Traditional house's originality puts it on map<\/p>\n
Heru Prasetya, Contributor, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Visitors touring the grounds of the Yogyakarta Palace fortress,
\nalso known as the jeron benteng area, will find an old
\ntraditional house at Jl. Siliran 1 in the Panembahan area.<\/p>\n
With its well-maintained exterior and some 200 different
\nplants around the house, one would not suspect that the house is
\nnearly 150 years old.<\/p>\n
"It was 1860 when one of my ancestors finished building it,"
\nsaid Sudartomo, who is a direct descendant of the owner, and is
\ncharged with taking care of the house.<\/p>\n
Sudartomo said the house was first built by Raden Lurah (RL)
\nSosrodigdoyo I, an abdi dalem (royal servant) of the Yogyakarta
\nPalace, whose responsiblity was to prepare drinks for inhabitants
\nof the palace. But it was RL Sosrodigdoyo II who gave the house
\nthe look it has today. Sudartomo is the fourth son of the late RL
\nSosrodigdoyo III, who died in 1972 as KRT Kusuma Budaya.<\/p>\n
"That's why it was named nDalem Kusumabudayan," said
\nSudartomo, pointing to a placard printed with the words "KRT
\nKusuma Budaya". The sign is hung at the front of the house.<\/p>\n
From the outside, the house seems quiet with its closed gate
\nand a mere glimpse of the four punokawan (royal joker puppets),
\ncharacters in a shadow puppet story, which are placed behind
\ntransparent glass in a cupboard.<\/p>\n
Upon passing through the gate, a 62-year-old man will rush out
\nto greet you with a friendly smile. Even before you can ask your
\nfirst question, he will proceed to tell you in fine detail
\neverything about the house, including how it was built and how
\noften tourists come for a closer look at it.<\/p>\n
"We have received a lot of guests lately, especially after the
\nhouse was included on the guide map," said Sudartomo, referring
\nto a map on heritage trails inside the fortress, which was
\npublished last year.<\/p>\n
The 288-square-meter house basically consists of three main
\nseparate buildings: the pendapa or hall, the main house and the
\ngarage.<\/p>\n
The pendapa has the familiar joglo (steep upper section) type
\nof roof and is meant to be a public space where the house's owner
\nused to receive guests of a lower social rank.<\/p>\n
The main house consists of a pringgitan at the front, which is
\nintended to be a place for receiving guests belonging to the same
\nsocial rank as the homeowner. Right behind the pringgitan is a
\nndalem, a special room used to receive honorable guests of high
\nsocial rank.<\/p>\n
It is here in the ndalem that the senthong tengen (the front
\nroom), the senthong tengah (the middle room) and the senthong
\nkiwa (the left room) are located. The senthong tengen comprises
\nthe master bedroom and bathroom. The senthong kiwa, which also
\nconsists of a bedroom and a bathroom, is for the children or the
\nhomeowner's brothers or sisters.<\/p>\n
In the senthong tengah, also traditionally known as the pasren
\nis an alcove with another bedroom where the pedaringan -- or a
\nbed, complete with mattress, pillows and bolsters -- is placed.
\nUnlike other rooms, no one stays in the pedaringan as it is meant
\nfor Dewi Sri, the goddess of wealth.<\/p>\n
Right in front of the pasren, a pair of dolls representing the
\ntraditional figures of Jaka Tarub, an ordinary man, and Dewi
\nNawangwulan, a goddess in a Javanese folk tale, are displayed.
\nThe Javanese believe that if they prepare a special place for the
\ntwo figures, good luck and wealth will come their way.<\/p>\n
"It's regarded as a symbol for maintaining the spirits of the
\nfamily while they earn a living," explained Laretna T. Adishakti,
\nthe chairwoman of the Jogja Heritage Society, which published the
\nguide map.<\/p>\n
The garage is near the front of the house on the left. It
\npreviously had a stall to keep a horse and a small place to park
\nthe carriage.<\/p>\n
At the back of the house is an open veranda called the gandri,
\nwhich was used for enjoying leisure activities. In the past,
\nbatik painting was done here.<\/p>\n
A separate building called the gandok was built on the left
\nside of the house, and included a kitchen and well, as well as
\nthe servants' quarters.<\/p>\n
Sudartomo said that during the second Dutch occupation that
\nended the Japanese occupation, refugees would take shelter in a
\npendapa (hut), and after Indonesia's independence, it was used as
\na classroom. There were at least two different schools that made
\nuse of the pendapa as a classroom from 1952 to 1960 and from 1962
\nto 1968.<\/p>\n
Apart from a wooden roof that has replace the former bamboo
\nroof and ceramic tiles replacing the cement tiles, the house has
\nbeen practically left intact.<\/p>\n
Laretna said the house had been well-maintained and kept in
\nits original state, which was why it earned a place on the
\ntourist map, meaning it was worthwhile for visitors to take in.<\/p>\n
"So far, repairs have mainly been done just for maintenance,
\nand they have not changed the house's original architecture,"
\nSudartomo said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traditional-houses-originality-puts-it-on-map-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}