Concept of Lotus Ornament Creation During the Islamic Transition

Abstract

The lotus ornament in Hindu and Buddhist temples in Java is described as growing from a tubera, a vase, or from various types of aquatic animals. The concept of creating these ornaments is based on Hindu teachings, that the idea for the creation of the universe came from water. This belief is visualized in the form of lotus ornaments that grow from objects associated to water. Lotus ornaments are also exhibited in mosques and tombs of saints, but lotuses are depicted growing from objects that are not associated with water. The purpose of this research is to discover the concept of creating lotus ornaments during the Transitional Islam period using the adaptation theory of Linda Hutcheon, “A Theory of Adaptation”. Based on the coastal literature books, there is a teaching in the utterance of tunjung without a lake (tunjung or lotus that can live without a lake which symbolizes the true Idhafi Spirit, namely the Essence of Allah who exists. The depiction of a lotus that does not grow from objects associated with water is a visualization of the idea of tunjung without a lake, namely a lotus that no longer depends for its life on the muddy water of a lake.