A bit off the beaten track

A bit off the beaten track

Stevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Interesting places to go, good food to savor and comfortable
places to stay are the main things that make any trip to a new
place enjoyable and memorable. And Cirebon, a small coastal city
in West Java, has them all.

Only four hours drive from Jakarta, Cirebon boasts a fishing
industry, a thriving harbor and trading activities. It is also
popular for its rattan and batik products, and a wide array of
local cuisine. But a lack of publicity and promotion has meant
that the city is primarily known as a stopover for those heading
to cities in Central Java.

With the presence of four keratons (palaces) and other
historical landmarks, Cirebon is culturally rich and, in a way, a
visit there reminds one of Yogyakarta -- only without the famous
Malioboro street.

Cirebon (its unique name is believed to derive from cai,
meaning water, and rebon, shrimp, or "shrimp city")
is one of the oldest cities in the country.

The 631-year-old city was once a center for the dissemination
of Islam. Its strong relationship with the spread of Islam in the
country is evident from, among other things, the presence of one
of the oldest mosques in Java, the 521-year-old Mesjid Agung.

The mosque, which is surrounded by a red-brick wall, has nine
gates to symbolize the Wali, the nine prominent propagators of
Islam in Java. The mosque's two-tiered roof is supported by four
huge wooden pillars called soko guru. According to a Kasepuhan
palace guide, Iman, one of the pillars was made by Sunan
Kalijaga, a Wali, in a single night.

Earlier, Cirebon only had one palace, Pakungwati, which was
built by Prince Cakrabuana in 1445. Over time, the royal houses
were split into four palaces: Keraton Kasepuhan, Keraton Kanoman,
Keraton Cirebonan and Keraton Keprabonan,

Only two of them -- Keraton Kasepuhan and Keraton Kanoman --
are worth visiting due to their distinct and vast collections.

Keraton Kasepuhan in the Lemahwungkuk area and Keraton
Kanoman, which is located right in the center of a traditional
market called Pasar Kanoman, are only around 500 meters apart.
It's best to visit the two palaces on the weekend since there
will be many guides available to provide detailed insights into
the buildings' history and collections.

Kasepuhan was built in 1529, and remains of the earliest
palace, Pakungwati, can still be found behind the present one.

At the palace's museum, there are precious heirlooms,
including gifts from other countries, like a crystal chandelier
from France (1738), antique wedding jewelry (1526), wooden chests
from China and crystal glasses with ship motifs from the time of
the Dutch East Indies Company (1745).

But the most attractive sight is the finely crafted carriage
Singa Barong kept in the palace's carriage museum. The carriage
is similar to its predecessor, Paksi Naga Liman, kept at Kanoman
palace.

According to Iman, the Singa Barong carriage was made in 1549.

"The carriage depicts three creatures made into one, an
elephant, a dragon and the mythical burog (the creature that
carried the Prophet Mohammad)," Iman said.

The carriage also symbolizes harmonious relations with other
countries and religions. Iman said the elephant's trunk depicted
on the cart represented friendship with the predominantly Hindu
people of India, while the head of the dragon illustrated
affinity with Chinese Buddhists. The carriage's wings and the
body of the burog symbolized harmonious relations with Egyptian
Muslims.

The Singa Barong carriage, which was used to transport the
king during ceremonial events, was earlier pulled by four kebo
bule (white buffaloes). "Then, it represented the rejection of
the Dutch rulers. By using the white buffaloes, it's like trying
to say we don't want to be ruled," Iman said.

The carriage wasn't used after 1942, and a replica was made,
becoming the king's new carriage.

Cirebon was once a melting pot of people from various cultures
who came to the city to trade all manner of goods, from Chinese
silk and ceramics to European silver and gold, and spices.

The strong influence of these cultures can still be seen
today, such as in the forms of antique ceramic tiles decorating
most of the Kasepuhan palace's walls and gates, including the
European-style Gapura Kutagara Wadasan where the king parked his
carriage, the Buk Bacem gate which separates the palace's inner
and outer sections, and all over the palace's interior.

According to Iman, the ceramic tiles, which can also be found
adorning walls and gates in other historical sites like Keraton
Kanoman and the Sunan Gunung Jati tomb, feature different
stories, like the epic Mahabrata.

The influence of other cultures can also be found in Cirebon's
batik motifs which include folk stories and landscapes, or its
brighter, glaring colors -- different from those found in other
cities in Java like Yogyakarta and Surakarta, which are famous
for dark brown and black patterned batik.

Trusmi, a small village 15 minutes from the city's center, has
made Cirebon famous for its batik, known among aficionados as
coastal batik.

"Our motifs are generations old but that doesn't mean we don't
care about trends," said a woman employee at Batik Gunung Jati
boutique in Trusmi which specializes in classic and contemporary
batik.

More information on Cirebon is available at
http://cirebon.virtualave.net/