commit to user 13
B. The Potentials of Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat as Tourist Attraction in
Solo, Central Java
Of several destinations in Solo city, Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat is the main one that is shame not to visit. This is caused by the potentials of the palace that
can attract tourist’s curiosity to see, to learn, and even to join in. Its potentials are the originality of the ancient culture of Javanese ethnic group existing and living in the
past both cultural inheritance in the form of static things and custom they did at that time. In this palace, those historical evidences of past custom are maintained and
preserved by Royal Family and its people. They keep the tradition as well as their ancestors do until now. Because of the high philosophy of Javanese people in the
past, even the door is also given the name. Everything has its hidden meaning. 1.
Buildings of Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat as Tourist Attraction in Solo City
To make easier, the whole buildings are divided into four main areas opened to be tourist attraction:
a. Front Complex of Palace
1 Bangsal Pagelaran Sasanasumewa
Bangsal Pagelaran Sasanasumewa sasana
: place,
sumewa
: meet is located in the south of northern square of Karaton Surakarta.
This building faces to the north, which used to be built on the land
commit to user 14
with the roof of bamboo woods. Nevertheless, after being reconstructed in 1913 when it was under Paku Buwono X, this
building becomes majestic and solid as what we see today. The architecture of this large building is like a hall with no doors and
no walls, which stands on 48 pillars. In the past, this place is also used to extend the order of
Sunan
king concerning various matters of kingdom. That is why this place is named
Pagelaran
, which means to extend.
2 Bangsal Pangrawit
Inside this large ward, there is a little ward called
Bangsal Pangrawit
. The meaning of the term is to beautify. This ward functioned to be the place where the king conveyed the order to the
liegeman and inaugurated
Sentono Dalem
high-ranking aristocrats and officials on regent level upper. This inauguration is often called
Miyos Tinangkil
. There is a stone from the administration of Panembahan Senopati when the kingdom was still in Kota Gede.
The stone is put there functioned to be foothold of the king.
commit to user 15
3 Bangsal Pacekotan
The next right of
Bangsal Pagelaran Sasanasumewa
, there is
Bangsal Pacekotan
. This place is like a small house functions as the place where a person would get the boon from the king.
4 Bangsal Pacikeran
The next left of
Bangsal Pagelaran Sasanasumewa
is
Bangsal Pacikeran
, which is used to punish people who had done crime.
5 Bangal Martolulut
In the east of stairs to
Sitihinggil
, there is a small building called
Bangsal Martolulut
. This ward functions to be the place where
Abdi Dalem
court employees, retainers, and ordinary people brought the boon to them who rendered a service.
6 Bangsal Singanegara
In the west of stairs to
Sitihinggil
, there is
Bangsal Singanegara
. This place is used to give court decision.
b. Sitihinggil
Sitihinggil
is a large area that is located behind or in the south of
Bangsal Pagelaran Sasanasumewa
. This place is built on higher land
commit to user 16
as the philosophy meaning of
Sitihinggil siti
: land,
inggil
: high when the government of Paku Buwono III. This place is said as the symbol
of Goddess. It is surrounded by solid walls as the fence. The gateway is called
Kori Wijil Pisan
. The northern side of this place is a line of cannons. Each cannon has its own name, from west to east they are
Kyai Brising, Kyai Bagus, Kyai Nakula, Kyai Kumbarawa, Kyai Kumbarawi, Kyai Sadewa, Kyai Alus
, and
Kyai Kadhalbutung
or
Mahesa Kumali
or
Pamecut
. There are eight wards built in this second area:
1 Bangsal Sewayana
The largest ward is
Bangsal Sewayana
, which means where in this place a person has achieved the deepest inside feeling. This ward is
built under Paku Buwono X and stands on eight blue pillars. The ceiling shaped concave to create large image painted in white.
Bangsal Sewayana
is also utilized as the place for celebration of
Garebeg Maulud
, an event to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad SAW on 12
th
Rabiul Awal,
this celebration is called
Sekaten
. Another celebration is
Garebeg Syawal
, an event to welcome the Big Day of Muslims on 1th
Syawal
. The last one is
Garebeg Besar
, an event to celebrate
Idul Adha
, another big day of Muslims on 10th
Dzulhijjah
.
commit to user 17
2 Bangsal Manguntur Tangkil
Inside of
Bangsal Sewayana
is
Bangsal Manguntur Tangkil
. It is a small ward where the king sits. It is constructed higher than
Bangsal Sewayana
with four golden painted pillars. The floor is made of marble stones. In this place, the king used to deliver a
crucial order about the state such as the statement to make a war or reconciliation.
