Tragedi Manohara di Relief Borobudur

Selasa, 2 Juni 2009 | 23:25 WITA

SEJAK awal kasus Manohara mencuat ke publik, para pemandu wisata di Borobudur mendiskusikan soal kesamaan nama itu dengan relief candi. "Kasus itu menjadi bahan cerita aktual kami kepada wisatawan," kata Hatta, seorang pemandu wisata Candi Borobudur.
KEMUNGKINAN memang ada kesamaan pesan antara cerita duka yang dialami Putri Manohara sebagaimana yang terpampang di deretan relief di sebelah barat Candi Borobudur, di Kabupaten Magelang, Jawa Tengah itu dengan kisah duka Manohara Odelia Pinot (17).
Manohara belum lama ini berhasil melarikan diri dari kehidupannya di istana Kerajaan Kelantan, Malaysia dan pulang ke Indonesia. Setelah pernikahannya pada tanggal 26 Agustus 2008 dengan Tengku Muhammad Fakhry, Pangeran Kerajaan Kelantan, Manohara dikabarkan hanya sebentar menikmati bulan madu bersama suaminya.
Fakhry yang diduga menderita perilaku seksual menyimpang sering kali melakukan kekerasan terhadap dirinya. Kini Manohara Pinot telah berada di pangkuan ibu tercintanya di Jakarta.
Manohara mengaku bekas luka di bagian tubuhnya akibat siksaan suaminya masih ada. Pihaknya akan memproses secara hukum atas kekerasan yang dilakukan suaminya kepada dirinya. Pengakuan tindak kekerasan yang dialaminya yang diwartakan berbagai media massa di Indonesia akhir-akhir ini telah menyentuh rasa terenyuh publik.
Budayawan Borobudur, Ariswara Sutomo, mengatakan relief Putri Manohara di relief candi Buddha terbesar di dunia itu menuturkan perlakuan buruk keluarga mertuanya di suatu kerajaan, tempatnya tinggal, yang membuat dirinya pulang ke Kerajaan Manusia Burung.
Putri Manohara yang ada di relief deretan bawah, di dinding utama sebelah barat, di lorong lantai dua Candi Borobudur itu digambarkan sebagai putri berwajah cantik dengan dua kaki burung. "Cerita asli Putri Manohara itu ada di Buku Jataka-Avadana," katanya.
Seorang pemburu bernama Halaka, katanya, dikisahkan menangkap dengan jaring istimewa manusia burung di suatu pemandian. Manusia burung yang tampak cantik itu adalah putri dari Kerajaan Manusia Burung yang bernama Manohara.
Seorang pangeran menukar Putri Manohara dengan suatu hadiah melimpah kepada Halaka. Dikisahkan, Manohara hidup bahagia sebagai istri Sang Pangeran.
Tetapi, pihak keluarga mertuanya tidak suka dengan Putri Manohara. Ibu mertuanya itu menjadi otak bencana duka bagi kehidupan Putri Manohara itu.
Saat Sang Pangeran mendapat tugas berperang melawan musuh di garis terdepan, Manohara diusirnya dari kerajaan itu. Dia lalu pulang ke kampung halamannya di Kerajaan Manusia Burung, sambil mengusung segala dukanya.
Suaminya yang pulang dari medan peperangan sedih karena tidak menjumpai istri tercintanya di istana. Ia lalu menemui Halaka untuk mencari Manohara.
Halaka dikisahkan tidak mengetahui tempat tinggal Putri Manohara. Ia hanya memberitahu Sang Pangeran bahwa dirinya sering menjumpai sekumpulan manusia burung di suatu telaga.
Pangeran pun kemudian mencari Putri Manohara di telaga itu. Dia hanya menemukan beberapa manusia burung dan tidak ada Manohara di tempat itu. Ia kemudian menitipkan sebuah cincin perkawinannya kepada seorang di antara sejumlah manusia burung untuk disampaikan kepada Putri Manohara.
"Ceritanya, semula Manohara takut kembali kepada Sang Pangeran, namun demi kesetiaannya sebagai istri, ia lalu memutuskan kembali kepada suaminya. Cerita itu berakhir dengan relief yang menggambarkan kebahagiaan Putri Manohara," katanya.
Kisah Manohara memang sampai saat ini belum berakhir dengan suatu kebahagiaan sebagaimana Putri Manohara di relief Borobudur.
Kembali ke pangkuan ibunya, Daisy, mungkin melegakan Manohara. Tetapi, luka batin akibat tindak kekerasan suaminya mungkin masih bernanah. "Kisah penderitaannya mungkin sama," kata Ariswara yang juga penulis buku "Temples of Java" itu.
Menurut dia, ada kemungkinan orangtua Manohara memberi nama putrinya, "Manohara", berdasarkan pengetahuannya tentang cerita yang ada di dalam satu kitab buddhis itu.
Kisah Putri Manohara, katanya, tentu dikenal di negara-negara dengan penduduk mayoritas pemeluk Buddha seperti India, Tibet, Thailand, dan di Candi Borobudur yang dibangun di antara Kali Elo dengan Progo, Kabupaten Magelang, sekitar abad ke-8 masa Dinasti Syailendra itu.
Pengelola kepariwisataan Candi Borobudur, PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, menggunakan "Manohara" sebagai nama hotel yang berada di dalam kompleks taman itu.
Hatta yang juga Sekretaris Himpunan Pramuwisata Indonesia (HPI) Kabupaten Magelang itu mengaku, sebagian besar rombongan pelajar yang berwisata di Candi Borobudur akhir-akhir ini menanyakan tentang kisah Putri Manohara karena adanya kesamaan nama dengan mantan model itu.
"Banyak pelajar yang tahu kalau ada cerita Putri Manohara di Candi Borobudur, mereka menanyakan dan kami menuturkan sebagai tautan aktual atas kisah Sidarta Gautama yang menjadi lakon dari cerita Candi Borobudur," katanya.
Kini kepariwisataan Candi Borobudur memasuki musim kunjungan pelajar yang mengisi liburan sekolah tahun 2009. Ia mengaku, relatif tidak banyak wisatawan mancanegara yang bertanya tentang kisah Putri Manohara di Candi Borobudur. "Ada peningkatan intensitas cerita Manohara kepada wisatawan nusantara, mungkin karena sesama Indonesia, mereka lebih memperhatikan adanya kesamaan nama itu," katanya. (ant)

