Gunungan (wayang)

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Gunungan, also called kayon, is a mountain-shaped figure used in Javanese wayang puppet theatre, including wayang kulit, wayang klitik, wayang golek, and wayang beber. It represents a mountain and all that is in the world.

What it looks like and what it does
- The gunungan is cone- or triangle-shaped and often shows two sides. One side shows a palace gate at the bottom guarded by two rakshasa (mythical beings with swords and shields) and a tree of life (kalpataru) at the top, entangled with a dragon. Forest animals appear on the branches, showing a wild, natural world.
- The other side shows a blazing fire, symbolizing chaos and hell.
- The gunungan is placed in the middle of the stage before the show starts, leaning to the right to mean the story hasn’t begun yet. After the performance starts, it is moved to the right. When the story ends, it is placed back in the center, sometimes with the mountain leaning to the left to signal a change in scenes. It can also symbolize land, forest, roads, and other things based on the dhalang’s dialogue. The side can be reversed to show fire or wind.

Two types
- Gunungan Gapuran
- Gunungan Blumbangan
- Blumbangan was created by Sunan Kalijaga during the Demak era. Gapuran was added later in the Kartasura era.

Meaning
- Gunungan carries deep philosophical teachings and wisdom, reminding audiences that wayang performances are rich with lessons.

Similar figure elsewhere
- In Kelantan, Malaysia, a similar tree-like figure called pohon beringin is used at the start and end of performances to symbolize a world with life in water, on land, and in the air.