girls performing complex dances in a [trance](/source/trance) state. Through complex rituals to summon the spirits, it is believed that the spirits [possessed](/source/Spirit_possession) the girls and manifested in their dance.{{Cite news |last=Khoiri |first=Agniya |title=Jejak Terakhir Sanghyang Dedari, Tari Sakral di Bali |language=id |work=hiburan |url=https://www.cnnindonesia.com/hiburan/20170128232759-241-189763/jejak-terakhir-sanghyang-dedari-tari-sakral-di-bali |access-date=2018-07-13}} Another example of the ritual is the ''Sanghyang Jaran'', a Balinese version of the ''[Kuda Lumping](/source/Kuda_Lumping)'' dance ritual that also involves a form of spirit possession. == Origin == [[File:Sanghyang Tapak inscription.jpg|thumb|right|[Sanghyang Tapak inscription](/source/Sanghyang_Tapak_inscription) from West Java dated 952 saka (1030 CE) mentioned Sanghyang Tapak sacred sanctuary believed to be the abode of hyang spirits]] The term ''hyang'', now widely associated with [Sunda Wiwitan](/source/Sunda_Wiwitan), [Kejawen](/source/Kejawen), and [Balinism](/source/Balinese_Hinduism), developed in ancient [Java](/source/Java) and [Bali](/source/Bali) more than a millennium ago. This term has its roots in the traditional [animism](/source/animism) and [dynamism](/source/Dynamism_(metaphysics)) in the beliefs of [indigenous Indonesians](/source/Native_Indonesians) native to the [Indonesian archipelago](/source/Indonesian_archipelago).{{Cite book |author1=Waluyo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ckeaZarYwZUC&q=Animisme+dan+Dinamisme+Sejarah+Budaya+Nusantara&pg=PA149 |title=Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial |author2=Suwardi |author3=Agung Feryanto |author4=Tri Haryanto |date=1977 |publisher=Grasindo |isbn=978-979-462-904-8 |page=149 |language=id}} Native pre-Hindu, pre-Buddhist, and pre-Islamic Indonesians have venerated and revered [ancestral spirits](/source/Ancestor). They also believed that some spirits may inhabit certain places such as large trees, stones, forests, mountains, or sacred places. The ''hyang'' concept had indigenously developed in the Indonesian archipelago and is not considered to have originated from [Indian](/source/India) [dharmic religions](/source/dharmic_religions). Before the adoption of [Hinduism](/source/Hinduism), [Buddhism](/source/Buddhism), and [Islam](/source/Islam), the natives of the Indonesian archipelago believed in powerful but unseen spiritual entities that could be both benevolent and malevolent. They also believed that the deceased ancestor had not gone away or disappeared completely. The ancestral spirit may gain god-like spiritual power and remain involved in their offspring’s worldly affairs. That is why the veneration and reverence to honor ancestors is an important element in the belief system of native ethnic groups, such as [Nias](/source/Nias), [Dayak](/source/Dayak_people), [Toraja](/source/Toraja), and [Papuan](/source/Papuan_peoples) ethnic groups, as well as many [ethnic groups in Indonesia](/source/ethnic_groups_in_Indonesia). In ancient [Sundanese](/source/Sundanese_people), [Javanese](/source/Javanese_people), and [Balinese](/source/Balinese_people) societies, this unseen spiritual entity is identified as "''hyang''". These ancestral divine spirits are believed to inhabit high places, such as [mountains](/source/mountains), hills, and [volcanoes](/source/volcanoes). These mountainous regions are considered sacred realms, as the abode of gods and the resting place for the [soul](/source/soul) of the ancestors. Several ancient Indonesian inscriptions dated from the Hindu-Buddhist period (8th to 15th century) mentioned ''Hyang'' either as the name of the sanctuary or the name of a deity revered in multiple [temples](/source/Candi_of_Indonesia).