JP\/17\/AMBAR<\/p>\n
Ambarrukmo Palace to shine bright amid modernization<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Very soon Pesanggrahan Ambarrukmo, popularly called Kedhaton
\nAmbarrukmo, will stand between two modern buildings -- Hotel
\nAmbarrukmo and Plaza Ambarrukmo.<\/p>\n
Kedhaton is high Javanese for small palace.<\/p>\n
The palace, once a place of leisure for Yogyakarta's sultans
\nHamengkubuwono V through to Hamengkubuwono VII, is surely rich in
\nhistory. Even the newer building, Hotel Ambarrukmo, has abundant
\nstories from the past.<\/p>\n
Built in the 1960s in eastern Yogyakarta, the hotel is located
\ninside the compound of the pesanggrahan (leisure house) compound
\nand was the first modern building in Yogyakarta and, in a wider
\ncontext, its establishment marked the long course of tourism in
\nthe city.<\/p>\n
The kedhaton building is one of the rare old buildings in the
\ncity that still has classical Javanese architecture. Next to it
\nis the hotel's modern eight-story building. The building was
\nseized from the Japanese administration and later reconstructed
\nand transformed into a hotel.<\/p>\n
Once construction was finished and the hotel started business
\non March 30, 1966, Yogyakarta people and many others from
\nneighboring Central Java were fascinated with the first
\nmultistory building that was equipped with modern facilities,
\nincluding a lift.<\/p>\n
The story goes that starting from that day, people from
\nthroughout Yogyakarta and Central Java flocked to the hotel to
\ntry out the lift.<\/p>\n
In the late 1960s, a lift was an enigma to the community, and
\nnot only did they test the lift, they also got the rare chance to
\nenjoy an \"aerial\" view of their own city from a high building.<\/p>\n
\"Every time I remember those years I feel ridiculous. Imagine
\npeople coming from afar on trucks to see Yogya from the highest
\nbuilding in the city,\" said Sundari, a former employee at the
\nhotel.<\/p>\n
\"The people only wanted to experience the lift and after that
\nthey would descend and board their trucks and leave.\"<\/p>\n
\"That went on for months,\" Sundari, who worked in house
\nkeeping, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, it was not only lower-income people who were
\nintrigued by the lift, but also middle to upper class people
\nexperienced this kind of \"cultural shock\" with the presence of a
\nmodern hotel, which was managed by Japan's Okura group.<\/p>\n
Almost every day wives of high-ranking officials or
\nsocialites, coming in groups, attended the international table
\nmanner course at the hotel.<\/p>\n
\"Table manner course fever literally hit the city. A number of
\ninstitutions, including the Armed Forces Academy, routinely
\ninvited us to give lectures on the matter,\" Sundari said.<\/p>\n
And soon, a new building will be built on the historical site
\nof pesanggrahan Ambarrukmo. Plaza Ambarrukmo is boasted to be the
\nmost modern and grandiose shopping center in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
The two modern buildings -- the hotel and the shopping center
\n-- are expected to help sustain the beauty of Kedhaton
\nAmbarrukmo, which is costly to maintain.<\/p>\n
Initially named Pesanggrahan Arjo Purno, the small palace was
\nbuilt under the administration of Sultan Hamengkubuwono V, who
\nreigned from 1823 through 1855. When his successor Hamengkubuwono
\nVII (1877-1921) was in power, the palace was reconstructed and
\nrenamed Kedhaton Ambarrukmo.<\/p>\n
Ambarrukmo means something fragrant with the sheen of gold.<\/p>\n
The reconstruction included adding Pendapa Agung (main hall),
\nNdalem Ageng (main residence), Gandok (kitchen), Bale Kambang
\n(park) and Kandang Kuda (stables).<\/p>\n
The kedhaton also had a place for semedi (contemplation) in
\nBale Kambang. Bale Kambang resembles a gazebo. The two-story
\nbuilding stands proud in the middle of a water fountain.<\/p>\n
Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII fell in love with the palace and
\nspent his old age there up until he passed away on Dec. 30, 1921.<\/p>\n
Bale Kambang is now the hotel restaurant and offers high
\nJavanese countryside ambience and is renowned for its original
\nJavanese dishes.<\/p>\n
Pendapa Agung is used for special functions like traditional
\nweddings and other traditional ceremonies.<\/p>\n
But today some parts of the old palace are closed because of
\nthe ongoing construction within its proximity. Although sultans
\nno longer stayed at the pesanggrahan on weekends after Sultan
\nHamengkubuwono VII passed away, this small palace still gets
\nspecial treatment, with abdi dalem (royal maids) still cleaning
\nparts of it and placing offerings in some corners on certain
\ndays.<\/p>\n
One of the rooms in Ndalem Ageng in which sultans often spent
\nthe night remains off limits to the public and hotel employees.<\/p>\n
Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX used the hotel building as a school
\nfor police inspectors shortly after the country declared
\nindependence in 1945. In the 1960s it was decided that the city
\nshould have a hotel, and the police school was renovated into
\none.<\/p>\n
Management of the hotel has changed over the years, from
\nvarious groups like the Okura group, the Sheraton group and PT
\nIndonesia Natour.<\/p>\n
Natour's license expired on Feb. 24, 2004 and management of
\nthe hotel was returned to the Yogyakarta palace. However, an
\nagreement has been signed between the palace and the Santika
\nGroup to run the hotel, which explains why the hotel is having a
\nmassive facelift.<\/p>\n
Considering its name, it can be expected that the compound
\nwill shine bright and its fragrance will spread to its
\nsurroundings because there is a palace highly respected in
\nbetween the modernization.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp17ambar-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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