Home

Centhini

Centhini, also known as Serat Centhini, is a major Javanese literary work produced in the late 18th and early 19th centuries under the patronage of the Javanese courts, notably in Yogyakarta and Surakarta. It is an encyclopedic compilation that combines poetry and prose to present religious, ethical, social, and cultural knowledge within a narrative framework.

The work gathers a wide range of material, including didactic tales, courtly romance, travel narratives, folktales,

Manuscripts of Centhini exist in several variations and copies, and modern scholarly editions have been produced

and
moral
exempla.
It
incorporates
discussions
of
Islam,
Hindu-Buddhist
elements,
and
Sufi
mysticism,
reflecting
the
syncretic
religious
culture
of
Java
at
the
time.
Language
and
style
are
rooted
in
the
traditional
Javanese
poetic
and
prose
forms,
and
the
text
also
preserves
linguistic
features
such
as
the
distinct
speech
levels
used
in
everyday
life.
In
addition
to
moral
instruction,
Centhini
offers
glimpses
of
social
norms,
etiquette,
and
everyday
practices,
as
well
as
observations
on
geography,
science,
and
the
arts.
by
Indonesian
and
Dutch
researchers.
The
work
is
valued
as
a
crucial
source
for
understanding
late
traditional
Javanese
culture,
religion,
law,
and
daily
life,
and
for
its
rich
portrayal
of
the
interplay
between
secular
and
sacred
worlds
in
Java.
Centhini
is
widely
regarded
as
one
of
the
most
important
early
modern
works
in
Javanese
literature
and
a
lasting
influence
on
Indonesian
literary
and
cultural
history.