Preserving the tradition of fruit gardens in Indonesia

Preserving the tradition of fruit gardens in Indonesia

By Amir Sidharta

JAKARTA (JP): The opening of the extensive Taman Buah
Mekarsari fruit gardens in Cileungsi, Bogor, yesterday
illustrates the significance of fruit in many cultures of the
Indonesian archipelago.

Various fruit trees have been cultivated for centuries by
cultures throughout the archipelago for purposes ranging from
ceremonial rituals to house building material. The significance
of fruit in various cultural traditions is evident across
society, from common compounds to royal courts.

"No region of the earth, can boast an equal abundance and
variety of indigenous fruit," remarked Sir Thomas Stamford
Raffles early in the 19th century.

The overwhelming lushness of the Indonesian environment has
led to cultures based on the clearing of forests to make way for
dwellings, vegetable gardens, orchards and rice fields.

The fruit trees used in everyday life as well as traditional
and religious rituals are found in designated orchards near the
dwelling compound. In Bali, fruit with ritual importance are
grown in a teba orchard adjacent to the house. Recent discoveries
suggest that the Dayak of Kalimantan also have walled enclosures
in which they grow a selection of trees, among them fruit trees.

Communities often found that their land was conducive to
cultivating a particular fruit. As a commodity fruit has
therefore been organized for centuries in groves and orchards in
Indonesia. Not surprisingly, fruit is used to name areas once
famous for their specific groves. The port of Jakarta, was once
called Nusa Kelapa and now Sunda Kelapa, "The Land of the
Coconut Trees".

Other areas, like Duren Tiga (Durian "Three") and Mangga Dua
(Mango "Two"), include numbers, perhaps indicating the number of
prominent fruit trees which existed in the area. Some others are
more descriptive. Kampung Rambutan may refer to a village once
known for its rambutan trees and Kebon Nanas was most likely a
pineapple grove. Mangga Besar was once either a vast mango
orchard or an orchard of large mango fruits.

There are also places with fruit connected to the place name,
like Cipinang Cempedak. Other places, like Menteng, Kemang,
Gandaria and Jeruk Purut, only indicate the kind of fruit.

Fruit is found in names in other parts of the country as well.
Jambu Air Bay in Aceh, Kotapinang in North Sumatra, Telukdurian
and Pisang in Riau, Semangka Bay and Blimbing in Lampung, Mount
Salak and Mount Ceremai in West Java, Sukun Island in East Nusa
Tenggara, Cape Kelapa in North Sulawesi, Pisang Island in Maluku,
and Valse Pisang Islands and Pisang Islands in Irian Jaya are
examples.

The most important name based on a fruit is the Kingdom of
Majapahit in East Java. Its territory once encompassed the
present-day Indonesian archipelago. The name Majapahit, which
means "bitter maja fruit" comes from a tale of Madurese laborers
who were working under the instructions of Raden Wijaya, the
founder of Majapahit in 1294. They found the luscious fruit to be
bitter, contrary to their expectations.

According to Slametmuljana, an authority on Majapahit history,
it is common toponymical practice to name a village after trees
or other elements found in the area, and notes that aside from
the legend, maja trees were common and therefore the region has
many villages bearing the word maja, like Majakerta, Majawarna
and Maja Agung.

History

Historically, the importance of fruit and fruit trees in
Indonesia can be traced back to the Sriwijaya period. The
inscription of Talang Tuwo, dated 684 A.D., contains the mention
of the creation of the parlak or taman (gardens) of Sriksetra as
a pranidha (act or vow) of Dapunta Hyang ri Jayanaga, the ruler
of Sriwijaya, after the successful military expedition on
Minanga.

Rejoice, on the Saka year of 606, on the second of the half-
full moon of the Caitra month, this is the time the gardens of
Sri-ksetra was completed,
according to the orders of Hyang Sri Jayanaga. This was the
vow of honor of His Majesty. Everything which was planted
here, coconut, pinang, enau, sago palm,
along with other trees, the fruits of which are edible; as
well as bamboo buluh, betung, and so forth; and other gardens,
which have ponds (and) lakes, and everything that can be used
for good deeds, (shall) be used for the welfare of all living
creatures, both which are mobile and immobile, so that they can
achieve,
happiness; and if hunger ever occurs in their journey, they
(shall) get food to eat along with water to drink. (Shall) every
crop from the fields and gardens be sufficient
to sustain all types of animals, especially so that they will
be able to reproduce and multiply...

From the inscription, which contains a clear description of
the kinds of the fruit grown in the garden, it is known that this
pleasure garden was a royal philanthropic institution which was
open for public enjoyment. Meant to provide advice and guidance
to acts of merit and piety reflecting Mahayana Buddhist
teachings, this archaeological artifact offers a glimpse of the
meaning of fruit and fruit trees in the 7th century court in the
Sumatran kingdom.

The creation of special pleasure gardens as places of retreat
have significance of spirituality and sovereignty.

In contrast to the Taman Sriksetra, many court gardens were
created specifically for the use of the Sultan or his immediate
family. The Taman Sari of Yogyakarta, for example, was
constructed by Hamengkubuwono I in 1758 originally for his
private use. It was planted with flowers, vegetables as well as
many varieties of fruit, like mangoes, jambu and bananas,
arranged in 18 extravagant gardens.

There are at least 10 varieties of mangoes, including
lalijiwa, arum manis, si manalagi, kweni, golek, sungir,
santok, pakel, and gedong or gadung. There are also different
varieties of bananas, such as kepok, klutuk, rojo, mas, ambuan,
susu, tanduk, and mangka. Among the varieties of jambu there
are klutuk or biji dersono, dersono kecut, bol, and mede or
monyet.

The Langen Harjo estate south of Solo, the pleasure gardens of
the Sunan of Surakarta, is also planted with numerous varieties
of fruit. The number of varieties of fruit trees planted in the
gardens signify the status and importance of their proprietors in
the political circle of the kingdom.

However, it is not only in pleasure gardens that fruit plays
an important role. In certain Indonesian kingdoms, gardens
sustained the notion of the kraton as a microcosm. In the kraton
of Yogyakarta, fruit trees were planted in a distinct spatial
order.

The Northern Kemandungan court is planted with keben trees. To
the south of this court, other kinds of fruit trees are planted
around the Bangsal Sri Manganti and the Bangsal Trajumas
pavilions, within walled enclosures. Around the central Bangsal
Kencono or "Golden Throne Pavilion" symbolizing the sacred Mount
Meru, towering sawo kecik trees are planted in a sea of dark
sand. While the sawo is associated with prosperity, the canopy of
this particular sawo tree, believed to have the natural
capability of avoiding structural obstacles, also offers shade.
It common for the trees to serve both practical and spiritual
purposes.

A number of the royal gardens have been transformed into
charitable institutions for public enjoyment, like the Taman
Sriksetra of Sriwijaya. The Kebon Rojo, a court garden initially
created as an extension of the Keraton of Surakarta, was opened
to the public as the Taman Sriwedari at the end of the 19th
century. It later became the top amusement part of Solo.

The opening of the extensive Taman Buah Mekarsari fruit
gardens in Cileungsi, Bogor, yesterday, continues a 14 century
tradition of providing pleasure gardens to the public enjoyment.

Designed to foster the cultivation of fruit from Indonesia,
the Taman Buah Mekarsari is believed to be the first of its kind
in the world. The creation of this extensive gardens reasserts
the importance of fruit and fruit trees in the numerous cultures
of Indonesia.