�Ngalap Berkahe Eyang� Arena Politik dan Arena Ekonomi dalam Peziarahan Gunung Kawi

Abstract

The pilgrimage ritual on Gunung Kawi (Mount. Kawi) is a phenomenon in religion and belief as well as in economics and politics. The pilgrimage on Gunung Kawi has developed from a sacred tomb to diverse rituals surrounding the place which is in line with the increasing number of visitors to the place, from Chinese and Javanese ethnic groups as well as interfaith and cross-region. It has developed into a center of ritual and further into an economic center. The pilgrimage on Gunung Kawi subsequently led to a variety of economic enterprises that rely on pilgrim rituals, either in services such as tour guides, lodging/hotels, parking, trading in form of stalls, spontaneous traditional market, etc., or the ritual itself that produces economic income in a large scale. All the activities are associated with ritual activity and generate material profits / economic directly and indirectly know as �ritual-economic activity�. The development of Gunung Kawi as a ritual center and later as an economic center has resulted to economic competition and political arena. This condition initiated from early in the history of the pilgrimage until now, in which the parties compete for roles to dominate the strategic position economically and politically in the �ritual-economic activities�. In the competition, there is a political economic rationality associated with a person or a party to achieve their objectives and retain what they have earned. Political economy in ritualeconomic activity is a hidden rationality, not open to the public, in contrast to the view that rationality of berkah that all income gained from ritual economic activity is �berkahe Eyang� (blessings from the sacred being) and other forms of economic activity such as keeping the ritual places as Jurukunci, Cantrik, Modin, inn keepers and so on are a form of �devotion�. Political and economic dynamics that occur in the pilgrimage on Gunung Kawi ultimately form a social structure that organizes pilgrimage activities and ritualeconomic activities there. Pesarean (ritual area) as the ritual and economic center has been organized and managed in such a way to be a pattern that is similar to a state or �Pesarean state� managed by Ngestigondo Foundation in which the management consists of the chairperson by a �perdana menteri� or �prime minister�, a �king� by a Jurukunci, the �apparatus� by the employees and the people by the merchants