Turning to the text of Hikayat Banjar, on page seven, verse thirty-eight, it is explained:

“tah soedah kapaseban diboenjikan orang galaaijandjoer, maka radja kembali demikien djuga tatkala doedoek itoe dihadapan radja derie kirie tomonggong Tatah Djiwa diblakangnja itoe patih Baras dan patih Pasie patih Loeho patih doeloe diblakangnja itoe”. (Rass: 1968: 7)

“And so in the palace, the people played Galaganjur, heralding the king’s return. There before the King sat, on the left, Tomonggong Tatah Djiwa, behind him Patih Baras and Patih Pasi, proceeded still by Patih Doeloe.”

The word galaaijandjoer (galaganjur) in this quotation is a reference to one of the foundational pieces of the gamalan of the Banjar royal palace. It is in this text that we can see the first proof of gamelan’s presence [in South Kalimantan] since Empu Jatmika’s arrival and foundation of the Negara Dipa kingdom. To this day, the piece called Galaganjur is performed in both classical and folk gamalan Banjar traditions solely to accompany ceremonies involving the pembesar negeri (the king or respected guest) or, in some cases, traditional Banjarese wedding processions.

In his text on the history of gamalan Banjar, Idwar Saleh explains that Empu Jatmika and other royalty from Majapahit founded the kingdom of Nagara Dipa (located in what is now Amuntai, South Kalimantan) around the 12th century. It was in this era that we find the first arrival of Majapahit culture and its various artforms, one of which was the gamelan ensemble. Gamelan, it is said, was brought to Kalimantan along with wayang kulit (traditional shadow puppet theater) and topeng (masked dance) by Raden Sekar Sungsang. In addition to its use in Hindu religious ritual, gamelan of that era was played to accompany this wayang kulit and topeng, the function of which was to induce Banjarese society into embracing the Hindu religion and culture of Majapahit. (Saleh, 1984:1).