Cleansed royal heirlooms ward off evil<\/p>\n
By R. Agus Bakti<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Sura month, the first month in the
\nJavanese calendar is considered sacred. The Javanese royal
\nfamilies usually hold a series of ceremonies to purify their
\npriceless and royal heirlooms.<\/p>\n
One of the ceremonies is siraman kereta, the bathing of the
\nancient royal carriage, Kanjeng Nyai Jimat, one of the Yogyakarta
\ncourt heritages, to spiritually cleanse it of any bad influences.<\/p>\n
This year's ceremony was held in Kagungan Dalem's Train Museum
\nat The Yogyakarta Royal Palace on April 14 (Sura 9, l933,
\naccording to the Javanese calendar).<\/p>\n
As usual, thousands of people coming from Yogyakarta, Klaten
\nand neighboring regencies attended the annual ritual waiting for
\nthe blessing.<\/p>\n
Chaired by the court's senior official, KRT Kudawijoyo, the
\nceremony started at dawn. The sequences of the ceremony are caos
\ndahar (serving offerings), siraman (bathing) and mbusanani
\n(dressing).<\/p>\n
The caos dahar ritual is the serving of various offerings --
\ntraditional food, flowers and other items, prepared by the
\ncourt's servants.<\/p>\n
The ritual was conducted in conjunction with the cleansing of
\nroyal heirlooms such as Kanjeng Kyai Ageng Plered spear, kris and
\nother weapons.<\/p>\n
The bathing of the royal carriage could be started only after
\nthe weapons were cleansed.<\/p>\n
At noon, the carriage's white cover was unwrapped. Each part
\nof the carriage was doused with water filled with flowers then
\ndried with white cloths.<\/p>\n
After the ceremony, thousands of attendees patiently waited to
\nreceive small pieces of the white cloths and the flower water
\nbelieved to have strong spiritual powers.<\/p>\n
The water used for cleansing any of the court's heirlooms is
\nbelieved to have extraordinary potency that can heal certain
\nillnesses including skin diseases. The water is also used to
\nprotect the user from evil and bad omens.<\/p>\n
It is no wonder that every year hundreds of people faithfully
\nattend every royal ceremony to wait for the blessed water.<\/p>\n
Harjoutomo, one of the onlookers, said that he and his family
\nattended the ceremony not only to take water but also to heal
\ntheir spiritual wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\"The ceremony is spiritually enriching. By attending this
\nceremony, I feel emotionally better and healthier than before.
\nEvery year, I have to come here to rejuvenate my life,\" explained
\nthe 63 year old grandfather.<\/p>\n
According to the ancient inscriptions, the Kanjeng Nyai Jimat
\ncleansing was part of the Jamasan ritual, an annual rite to
\npurify all weapons, instruments and other sacred items belonging
\nto the Yogyakarta Royal Court.<\/p>\n
The court has 18 royal carriages, now kept at the Palace's
\nTrain Museum. The Kanjeng Kyai Jimat carriage was built by a
\nDutch company in 1750.<\/p>\n
The Kanjeng Kyai Jimat carriage was only used once during the
\nperiod of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I to welcome a high ranking Dutch
\nofficial.<\/p>\n
\"These series of rites are part of the cultural and spiritual
\nlegacy of the Yogyakarta Royal Court that must be preserved by us
\nand our successors,\" said a royal member KRT Seladihardja.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cleansed-royal-heirlooms-ward-off-evil-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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