Thousands line up as sultan buried<\/p>\n
Blontank Poer, Surakarta<\/p>\n
Thousands of people gathered at this royal city on Monday to
\nwitness the burial procession of Hadiningrat Ingkang Sinuhun
\nKangjeng Susuhunan Pakubuwono XII, the traditional ruler of the
\nSurakarta Palace.<\/p>\n
Lines of people on both sides of the road stretched for two
\nkilometers behind the horse-drawn carriage that transported the
\nsultan's body from the palace for burial.<\/p>\n
Sinuhun, as he was known to those close to him, passed away on
\nFriday morning at the age of 79 after spending a week in the
\nintensive care unit at Dr. Oen Hospital.<\/p>\n
Almost all of his 36 children and 60 grandchildren attended
\nthe burial ceremony, which was led by Diponegoro Military
\nCommander Maj. Gen. Soenarso.<\/p>\n
Also in attendance were the Golkar Party's presidential
\ncandidate, Wiranto, Golkar leader Akbar Tandjung, National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) leader Alwi Shihab and Yogyakarta's Sultan
\nHamengkubowono.<\/p>\n
Sinuhun was buried in the Mataram family cemetery in Imogiri,
\nYogyakarta, some 90 kilometers northeast of Surakarta. The
\nImogiri cemetery was built thousands of years ago exclusively for
\nthe sultans of Java.<\/p>\n
Servants from the Surakarta Palace and other mourners wept as
\nSinuhun's coffin left the palace, led by KGPH Hadi Prabowo.<\/p>\n
The number of mourners wishing to pay their last respects to
\nSurakarta's traditional ruler swelled as the coffin, wrapped in
\nan Indonesian flag, approached the cemetery at about 1:40 p.m.<\/p>\n
The procession began at about 9 a.m. in traditional Javanese
\nstyle, after which the Diponegoro military commander led the
\nprocession in a military tribute.<\/p>\n
The tomb of Sinuhun is adjacent to the tombs of his father
\nPakubuwono XI and grandfather Pakubuwono X.<\/p>\n
Pakubuwono XII's official title was \"Sunan Surakarta\", or
\n\"ruler of Surakarta Palace\", rather than \"sultan\". He was given
\nthe name Raden Mas Goeritno.<\/p>\n
He ascended to the throne on June 12, 1945. In the early days
\nof the country's independence, he was nicknamed Pangeran Mardiko,
\nwhich means \"freedom prince\".<\/p>\n
Pakubuwono XII was the grandson of Surakarta's famed Sultan
\nPakubuwono X, the powerful leader who challenged the rule of the
\nDutch colonial government in the early 1900s and was given the
\ntitle \"the king of all Java\".<\/p>\n
The Surakarta sultanate lost much of its power in the
\naftermath of World War II and Indonesian independence in 1945.
\nTwo royal families now share the mostly ceremonial office in
\nSurakarta.<\/p>\n
Sinuhun received numerous independence awards from the
\ngovernment and was also bestowed the titular rank of lieutenant
\ngeneral (not major general as reported earlier) by the Indonesian
\nArmy.<\/p>\n
Following the May 1998 riots, during which much of Surakarta
\nwas engulfed in flames, Sinuhun joined various community groups
\nin fostering peace and opened the palace for peace campaigns.<\/p>\n
He was honored for his work by the Sir Chinmoy International
\nInstitute, a charity foundation based in New York.<\/p>\n
The award was bestowed on him for his accomplishments as a
\ncultural monarch actively involved in efforts to promote world
\npeace.<\/p>\n
Sinuhun never married but took six concubines, with whom he
\nhad 36 children. Two of his children have passed away.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thousands-line-up-as-sultan-buried-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}