3 Bangsal Witana
The next ward is
Bangsal Witana
the beginning of existence. It becomes the central wards in
Sitihinggil
.
4 Bangsal Manguneng
Inside of
Bangsal Witana
is
Bangsal Manguneng oneng
: confused about unseen things. There is an heirloom treated for three times a
year inside
Bangsal Manguneng
. It is a sacred cannon named
Nyai Setomi
. The event to treat the sanctified cannon is called
Jamasan
.
5 Bangsal Gandhek Tengen
In the east of
Bangsal Sewayana
, there are two wards. The first ward is
Bangsal Gandhek Tengen
, which functions as the keeping place for
Abdi Dalem Gandhek Tengen
.
commit to user 18
6 Bangsal Angun-Angun
Next to
Bangsal Gandhek Tengen
is
Bangsal Angun-Angun angun
: to watch that is used to play
Gamelan
traditional instrument for celebrating certain big days and the events of the
palace.
7 Bangsal Balebang
The pair of
Bangsal Angun-Angun
is
Bangsal Balebang
, which is placed in the west of
Bangsal Witana
. This ward is utilized as the place to save
Gamelan
. The architecture of the ward is adopted from the building of Dutch colonial.
Bangsal Balebeng
is opened every Thursday to change the flower the ritual offerings.
8 Bangsal Gandhek Kiwo
The next to the colonial architecture ward is
Bangsal Gandhek Kiwo
. It is used for keeping place of
Abdi Dalem Gandhek Kiwa
. Now, it is also functioned as local radio station named
Karti Budaya
led by KGPH. Puger BA. There is one more construction behind
Bangsal Witana
, which is used to cover
Sitihinggil
area from the hustle of
Jl. Supit Urang
traffic. This high solid wall is named
Rana
. The door to get out from
Sitihinggil
that is located in the south of
Rana
is
Kori RentengMangu
.
commit to user 19
Entering to
Baluwarti
area through
Kori Brajanala
, there is
Bangsal Gito Swandono
, which is placed in west of
Kori Kamandungan
. This ward is separated from
Sitihinggil
area, but it is still involved in the route of visitors from
Sitihinggil
. In this place, several ancient carts and cars are displayed. The carts are
Kyai Retno Pambagyo, Kyai Garuda Putra, Kyai Retnosewoko,
and
Kyai Manik Kumolo
. Besides, the cars are
Chrysler
, which was made in America, under Paku Buwono X and
Grey Mercy
, which was made in German, under Paku Buwono XII.
c. Museum
Museum of Karaton Surakarta Hadininngrat is located in the eastern side of
Karaton
. Visitors from
Jl. Supit Urang
must turn left to reach this place. The museum is divided into nine rooms. Many collections
are displayed here. They are as follows: 1
Room I In this room, visitors can see the images of Kings and Queen of
Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat and some engravings. 2
Room II This room displays statues made of bronze and
batik
.
commit to user 20
3 Room III
Room III has the collections of the procession of Javanese marriage and its tools.
4 Room IV
In this room, there are several vernacular art scenes, such as the performances of shadow puppet performance including puppeteer,
puppet, and screen, and other kinds of puppets. 5
Room V There are several masks displayed in this room that are used to
perform the dance based on the story of Panji Inukertapati, Panji Asmarabangun, Dewi Galuh Ajeng, Dewi Galuh Candrakirana,
Klana, etc. besides, there are also some reliefs exemplifying traditional performances.
6 Room VI
The instruments of ceremonial events are displayed here. 7
Room VII Here, some ancient carts are placed. The other ancient carts are
displayed in a ward called
Bangsal Gito Swandono.
commit to user 21
8 Room VIII
The reliefs in this room exemplify the meet between Paku Buwono VI and Prince Diponegoro and the situation of the court in the past.
There are also several ancient weapons and diorama of Diponegoro war.
9 Room IX
This is the place for
Kyai Rajamala
, a statue of a giant head as the decoration of the boat of Paku Buwono IV. There are also
displayed Javanese house mockups, small statues made of clay, traditional toys, kitchen utensil, etc.
d.
Karaton
Palace This main area of Karaton Surakarta is placed next to museum. After
entering and seeing the collection of the museum, visitor can continue the activity by entering to palace yard, where many
Sawo Kecik
trees are planted. The sand of the yard is taken from the sand of South
Beach. In this location, there are several buildings to see, such as:
1 Panggung Songgobuwono
This is the highest building of Karaton Surakarta, which is built under the government of Paku Buwono III. This building is four-
storey-floor with diameter 6 meters in length and 30 meters in
commit to user 22
height. According to the legend, this high building is used by the king to meditate and to meet Ratu Kencanasari, the queen of South
Sea. Besides, this building used to be the place of palace guards to watch the arrival of enemies and to monitor the security of
surrounding
Karaton
area. To be the highest building of the palace, it is also utilized as the place to decide the Javanese
calendar based on the moon movement.
