The Dewadaru tree is found mainly north of the island of Java, between the islands of the Karimunjava Sunda, in the Java Sea, with the coordinates of latitude 5 ° 52 ‘S and longitude 110 ° 26’ E. It has a ser human population of approximately 20,000 people. The Dewadaru tree had been sanctified by the local inhabitants of the island for countless generations as a result of a myth perpetuated by the elders of the society. In one of the local dialects, “daru” means “blessing from heaven”, while “dewa” (derived from Sanskrit) is the Indonesian term for “god”. “Dewadaru” is thus interpreted as the “gift of the gods”, implying that this genus of trees is a tangible symbolic gift from the gods / eses to the islanders. For the local inhabitants, the Dewadaru represents the wisdom of the gods to maintain harmony, stability and peace of nature. The Dewadaru is believed to be the protective guardian of the living souls in the Karimunjava Islands.
According to legend, there once was a man who lived on the island of Java and was furious with his son for his constant disobedience. The man, although he loved his son very much, tried hard to teach him a hard lesson. So one day she took her son from home with the warning that she would never set foot in Java again.
Unwilling to disobey his father again, he prepared for the journey. Sadly, the son left Mount Muria where they lived and headed towards the open sea to the north. He sailed in a boat for many days through stormy weather and in the middle of huge waves, not really knowing his destination and perhaps with little desire to survive. Then one day his boat landed on the shores of a small uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, from the top of Mount Muria in Java, the boy’s father was secretly watching his son with clairvoyance. But for some reason his vision was vague and hazy, so he lost track of the boy’s whereabouts on that island. In the old Javanese language, the word “vague” is translated as kerimun. Thus, the island became known as “Karimun-java”.
The boy continued his journey inland carrying two wooden poles as sticks to aid him on his journey. He retrieved them from the shore. These two small poles wounded him as his boat capsized ashore by the sheer force of the waves. In the middle of the forest, he pushed both sticks to the ground and began to rest from the exhausting journey. Miraculously, in that very instant the two staves turned into magnificent trees. Shocked by the incident, he named them “Dewadaru”. At present, the place where he rested is now the village of Nyamplungan.
Today, although not too much, there are a substantial number of Dewadaru trees growing on the islands, the descendants of the first two. The remains of the fabulous original Dewadaru trees can still be seen. The humps are there to corroborate the truth of the legend. The descendants of the magical trees grow on the hillsides of the islands and are not easily accessible.
Near the once glorious trees there is a tomb that until now is still being sanctified by the locals. On certain nights, such as Jumat Kliwon (a Thursday night that occurs once every 35 days) of the Javanese calendar, the tomb was visited by pilgrims who desired the blessings of the spiritual adept to whom the tomb belongs. The adept was known as Sunan Nyamplungan, from which the village got its name.
For centuries, the people of Karimunjava have believed that the Dewadaru tree or wood possesses magical powers. Time-tested, the wood is said to heal poisonous stings and pain or disease in the abdominal region. Dewadaru wood is often worn as an amulet for personal protection against evil people, as well as a weapon against evil spirits. Unlike other types of wood, Dewadaru, even a small piece, is said to sink when placed in water.
Seventy-five kilometers away, in a straight line, from the city of Jepara in Java, the Karimunjava Islands have a terrifying myth related to the Dewadaru. There is supposed to be a warning from the regional spirits that Dewadaru’s sacred wood or tree should not be taken from the islands without the concession of the spiritual guardians of the area. Whoever violates this, even taking a small piece of wood, incurs the wrath of Nature and calamity befalls him soon after. The usual mishap is the sinking or immobility of the boat in which the person travels to undertake the trip back to the mainland. Sometimes it can be a fatal illness after the trip. Often times, the person tragically dies in a strange “accident”. At first, this myth was considered superstition, but several cases of this have been recorded.
Regarding the sinking of the unfortunate ships carrying the timber, some observers have noted unusual events in advance. Signs and warnings are given from the invisible world. Stories of these spiritual communications and neglected warnings abound. One story in particular relates the appearance of an old woman to the captain of a ship warning him that the boat or ship carried the sacred wood and that it was removed from the region without permission and without the required ceremony. Before disappearing, he warned the captain to unload the illicitly obtained item. The captain ignored his request and, as a result, the ship he commanded en route to the mainland of Java sank in the depths of the water. Before the ship sailed, even the island’s inhabitants received omens that the ship was doomed. Many of them heard explosions on nearby Nyamplungan Hill. Careful investigations did not reveal anything that could have produced those noises. It is said that to this day these sounds still occur whenever a ship or ship is destined to sink in Davy Jones’ locker. In 1981 a mishap was prevented. There was a ship heading to Java from the Karimunjava Islands. Somewhere in the middle of the sea, his engine stopped and stood still. Moments later, everyone on board, passengers and crew, panicked. From the calm sea, huge waves suddenly appeared that threatened to capsize the ship. The captain, realizing what was wrong, asked the passengers to throw whatever Dewadaru wood they were carrying into the sea. One person confessed that he had part of the wood in his possession. This was quickly thrown into the sea with apologies to Karimunjava’s spirit guardians. Surprisingly, minutes later the waves subsided.
