ORIGIN OF THE KERIS

I- KERIS BUDA

All scholars seem to agree that the proto keris was of the Keris Buda type, which is characterized by a straight, short, wide and thick blade.


Keris Buda

 The earliest datable Keris, providing the date has not been added at a later period, is the  famous Keris of Knaud dated 1342 AD. (click on link for more information)

 


10th century Java daggers

   Two offering daggers were recently unearthed in Malang near Singgaraja and Janggala, East Java and dated from the 10th century. Thanks to volcanic ash, these daggers were very well preserved, including the bone and wooden hilts, therefore allowing a C14 test. 

   One of them has some of the Keris dapur shapes, such as a ganja, gandik, pejetan and ada-ada. It can therefore be associated with a Keris Buda. This would be the earliest known Keris Buda.

   Janggala happens to be one of the places, which old Indonesian sources mention as being the cradle of the Keris.

 "Journal of the Danish Arms & Armour Society" 
(Vol 36, #7, Nov. 2003), Karsten Sejr Jensen

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