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THE STORY OF PRINCE SUDHANA AND MANOHARA

"I call to mind my teacher's words:
so this was what he meant!
Be careful to do nothing of which you might repent.
Whatever a man does,
the same he in himself will find:
The good man, good;
and the evil man that evil he has designed.
For our deeds are all like seeds,
bringing forth fruit in kind."

The story of Prince Sudhana and the kinnari Manohara appears in the Divyavadana. The rendition of the tale that appears below is based on the translation by N. J. Krom that appears in Barabudur: An Archaeological Description.

Relief 1. The king and court of the kingdom of North-Pancala.
In the land of Pancala there once reigned two kings: one over the North and the other over the South. The northern kingdom enjoyed great prosperity, due in part to the goodness of the king, who ruled his subjects justly. The other cause of the northern kingdom's prosperity was the presence of the naga serpent Janmacitraka whose presence in a lake near the capital caused the rains to come on a regular basis.
The condition of the southern kingdom, however, was entirely different indeed. Because the kingdom's monarch was cruel and unjust, none of the area's divine beings troubled themselves over whether or not the rain fell. And so many of the southern kingdom's inhabitants had to abandon their homes and re-settle in the north.
Relief 2. The king of South-Pancala journeys throughout his kingdom.
The king of South-Pancala eventually noticed all the deserted villages and neglected temples while he was away from the capital on a hunting expedition. When he inquired after the cause of this calamity his ministers begged to be excused from punishment and then told him the truth: that the king's own cruel and injust behavior was in part responsible for the kingdom's ruinous state.
After promising to henceforth rule justly, the king sought for a way to bring the rain-causing naga Janmacitraka to the South. Hearing that the best means to achieve this was through enchantment, the king issued a proclamation that whosoever should bring Janmacitraka to South-Pancala would receive a basket of gold. Attracted by the prospect of a handsome reward, a snake-charmer appeared in court to offer his services. After agreeing to undertake the task, the snake-charmer set out for the lake in North-Pancala where the naga Janmacitraka resided. After taking a look round the lake, the snake-charmer declared that through his power of his enchantment he would be able to capture the naga in seven days.
Relief 3. The enchantment and rescue of the naga Janmacitraka.
Meanwhile Janmacitraka became aware of what was going on and believing When the naga Janmacitraka found out what was going on he realized that he would be unable to withstand the snake-charmer's speels of enchantment. So he sought the help of a hunter named Halaka, who made his living along the shores of the lake. Halaka and the naga hit upon a plan in which the hunter would hide near the lake and shoot an arrow through the enchanter as soon as the snake-charmer began to cast his magic spell, but not actually kill him until he had forced the snake charmer to destroy the enchantment. And this was exactly the way it happened.
Relief 4. Halaka is entertained by the nagas.
Upon the death of the snake-charmer, Janmacitrak rose up out of the lake, embraced his rescuer and invited him to visit his naga parents, who would undoubtedly receive Halaka with delight as well as shower many gifts upon him. While on his way to visit the nagas, Halaka stopped at the hermitage of a rishi and told the sage what had happened. The rishi advised Halaka that, instead of jewels, to ask for the never-failing lasso that was in the nagas' possession. After receiving the lasso, Halaka returned home joyfully.
Relief 5. The hunter captures the kinnari princess.
In the pursuit of his calling, Halaka eventually came to the foot of a mountain, where he met another rishi wo lived beside a great lake. That rishi told him that the daughter of the kinnara king Manohara, together with her handmaidens, often came to this very lake to bathe. Now the male kinnara and the female kinnari are wonderous creatures with out equal, having the body of a bird but the head of a human being as well as a singing voice that was as sweet as nectar. In addition, they had the power to transform themselves into human forms of most dazzling beauty.
Halaka was determined to try and capture the kinnari princess and with the help of the magic lasso he was able to succeed in this task. As her attendants flew away in terror, Manohara submitted to her fate. She surrendered to Halaka the magic jewel that she bore on her forehead, which gave the hunter total power over her person.
Relief 6. Manohara is given to prince Sudhana.
At that very moment the crown-prince of North-Pancala approached the lake together with his hunting-party. Fearing that his lovely prisoner would be taken from him, Halaka thought it better to offer her to Prince Sudhana of his own free will. As soon as Prince sudhana set is eyes on the young beauty his heart was consumed with love. And so Sudana and Manohara returned to the court of North=Pancala. After the young couple were married they spent their days together in happiness.
