Caraka Handayapati. Wayang from Central Java by Kasatriyan Javanese Art Community & Warsaw Gamelan Group

 

The magic of Wayang kulit – the shadow theatre which narrative is related to the Vedic traditions

and stories of Mahabharata and or Ramayana. Magic, in form, function and roles how puppets and

operating them puppeteers, as well as accompanying gamelan orchestra. Gamelan has many forms

and many types. Gamelan ensemble usually consists of sets of gongs (bonang, kempul, kenong,

suwukan, gong ageng), keyed metallophones (saron, slenthem, gender), drums (kendhang), a flute

(suling), and a bowed lute (rebab). The instrumental performance comes together with vocal parts

that are sung by female soloists known as pesindhen, the gerong male chorus, and the dhalang

himself, who manages, conducts the ensemble using a complex system of cues.

Sacral Grooves 1000HZ based in Warsaw, Poland took on a challenge to release an album where

Javanese musicians work their way through the intricacies of the musical matter with the aid of

Warsaw Gamelan Group.

A blend of two different sensitivities and cultures which beautifully complement each other and

especially because Warsaw Gamelan Group are studious people who sacrificed years of study and

practice to create the musical patterns that are using traditional modals and adhere to the set up

and how the gamelans are played.

It is not an easy feat and definitely doesn’t come across as a clash here on this beautifully released

cd.

The album is not just an interesting curiosity artefact but something of a living tradition that is

pulsating with the colour, reverberance and resonance on many levels. A rare occurrence in the

world where traditional approaches lose on importance being stuck in a label of obsolete strategies

and being just a folk fest which in Polish language is often called with an idiom ‘’cepelia’’ which

denotes something that doesn’t have the energy of something substantially genuine.

A beautiful reminder of how fresh a musical narrative set in an ancient narrative can still hit the right

notes. We can only be thankful both to the musicians, producers and publisher for such a rare

occasion to taste and savour this beautiful spice.

Wayang kulit – a shadow theatre tradition which roots go back more than a thousand years –

remains one of the most popular theatrical forms in Java. During all-night performances, the key

figure is the dhalang – a puppeteer who brings to life and gives voice to dozens of puppets made of

specially prepared, painted, and intricately carved hide. Stories are typically drawn from the

Mahabharata or Ramayana and accompanied by the music performed by the gamelan. The

ensemble consists of sets of gongs (bonang, kempul, kenong, suwukan, gong ageng), keyed

metallophones (saron, slenthem, gender), drums (kendhang), a flute (suling), and a bowed lute

(rebab). The instrumental performance is complemented by vocal parts sung by female soloists

known as pesindhen, the gerong male chorus, and the dhalang himself, who directs the ensemble

through a complex system of subtle cues.

The richly developed acoustic layer of wayang performances led, during the rise of radio

broadcasting, to the emergence of wayang as an audio-based form transmitted by local radio

stations. The delicate tones of the gamelan and the dhalang’s tales of ancient heroes, resonating

from radio receivers, accompany Javanese people during their evening activities—preparing and

eating dinner, engaging in family and neighbourhood conversations, putting children to sleep,

lingering in street food stalls, or resting after dark—thus becoming an integral part of Java’s

everynight soundscape.

CARAKA HANDAYAPATI

The presented fragment of the Ramayana recounts the events following the abduction of Shinta by

the demon Rahwana, who carried Rama’s wife away to the kingdom of Lanka. In order to find his

beloved, Rama decides to send his loyal servant – Anoman. This decision, however, does not please

some of the warriors of the monkey army, where a dispute arises over who should represent Rama.

Thanks to the intervention of the commander-in-chief, Sugriwa, the conflict is resolved, and Anoman

sets out on a perilous and adventurous journey, carrying Rama’s ring, which he is to deliver to Shinta

as a token of his mission.

Anoman discovers Shinta imprisoned in the Ashoka grove, but his presence in Lanka is soon revealed

to Rahwana’s son, Indrajit, who orders his soldiers to capture Anoman and bring him before

Rahwana. The evil king commands that he be burned alive, yet Anoman proves immune to the

flames and spreads the fire across the entire kingdom of Lanka, leaving it in ruins. At last, he returns

to Rama and reports the place where Shinta is being held. As a reward, Rama grants him the title of

caraka (envoy) and bestows upon him the name Rama Handaya Pati, also known as Ramandayapati.

“Carakandayapati” was created as a result of a collaboration between the Kasatriyan Javanese Art

Community—comprising artists from Central Java based in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta—and the

Warsaw Gamelan Group, a Polish-Indonesian gamelan collective. 

credits

released September 22, 2026

Performers:

Ki Bimo Sinung Widagdo – dhalang; K.R.T. Dunung Basuki Kurniawan – gender; Ganang Windu Tri

Nugroho – kendhang, rebab; Nova Christin Tri Mariani – pesindhen; Wahyu Candra Prasanti –

pesindhen; Hendro Sutarto – saron demung; Malwina Prystawko – slenthem; Witold Maciak – saron

barung, suling; Dennissee Peralta – saron panerus; Dawid Martin – bonang barung; Tomasz

Matlingiewicz – bonang panerus; Neves Sulumuna – kenong; Fitri Rachmayanti – kethuk, kempyang;

Diah Anggraini-Martin – kempul, gong

Recorded on September 26, 2025, at the Andrzej Wawrzyniak Museum of Asia and the Pacific in

Warsaw.

Recorded and mixed by Witold Maciak

Bayangan Mix by Piotr Dang Cichocki

Artwork by Dang Thuy Duong

Liner notes by Marianna Lis and Dawid Martin

license

all rights reserved

https://sacralgrooves1000hz.bandcamp.com/album/caraka-handayapati-wayang-from-central-java