{{Cite book |last=Soekmono |first=R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7cd2Ha7fT90C&q=sang+hyang+candi&pg=PA144 |title=The Javanese Candi: Function and Meaning |date=1995 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9004102159 |language=en}} == Characteristics == [[File:Aling-aling achter de tjandi bentar van de poera Dharma Sabha in de onderafdeling Badoeng, KITLV 8288.tiff|thumb|upright|''Aling-aling'' obstruction structure behind ''[candi bentar](/source/candi_bentar)'' split gate in Pura Dharma Sabha in Badung, Bali]] "''Hyangs''" are said to only move in straight lines. Accordingly, traditional Balinese buildings have a wall called an ''{{visible anchor|aling-aling}}'' just inside the doorway, which keeps the spirits out because they only move in straight lines, and hence bounce off.[http://www.bali-travel-life.com/bali-religion.html Bali Religion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704121228/http://www.bali-travel-life.com/bali-religion.html|date=2010-07-04}} Similar walls can be seen at the entrance of some Javanese cemeteries. Parallel beliefs are found in other spiritual traditions, as in British [corpse roads](/source/Corpse_road). == Hyang in native Indonesians' religions == The concept of ''hyang'' can be situated in native Indonesian religions in several ways: * [Balinism](/source/Balinese_Hinduism): It is ''[Sang Hyang Widhi](/source/Acintya)'', the almighty God, the source of goodness brought by the Gods. Identified with Almighty Lord ''[Paramasiwa](/source/Parashiva)''. * [Javanese Buddhism](/source/Buddhism): It is ''[Sanghyang Adi Buddha](/source/Sanghyang_Adi_Buddha)'', the law of nature that continues to exist, a so-called God that cannot be forgotten, where his ''[Dharma](/source/Dharma)'' was discovered by [Gautama Buddha](/source/Gautama_Buddha). * [Sunda Wiwitan](/source/Sunda_Wiwitan): Recognized as the almighty God in the name of ''[Sang Hyang Kersa](/source/Sang_Hyang_Kersa)'', the embodiment of [Maha Adhi Parabrahman](/source/Parabrahman) in Hinduism belief. * [Islam Nusantara](/source/Islam_Nusantara): According to the teachings of ''[Sunan Kalijaga](/source/Sunan_Kalijaga)'' (Tuban Javanese missionary man), the ''Sang Hyang'' is the archipelagic ancestor of ''Sang Hyang [Adam](/source/Adam)'', ''Sang Hyang Sita'' (prophet [Seth](/source/Seth)), ''Sang Hyang Wanuh'' (prophet [Noah](/source/Noah)), ''Sang Hyang Jawith'' ([Japheth](/source/Japheth), son of Noah), ''Sang Hyang Jawana'' (believed as progenitor of the [Javanese](/source/Javanese_people)), ''Sang Hyang Jawata'' (another progenitor of the [Javanese](/source/Javanese_people)), ''Sang Hyang Bathara Guru'', ''Sang Hyang Ismaya'', ''Sang Hyang Bathara Wisnu'', and so on, until the deceased parents are personified as the spiritual entity united with ''Sang Hyang''. ==See also== * [Balinism](/source/Balinese_Hinduism) * [Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism](/source/Indonesian_Esoteric_Buddhism) * [Hinduism in Java](/source/Hinduism_in_Java) * [Javanism](/source/Kejaw%C3%A8n) * [Kaharingan](/source/Kaharingan) * [Sunda Wiwitan](/source/Sunda_Wiwitan) * [Aitu](/source/Aitu) * [Anito](/source/Anito) * [Atua](/source/Atua) * [Kami](/source/Kami), similar concept in Japanese [Shinto](/source/Shinto) faith * [Kupua](/source/Kupua) * [Shen](/source/Shen_(Chinese_religion)), similar concept in [Chinese folk religion](/source/Chinese_folk_religion) * [Taotao Mona](/source/Taotao_Mona) == References == {{refbegin}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100704121228/http://www.bali-travel-life.com/bali-religion.html Bali Religion] {{refend}}{{Names of God}} Category:Animism in Asia Category:Balinese mythology Category:Indonesian deities Category:Javanese mythology Category:Sundanese mythology --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hyang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyang) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyang?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.