Wayang Purwa: Sejarah Wayang Kulit Cirebon

Synopsis

Wayang kulit Cirebon hidup dan berkembang bersamaan dengan masuk dan berkembangnya agama Islam di Cirebon yang dibawa para wali berdasarkan sejarah (babad Cirebon), pakeliran wayang kulit pertama di Cirebon dilakukan oleh Sunan Panggung atau Sunan Kalijaga sebagai dalangnya diiringi gamelan sekaten Cirebon. Dari pengaruh ajaran agama yang dibawa wali sanga itulah sehingga muncul tambahan tokoh panakawan menjadi sembilan, yakni Semar, Curis, Bitarota, Ceblok, Dawala, Cungkring, Bagong, Bagal Buntung, dan Gareng. Kehadiran sembilan panakawan ini didasarkan pada lambang wali sanga karena masyarakat Cirebon percaya bahwa awal keberadaan agama Islam di Indonesia ini karena jasa-jasa para wali sanga.

Cirebon shadow puppetry flourished alongside the arrival and spread of Islam in Cirebon. According to the Cirebon chronicle, the first shadow puppet performance in Cirebon was conducted by Sunan Panggung or Sunan Kalijaga, who was accompanied by the Cirebon sekaten gamelan. As a result of the religious influence of the saintly guardians, nine additional panakawan figures emerged: Semar, Curis, Bitarota, Ceblok, Dawala, Cungkring, Bagong, Bagal Buntung, and Gareng. These panakawan figures are considered symbols of the wali sanga, as the people of Cirebon believe that the spread of Islam in Indonesia was due to the efforts of the wali sanga.