Yogyakartan troops gear up for war game
Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno
YOGYAKARTA (JP): All humans despise war but it is sometimes unavoidable. Therefore, each community has its own troops to defend itself from enemies.
On Sunday evening (Sept. 9), the Yogyakarta Kraton (palace) guards lined up in the northern square of the palace. People wondered if Yogyakarta was under attack. Apparently not. It was all just part of Yogyakarta's Tourism Promotion Week in which the troops presented the Gladen Perang.
Gladen Perang is a war game carried out by a thousand soldiers of the Kraton and the Pakualaman palace (formerly subordinate to Yogyakarta's palace). This program attempted to simulate the practice of war maneuvers during the time of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I, the first ruler of Yogyakarta.
The war game demonstrated how the kingdom's founder constructed his war strategy. According to Yogya palace troop manggala yudha (commander), Yudhaningrat, the martial drill methods and combat maneuvers applied were handed down by and based on the experiences of Pangeran (prince) Mangkubumi when fighting the Dutch conquerors before they ruled over Yogya.
In the simulated war game -- with thousands of spectators also crowding the square -- the soldiers of the palace presented Supit Urang, a lobster-claw tactic to besiege enemy forces, and those of the Pakualaman palace displayed Garuda Nglayang, a flying- eagle maneuver for hit-and-run attacks.
Yogyakarta's troops also featured the Emprit Nebo (flocking birds) and Dirodo Meto (furious elephant) offensives, which were ended with Manyar Sewu (a thousand birds), requiring an assault from all directions at the same time. Enemies, represented by two effigies placed in the middle of the square, were overwhelmed in this event by both palaces' soldiers.
The soldiers used rifles, arrows, spears and swords as their weapons. Commanders were on horseback while soldiers had to march or run.
Yudhaningrat said that when Sultan Hamengkubuwono I was in power this exercise was conducted regularly because, in 1755, the sultanate declared Yogya a military based kingdom, with the monarch being both a commander and religious leader.
"This is obviously contained in the royal title assumed by Pangeran Mangkubumi, with the word senopati (commander-in-chief): Ngerso Dalem Sampeyan Dalem Ingkang Sinuwun Kanjeng Sultan Hamengkubuwono Senopati ing Ngalogo Ngabdurrakhman Sayidin Panotogomo Kalifatullah Ingkang Jumeneng Kaping Sapisan," said the son of the late Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX.
In this position, the first ruler designed his defense and security strategies on five levels.
The first was the population of Yogya, with the state bearing responsibility for popular defense and security. The second comprised Masjid Pathok Negara, in the form of four mosques in the four corners of Yogya's outskirts, including their provisions and clerics, who were appointed by the sultan and expected to provide guidance for Muslims and surrounding communities in religious and security matters.
Housing facilities for soldiers and palace personnel were designated as the third level. They received houses and land around the palace, which finally led to the development of kampongs (villages) now still found in Yogya, such as Mantrijeron, Nyutran, Patangpuluhan, Wirobrajan, Daengan, Gamelan and Siliran.
The fourth level was the residential areas for high-ranking officials involved in administrative and cultural activities including the governor, princes, city regents, rural regents, district chiefs, subdistrict heads and village heads. This level also served as the final filter before the royal family.
The highest level was the palace administration. It became the center for administrative control, where the whole territory's defense and security were managed.