For the Wali Songo pilgrims, the tomb of Sunan Kalijaga in Kadilangu will not be missed from the list of mandatory religious tourism site. In 1472 AD Sunan Kalijaga received a gift from the Sultanate of Demak or Raden Patah (Raden Sultan Fattah) in the form of Kadilangu Village which is located 2 kilometers from the Great Mosque of Demak. There he was buried Sunan Kalijaga along with his descendants. This cemetery area is always crowded with pilgrims from various regions. Seeing the role of Sunan Kalijaga who was very famous as a preacher of Islam in the archipelago, many pilgrims also came from neighboring countries such as Malaysia and other ASEAN countries that were once part of the archipelago.
Philosophy and Heritage in the Kadilangu building, as the head of the Kadilangu area, Sunan Kalijaga lead with Islamic values. This can be seen at least from the philosophy of the mosque building with an ancient Javanese pattern in the form of a Joglo with a three-tiered roof. While the tomb building is mapped into several parts with walls, where the king's tomb is located at the very back. To get to the tomb of Sunan Kalijaga we need to pass through three doors or gates.
(Aksara Jawa)
Cultural heritage objects stored in the Kadilangu Cemetery area are still well maintained. One of them is the Gentong Kong from the Ming Dynasty which was brought by Princess Champa as a gift to the Sultanate in the 14th century. This is also the location of the Great Grebeg memorial where people on the day of the celebration will "fight" over the Holy Water from the Gentong left by Sunan Kalijaga. The water is often used as a mixture in the water that will be used for the Javanese wedding ceremony because it is believed to have certain blessings. In addition, there is one well left by Kanjeng Sunan Kalijaga which is still well cared for.
Funeral Complex
At the beginning of entering the cemetery area, we will see several tombs which then have tombs with different colors and architecture of tombstones, that is the Tomb complex of the Javanese Kings, where there is the Tomb of Prince Trenggono, Raden Patah as Sultan of Demak, Sheikh Maulana Maghribi, and also Arya Penangsang. There is also the tomb of Pati Unus which is adjacent to the tomb of Raden Patah and the Empress of the Sultanate of Raden Patah. The burial area of these Kings is not in a closed room, but in an open space with only iron fenced on one side, and no walls are built as valleys.
Only 2 kilometers from the Demak city center square, the Kadilangu Tomb and Mosque are in the residential area of the village. To access the Kadilangu area, if we are from Semarang, stop at the Demak bus terminal and continue with the mini bus at the terminal to go to Kadilangu. On one trip from Semarang the bus fare is IDR 6,000 and from Demak terminal to Kadilangu between IDR 3,000-5,000 per passenger. If you depart from the opposite direction, namely the direction of Surabaya, the route and transportation required are also the same. For group pilgrims with private vehicles, they can go directly to the Kadilangu Cemetery and Mosque, because a large parking area has been provided.
Coming to Kadilangu is incomplete if you don't prepare souvenirs or gifts. Along the path leading to the Kadilangu Tomb and Mosque, there are sellers of prayer beads, clothing with pictures of Sunan, books, key chains, prayer mats, Wali Songo paintings, wooden and marble bracelets, to carvings for display at home. Everything is sold at very friendly prices.
Such a beautiful holy place.