Cindelaras
A prince raised in the forest with a magical rooster.
Cindelaras is a figure from East Javanese folklore. His story centers on his birth in the forest, his discovery of a powerful rooster, and his eventual reunion with his father, the king.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- East Javanese folklore
- Father
- Raden Putra
- Kingdom
- Janggala Kingdom
Facts from the source article.
Summary
Prince Cindelaras was born to Raden Putra's exiled queen after she was blamed for poisoning a concubine. While living in the forest, Cindelaras found an egg dropped by an eagle, which hatched into a talking rooster. The rooster revealed that Raden Putra was his father. Cindelaras traveled to the palace, where his rooster defeated all others in cockfighting. The king challenged him, and after the rooster won, it spoke of Cindelaras's parentage. Raden Putra then retrieved the queen from exile, and they lived happily; the concubine was imprisoned or went into exile.
Variants
In a variant titled Panji Lara's Rooster, raja Prabu Joyo Kusumo has many wives and favors a beautiful younger wife of non-noble origin. The jealous co-wife feigns illness and accuses the eldest queen of poisoning her. The raja beats the elder queen and orders the vizier to kill her in the forest. The vizier spares her but removes her eyes as proof, and orders two slaves, Putro Kenchono and Setunto, to protect her. The queen gives birth to a son named Panji Laras. One day, Panji Laras sees a kite drop an egg, which hatches a chick he raises into a rooster. The boy enters a cockfighting competition in another village, and his rooster defeats all opponents. News reaches the raja, who meets the youth and feels a strange connection. They bet on their roosters, and Panji Laras's bird kills the raja's. The raja questions the boy, who says his name is Panji Laras and he lives in the forest. The raja recognizes the two slaves, and the vizier confesses the truth. The raja is overjoyed that Panji Laras is his son and his elder queen is alive. Panji Laras retrieves his mother's eyes from a hidden spot, and they go to the forest hut. The blind queen is greeted, her sight is restored, and the raja returns with her and his son, banishing the younger queen.
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