The Myth Of White Crocodiles, Nawa Gapura Marga Raja Guardian

Abstract

Besides functioning as a support for the community at that time, the river also functioned as a means of transportation, trade, and even defense. One of them is the Kriyan river which is located in the estuary area, which is the entry point that connects the Kasepuhan Palace through the Nawa Gapura Marga Raja with the outside world, especially from the direction of the Java Sea, which is said to have been inhabited by estuarine crocodiles, which are known to be ferocious. The developing myth of the white crocodile, supposedly the guardian of the Nawa Gapura Marga Raja, was a prince's son who was cursed by the sultan. The prince was so lazy in his daily life, that he got the curse, and finally realized that crocodiles had to live in the water (river), right in front of the Nawa Gapura Marga Raja, another term for Lawang Sanga. For Javanese people, buildings are associated with traditions and beliefs, starting from the shape of the building structure, to understanding the myths in it. The research was conducted using a visual narrative method. The results of the study are expected that according to the story that developed in the surrounding community, there is a mythological animal of a white crocodile who was a prince "Angkawijaya" who was cursed by his father Sulthan Sepuh 1 and became the guardian of Nawa Gapura Marga Raja.