Relief 7. The prince is sent out on a fighting expedition.
One day two brahmans had appeared in the city. One of them became the king's spiritual advisor or "purohita," while the other attached himself to the crown prince. This second brahman persuaded Sudhana to promise that he would appoint the brahman to be his purohita once he had ascended the throne. When the present king's purohita heard that he would lose his present position should Sudhana become the king, he devised a scheme that would get rid of the prince once and for all. He advised Sudhana's father to send the prince on a most dangerous mission-- to quell rebellion that had already caused seven other expeditions to fail.
Relief 8. Sudhana takes leave of his mother.
Before Sudhana set out to put an end to the rebellion,he went to see his mother, the queen. After giving her the precious gem from Manohara's forehead, the prince begged her to take care of his beloved wife.
Relief 9. Sudhana receives help from the yaksas.
While he was seated under a tree, not far from the rebellious country, he unexpectedly received help from an army of yaksas, sent to him by the yaksa-king under the command of his general Pancika. In this way he managed easily to crush the rebellion and hastened to prepare for the return journey.
Relief 10. The king is advised to sacrifice the kinnari.
That same night the king dreamed a dream that filled him with anxiety, which he asked the brahman to interpret. Although the purohita knew well that the meaning was only that the prince had been successful, he told the king that the dream predicted evil, which could only be averted by a solemn ceremonial sacrifice, and that the victim must be a kinnan. At first the king would not hear of Manohara being offered up, but at last he yielded.
Relief 11. Manohara's flight.
The intended victim came to hear of her fate; she fled to her mother-in-law and begged her to save her. The queen found no other way of rescue than to give back the magic jewel so that Manohara could take flight through the air. In order to make that her husband would find her, Manohara first went to the rishi near whose dwelling she had been captured; there she handed him a signet-ring to give to Sudhana when he should try to trace her, and told him the way to the land of the kinnaras.
Relief 12. Sudhana brings the tree of the rebels to his father.
After paying his respects to his father and presenting the treasures of the conquered enemy, Sudhana hastened to his palace to see his beloved Manohara.
Relief 13. Sudhana hears from his mother what has happened.
Here, to his horror, he heard what had happened; he then went to his mother who told him the truth of the matter. Now life was nothing to him without his beloved, so he searched for her everywhere but to no avail. Then it occurred to him to inquire of Halaka in what way he had met with her.
Relief 14. Manohara relates her adventures to her father.
Relief 15. Sudhana receives information from the rishi.
Halaka directed him to the hermitage of the rishi by the lake, and although the king tried to prevent the prince from getting away by setting guards on the walls of the city, he managed to escape and reach the rishi's dwelling. With the help of the ring, and following the directions given by Manohara, he reached the kingdom of the kinnara's after long travelling.

Relief 16. Sudhana and the water-drawing kinnaris.
At some distance from the capital he saw a number of kinnaris fetching water and was told it was for the bath of the king's daughter Manohara who could not get rid of the human smell. To announce his presence, he threw the ring into one of the water jugs; so it was recognised by Manohara in her bath and she at once questioned her servant whether any man had been seen outside the city.

Sudhana was then secretly brought into the palace and Manohara went to her father, king Druma, to find out what he would do with Sudhana. At first the king threatened to have him chopped into pieces, but soon changed his mind and became friendly; he received the prince graciously but all the same required him to give some proofs of his ability.

Relief 17. The archery-contest.
The prince brilliantly proves his skill in the use of the bow.
Relief 18. Sudhana recognises Manohara from the group of kinnaris.
The prince is required to pick out his beloved from a number of kinnaras who resemble her exactly. Needless to say he was able to select the right one.
Relief 19. The youthful couple enjoy themselves at Druma's court.
There was now nothing in the way of the young couple's happiness, and they passed their days pleasantly at the court of king Druma. After a while the prince began to long for his own country, and gaining the consent of Druma to depart, they returned to Pancala where they were received with rejoicing.
Relief 20. Sudhana and Manohara distributing gifts in Pancala.
Sudhana was enthroned king by his father and lived in great happiness with his beloved Manohara, not forgetting to show by charity and virtue that he understood how human happiness depends only on the virtuous conduct of former lives. (BOROBUDUR.TV)

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