History and Value of Nawa Gapura Marga Raja From the View of Cirebon Indonesia Community

Abstract

Nawa Gapura Marga Raja, better known as “Lawang Sanga” among the people of the Cirebon Palace is defined as an ancient building with nine doors that is said to have been built by Prince Wangsakerta around the 17th century, 1677 AD to be exact, during the leadership of Sultan Sepuh Pangeran Syamsudin Martawidjaja. The building is a silent witness to the history of Cirebon's development until now. The uniqueness of this building is that there are nine gates in one building area, which correspond to the number of gates in the Sunan Gunung Jati burial complex. This historical study of Nawa Gapura Marga Raja based on the Cirebon community's point of view, aims to analyze and gain knowledge related to history and the cultural values ​​contained in it. Sources of data were collected in the form of buildings, ancient manuscript literature studies and interviews with philologists, Cirebon culturalists, Cirebon historians, observers of Cirebon culture, Kasepuhan Palace family, also Kasepuhan Palace tour guides and caretakers. The research method used is oral history. That is the method of recording people's conversations and then analyzing their memories of the past, which is then cross-checked with its theoretical aspects. The results of the study obtained an understanding of the history of the Nawa Gapura Marga Raja, related to the Karatuan which became the forerunner of the kingdom in Cirebon, namely Keratuan Singhapura, which is also the birthplace of Prince Cakrabuana, the ancestor of Prince Wangsakerta. Nawa Gapura Marga Raja contains noble values, the result of acculturation of religion and culture at that time, including the value of hybrid culture, togetherness, respect, as well as symbolic values ​​related to the traditional culture of the Cirebon people when communicating with God. Keywords: Cirebon, Nawa Gapura Marga Raja, Cultural Values, History. DOI: 10.7176/ADS/101-01 Publication date: June 30 th 2022