There are always two sides of a coin. The above myth also looks different: if Dewadaru Wood happens to find its way out of the Karimunjava Islands, the wood would double in potency and act as a powerful catalyst to awaken the hidden powers latent within its possessor or user. The energy of wood itself is a powerful amulet against all forms of black magic and also protects negative entities, as mentioned above. Dewadaru is also used as a protective amulet against the jettatore, the evil eye. From a metaphysical point of view, dryads or tree spirits are especially empowered and their power or virtues are inherently hidden in the forest. The energy of the Dewadaru wood has a beneficial influence on the psychosomatic system of man. The village shamans say that the Dewadaru is an exclusive gift to the people of the island, one of the reasons why the spiritual guardians of the region do not allow the export of wood unless it is done with a special concession.
There are numerous strange stories related to the magical Dewadaru tree or its wood. For locals, this is no longer a matter of faith, but of knowledge and convictions acquired through day-to-day experience. Being sacred, the Dewadaru is used only for devotional and protective purposes. You will hardly find the villagers who use this wood to make furniture or as a building material; and only the brave would use it in their spiritual activities. Trees are not too numerous on the islands today and therefore they are strongly conserved. The Dewadaru are highly prized for their traditional and cultural value, and are considered the totemic guardians of the island. Because the hidden power of the Dewadaru is well known, many disrespectful outsiders plunder the forest seeking to possess and abuse the power within it for selfish purposes. But Sunan Nyamplungan, the island’s guardian, or his proxy, is also believed to play a role in protecting the place from thieves. Some say that the Adept sometimes appears as a gigantic bat to those who carry out his negative intentions.
In 1992, the Faculty of Biology at Gajah Mada University conducted research on Dewadaru and their analysis report states that this tree is quite rare and does not spread easily. There are two strains found on the Karimunjava Islands: the first strain is Dewadaru Baccaurea Sumatrana from the Euphorbiaceae family. The second, Fagraea Elliptica of the Loganiaceae family.
The Dewadaru is supposed to be found only on the Karimunjava Islands. Although it is almost unheard of, there is at least one Dewadaru tree in Java in the Mount Kawi area in the Malang region of East Java. Interestingly, those who live in this area sanctify the leaves instead of the wood.
Mount Kawi is known for its pilgrimage site for those seeking wealth. The tree grows near the grave of someone known as Eyang Jugo, a metaphysical practitioner of royal descent. It is said that those who sit under the Dewadaru tree and are lucky enough to have a leaf or two fall on their heads of their own accord, then this is a sign that great financial blessings or riches will be bestowed upon them. Therefore, it is not surprising to find people sitting or even spending the night under the shade of the tree hoping to catch a fall of leaves. People come from all over Java hoping to transform their destiny with a simple session. However, even in strong winds, rarely a leaf is detached from the branches with the hope and expectation of the attendees. Many return to their normal lives disappointed. Sometimes those at a considerable distance from the tree are blessed with a falling leaf, often blown away by a non-existent wind. There are stories of those who did not believe in the sacredness of the tree and mockingly placed a leaf on their own heads. The result was that, on the way home from the mountain, they encountered tragic setbacks.
The origin of the Dewadaru tree in this particular pilgrimage site has a similar story to that of Karimunjava. Both were the result of stick insertions in the field. According to legend, Eyang Jugo once traveled with a companion to his close friend RM Imam Soejono, who lived on Mount Kawi. On the way he rested in a shady area. It was there that he intuitively received from the spiritual planes that his life was coming to an end. He informed his traveling companion that where he died was where he would be buried. Further down the road, Eyang Jugo suddenly stabbed the ground with his staff and expired. The staff filled with Eyang Jugo’s power suddenly turned into a tree. The Chinese who lived in the enclosures of Eyang Jugo’s tomb called the tree “Shian Toho”, and this was translated into Javanese as “Dewadaru”.
As mentioned above, Dewadaru wood is often worn as an amulet. Those who can acquire a rosary made from it for spiritual or devotional purposes are truly fortunate, because it is rare that anyone has permission to obtain this wood from the islands and take advantage of its inherent magical virtues.
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