Finding past glories at Kasepuhan Palace<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Cirebon, West Java<\/p>\n
\"Welcome to Keraton Kasepuhan, my name is Usman and I will be
\nyour guide to the palace grounds,\" the lanky abdi dalem (court
\nservant) informed us as he greeted us at the entrance of the
\nKasepuhan palace in Cirebon.<\/p>\n
Claiming to be a descendant of the founder of the Cirebon line
\nof kings, Sunan Gunung Jati, abdi dalem Usman directed us to the
\nsitinggil (high ground) and sat us down on one of the small
\nroofed structures there.<\/p>\n
As the palace's official tour guide, Usman was adept with his
\nfacts and figures and fluent in the history of the place, so
\nfluent in fact that I sometimes wonder whether he really
\nunderstood all the things he said or whether it was all just
\nrote.<\/p>\n
According to the ancient text Babad Cerbon, Sunan Gunung Jati
\nor Syarif Hidayatullah received the throne from his uncle,
\nCakrabhumi, in 1479 and established his rule in Lemah Wungkuk
\n(what is now Cirebon). There he constructed the palace
\nPakungwati, which became the residence of Cirebon kings.<\/p>\n
Sunan Gunung Jati himself was one of the Walisanga, or nine
\nreligious leaders considered to have spread the Muslim religion
\nthrough Java, particularly along the north coast.<\/p>\n
The name Kasepuhan was formed when Panembahan Ratu I, Sunan
\nGunung Jati's great grandson, rose to the throne in 1570 and
\nestablished his own palace, thereafter called Keraton Kanoman.<\/p>\n
\"So the older palace was then called kasepuhan meaning elder,
\nand the younger kanoman meaning younger,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The construction that we sat on was in fact called the Mande
\nMalang Semirang and used to be a place for the king to sit when
\nhe wanted to view the activities in the square. It is a raised
\nstructure surrounded by six carved pillars representing the
\nMuslim pillars of faith. These in turn are surrounded by 20 more
\npillars, which represents God's attributes, according to Usman.<\/p>\n
Surrounding the Mande Malang Semirang are four other smaller
\nstructures that are used to seat the king's advisors (Mande Semar
\nTinandu), the king's courtiers (Pandawa Lima), for the court
\nmusicians (Mande Karesmen) and for guards (Mande Pengiring).<\/p>\n
As with other ancient palaces in Java, Keraton Kasepuhan is
\nlaid out in the north-south orientation, while the city layout is
\ncentered by a city-square and a great mosque to the west.<\/p>\n
The city square is where all the city's activities are
\ncentered, especially on festival days such as Muludan (a misnomer
\nfrom maulid, the birth of prophet Muhammad) when the monarchy's
\nsacred objects are paraded and sanctified with holy water.<\/p>\n
Usman then took us to the inner courtyards, where a building
\nhousing a 1549 royal carriage stands. Inside the dusty room, the
\nSingabarong carriage looked imposing. A horse-drawn carriage
\nfashioned in the nature of a mythological creature, a mixture of
\neagle, horse, elephant and dragon.<\/p>\n
Usman said for the Nusantara Keraton Festival in 1997, an
\nimitation of the Singabarong carriage was made, but the imitators
\ndid not succeed in repeating the ingenuity of the original.<\/p>\n
\"This is proof that our engineers then were superior. We
\ncannot even recreate it when we have the original in front of our
\neyes!\" he said, elaborating that the wings part of the carriage
\nmoved when the vehicle was moving, creating the illusion of
\nflight.<\/p>\n
The main palace was remarkable in itself, a low-roofed open
\npavilion gave way to a cool meeting hall, a fitting place for a
\nking to receive guests.<\/p>\n
Further in, on a raised platform decorated with European
\ndecorated tiles and Chinese carvings, lies the royal bed covered
\nwith multicolored draperies.<\/p>\n
One of the palace's unique characteristics are its ceramic
\ndecorations, made from Chinese and European decorated tiles,
\nsaucers, and bowls. Some even have stories from the bible printed
\non them.<\/p>\n
Along with the split portal (candi bentar) and lintel
\n(paduraksa) gates, the calligraphic paintings, and the ceramics,
\nthe Kasepuhan palace successfully represents Cirebon's
\nassimilation of the various influences that once prospered there
\n-- Hindu-Buddhist, Muslim, Chinese and European.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, despite the apparent efforts to maintain the
\npalace, evidence of a lack of funding is conspicuous. In several
\nplaces ceilings have rotted away letting in the rain, watermarks
\non walls where the rain has seeped in, rooms full of dust that no
\namount of sweeping and scrubbing could quite take away.<\/p>\n
\"I am here because it is my duty as a descendant, I make only
\nRp 50,000 (US$5.4) a month,\" Usman said, explaining that most of
\nthe abdi dalem working at the palace relied on visitors' tips.<\/p>\n
The last place that Usman took us to was the ancient well, a
\nwater well that he likened to the holy zamzam well in Mecca, the
\nMuslim holy city.<\/p>\n
\"Even in a draught like now, the well doesn't ever dry. The
\nwater keeps clear no matter how long you store it away,\" Usman
\nboasted.<\/p>\n
There, an old man will pray for your prosperity and health
\nafter you take a drink and bathe your face with the clear water
\nof the well.<\/p>\n
After he prays for you, the man will show you a row of one-
\nliter Aqua bottles he sells for Rp 2,500 each! So much for holy
\nwater.<\/p>",
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