Paintings of Nyai Rara Kidul 'claimed victims'

PELABUHAN RATU, West Java (JP): Basoeki Abdullah's paintings of Nyai Rara Kidul, considered by many as the spiritual Queen of the South, are mystical and by the artist's account claimed a number of victims.

The late Basoeki shared the strange experiences of the paintings in the book R. Basoeki Abdullah RA. Duta Seni Lukis Indonesia (R. Basoeki Abdullah RA. Ambassador of Indonesian Painting) by Agus T. Dermawan.

All of the models used for the Nyai Rara Kidul paintings suffered from serious illness, and some passed away after the paintings were finished. One example was Mrs. Harahap, who sat for the painting of Nyai Rara Kidul that was eventually obtained by former president Sukarno.

"Not long after she modeled for the painting, Mrs. Harahap suffered from cancer and passed away," according to the book.

"Nyai Loro Kidul really exists. We can see her at Parangtritis (beach in Yogyakarta), at Pelabuhan Ratu or anywhere on the southern coast," according to Basoeki.

"I paint Nyai Loro Kidul because I really feel I have met her quite often," said Basoeki, who painted six works of Nyai.

In a hotel in Pelabuhan Ratu, the painter was once "called" and "communicated" (with the queen). At another location, (Nyai) made him shudder and he heard voices, the book says.

These types of experiences have occurred to other people, as well. The head of the food and beverage division at Samudra Beach Hotel, Edy Rohendi, said many at the hotel related supernatural experiences they had, like seeing a shadow of a woman while meditating in room 308, a room which was furnished especially for Nyai Rara Kidul.

Sulistyowati, the program assistant for the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, shared an experience she had while staying at the hotel.

Sulistyowati, who says she does not believe in the mystical, was on holiday at the hotel last year with 20 colleagues from the office when she was "visited" by some spirits.

"I was about to wake up when I saw the shadows of a group of people visiting me. I could only see one of them clearly, a long- haired woman clad in white stood right in front of me for about two or three minutes, but nothing happened," she recalled.

"The woman in white was surrounded by some other people wearing clothes of various colors, but I couldn't see them clearly. The shadows disappeared when I was completely awake," she said. A hotel employee told Sulistyowati later that the spirits just wanted to greet her.

Nyai Rara Kidul is a well-known legend to people in Java, particularly those in West and Central Java. The figure has become a commodity for the film industry. Numerous films telling the story of Nyai Rara Kidul have been put out by local movie producers. Traditional performing arts such as the Javanese Ketoprak and Sundanese folk theater often present works on the queen.

The queen is also known by several other names, such as Kangjeng Ratu Kidul, Dewi Roro Kidul, Ratu Rara Kidul and many others. But her official court title is Kangjeng Ratu Kencanasari, according to Nancy K. Florida in her article The Badhaya Katawang: A Translation of the Song of Kangjeng Ratu Kidul, which appeared in Indonesia magazine printed by the Cornell Southeast Asia Program.

The queen rules over the Javanese spiritual world from her palace in the depths of the Indian Ocean off Java's southern coast.

There are a number of versions of the origin, ancestry and personal history of Ratu Kidul.

One of the better known and more widely repeated versions of her past holds that she was born as the human daughter of Prabu Sindhula, the supernaturally endowed legendary 13th century ruler of the West Javanese kingdom of Galuh, Florida wrote.

Later, as a result of her intense asceticism and her chosen chastity, this princess of Galuh transformed into a spirit, and became queen of Java's spirit world.

She later moved to her kingdom in the depths of the southern ocean, and then became known as Kangjeng Ratu Kidul, Queen of the South. From her palace beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean, she is believed to rule over all of Java's spirits for all time, Florida wrote in her article.

It was believed that all the kings of the Islamic Mataram kingdom should marry the queen. According to Javanese tradition, it was this marital tie that would eternally safeguard the kingdom. (ind)