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/