Guide gives insight into Jakarta's cultural riches

Guide gives insight into Jakarta's cultural riches

The Jakarta Explorer, Cultural Tours in and Around the City;
Publication coordinator: Diana Pabst Parsell; Updated version;
Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta, 1999; xx and 302 pages;
Rp 100,000.

JAKARTA (JP): "We learn about how places made history, how
people made places, how Jakarta grew, developed and changed",
said then-chairwoman of the Indonesian Heritage Society, Mary de
Tray, in the foreword to this guide.

The book, compiled from research by Society's Explorer groups,
covers everything from Jembatan Pasar Ayam (Chicken Market
Bridge) in Kota to Yayasan Cabang Sari Putra/Vihara Maitreya
(Buddhist Nunnery) in Glodok. It provides an insight into areas
to which you may not be familiar.

Take the Rumah Abu (Ash Houses), for instance. Located in
Kota, they are owned by Chinese families to house the ashes of
their ancestors. Originally, the houses were intended as
temporary resting places for the ashes until they could be
returned to the home villages of the deceased in China.

Staying in Kota, the guide mentions the Museum Wayang (Puppet
Museum) which houses a collection of Indonesian puppets and
others donated from many countries. Among the exhibits are the
Independence Puppets of the 1940s, featuring Indonesia's first
president, Sukarno, the Nationalists and the Dutch; Grand Guingol
puppets from France; and Punch and Judy, donated by a former
British ambassador to Indonesia.

Moving to Batam, on the north coast of Java and about two
hours from Jakarta, the guide lists Klenteng Wan de Yuan
(Buddhist temple) as one of the area's attractions.

The temple is a popular place of worship for the Chinese-
Indonesian community. It is reputed to have been a gift from the
reigning sultan to the members of Banten's Chinese community in
gratitude for receiving medicines to curb an outbreak of malaria.
The goddess of mercy, Guan Yin, is enshrined here.

Behind the temple is a large courtyard with small rooms for
overnight stays by pilgrims. Indeed, one stormy night this writer
was one such pilgrim and was led into the temple by candlelight
to spend a most interesting evening.

The Jakarta Explorer also takes in areas such as Jatiluhur and
Plered, about 120 kilometers southeast of Jakarta, where one can
visit pottery manufacturers and also see the giant dam and
reservoir, which is a popular area for water skiing. Jatiluhur is
also the site of a satellite communications center.

With most items accompanied by a photograph, each is listed
with categories such as classification, directions and opening
hours.

There is a section explaining the history of the Chinese and
Indians in this country, as well as the British period in
Batavia. At the back of the book is a section dealing with street
life and its culture (with a listing of major markets in the
city) and a basic Bahasa Indonesia vocabulary page. It also
explains the principles of the major religions of Indonesia.

If history is your bag, this book will enhance your knowledge
of previous events in Jakarta. Lubang Buaya (Crocodile Hole)
Memorial Park and Museum in Pondok Gede is the site where some of
the generals in the 1956 attempted coup were murdered. A monument
has been established in their honor and a museum and diorama
depicts the events. The guide informs us that "in spite of the
gruesome history, the park-like setting makes this a pleasant
place to visit".

Until the 1960s, the book says, Lubang Buaya (lubang means
hole, buaya means crocodile) was an isolated village on the
eastern outskirts of Jakarta, surrounded by nonproductive rubber
plantations. Its name is derived from a legend that says there
were once white crocodiles in the nearby river.

Also, from a historic point of view, The Jakarta Explorer
lists Bentara Budaya/Rumah Kudus (Kudus House and Cultural
Center) in Palmerah, which was established in 1982 by the Kompas
Gramedia publishing group to house and display its growing art
collection. The house itself is the biggest and most valuable
item in the collection and is reputed to be over 100 years old.
It was purchased from a family in Kudus, Central Java, in 1983
and moved, following restoration, to the gallery site to be
preserved and displayed as a work of art. It is considered to be
one of only two remaining traditional structures from the city of
Kudus.

One place of interest that the book has done well to mention
is the vibrant Pasar Kemenangan (Chinese "wet" Market) in Glodok.
Offering an authentic experience of a traditional Asian market,
it is a "wet" market that sells local Chinese specialities such
as bird's nests, shark fins, fish, eels, snakes and frogs. The
animals are kept live and are killed upon purchase.

This guide is an updated version of the 1991 guide. Chairwoman
of the society, Liz Oley, said: "The book has been expanded and
totally revised and includes the latest maps. We sent out
Explorer groups and rewrote all the chapters. There is a lot more
historical information in the new guide.

"After the May 1998 riots, we had to go out and check that
everything was still there. One of the biggest areas that had
been destroyed was Pasar Glodok, which had been an entry in the
previous book," she added.

The book is certainly comprehensive in its coverage of
cultural attractions in this city and beyond, and is bound to
become an invaluable guide.

It is one of the best compiled guides around and will no doubt
be of use if you have a few spare weekends coming up or, indeed,
if you wish to join the society and become an Explorer yourself.

-- William Furney