2 Bangsal Sasana Sewoko
Sasana Sewoko sasana
: place,
sewaka
: sitting cross-legged on the floor with having a moment of silence to focus on God is the
central ward of
Karaton
. This ward, which was built in the period of Paku Buwono X, stands on 36 wood pillars with four
cornerstones inside facing to the east. This building is usually called
Pendopo Ageng
, a large pavilion. It shaped as
Joglo
house, Javanese house. This place is used to meditate or to have a
moment of silence to focus on God by King and
Abdi Dalem
for general prosperity. This pavilion is usually used for the exercise of
Bedhaya Ketawang
dance every Tuesday
Kliwon
, one of Javanese days. A big lamp named
Robyong Kyai Remeng
is hanged in the middle of the room.
commit to user 23
3 Bangsal Maligi
In front of
Sasana Sewoko
, there is a terrace separating
Sasana Sewoko
and
Bangsal Maligi
.
Bangsal Maligi
is the easily eye- caught ward because it sticks out to forward if compared with
other buildings. The roof shaped pyramid. It used to be the place for holding the circumcision of the king
’s sons.
4 Sasana Handrawina
Sasana Handrawina
is a ward with pyramid roof. It is located next to
Sasana Sewaka
. This ward, which was built in the period of Paku Buwono IV and was renovated by Paku Buwono X, is used
to serve the king’s guests or the place where to hold big party. The
wall of this ward is entirely made of glass.
5 Sasana Pustoko
Sasana Pustoko
is the two-storey-library of the palace. It is located next to
Sasana Handrawina
, but it faces to the north. This library was built based on the encouragement of Paku Buwono X to save
books, holy Quran, etc. There are so many collections of Javanese books. The visitor may enter to this place by having the covering
letter from the organization, department, or personal request by mentioning the purpose of visit.
commit to user 24
6 Bangsal Bujono
Bangsal Bujono
is in the east side of palace complex. This place is used to serve food and beverage for followers of
Karaton
.
7 Bangsal Pradangga Kidul
This ward is in the north of
Bangsal Bujono
. It functions as the place for playing
Gamelan
to entertain king or to play songs of certain events.
8 Bangsal Pradangga Lor
Bangsal Pradangga Lor
is next to
Bangsal Pradangga Kidul
. This ward is functioned as the place to put stuff when certain events are
held. 2.
Cultural Events of Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat as Tourist Attraction in Solo City
a.
Bedhoyo Ketawang
Dance According to the legend,
Bedhoyo Ketawang
dance represents the love of Ratu Kencanasari, the queen of South Sea, to Panembahan
Senopati, the king of Mataram II. This dance is assumed as sacred dance, which is only performed when the king’s coronation and
anniversary of king’s coronation. This sanctified dance is performed by nine virgin girls who are prepared and selected intensively before
commit to user 25
the day of performance. Those who are selected must live in seclusion from out world to prepare the body and soul for the ritual dance. This
dance is only performed in
Sasana Sewaka
, no other places allowed. For the frequent exercise, this dance is performed every Tuesday
Kliwon
, one of the Javanese days.
b. Gunungan Sekaten
Sekaten
is a celebration to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Seven days before the day,
Gamelan
of
Karaton
is brought to northern square to be played from 10am and stopped when
the time for praying
Dzuhur
, about 00am. In this week, there will be
Sekaten
Fair in northern square, which is enlivened by visitors and traders. The top event of
Sekaten
is celebration of
Gunungan
. It is like making offerings of thankful to God in the form of food and
agricultural produce. These offerings are arranged in two types,
Gunungan Laki-Laki
for man and
Gunungan Perempuan
for woman. This
Gunungan
event is held together with
Garebeg Maulud Nabi
. The route of
Gunungan
is started in
Karaton
and finished in
Agung
mosque, which is located in the west of northern square. Firstly, it will be a ceremony in
Karaton
and a set of
Gamelan
placed in the square are taken to put in
Pradangga Lor
and
Kidul
. This traditional instruments are played there to accompany the event. After
commit to user 26
the ceremony, the two
Gunungan
are brought to
Agung
mosque through
Kori Manganti, Kori Kamandungan, Kori Brojonolo, Sitihinggil
, Northern square, and the last place is in mosque. This procession is also escorted by marching band of
Karaton
. In mosque, people and
Abdi Dalem
scramble the offerings.
c. Kirab 1 Suro
This event is held to commemorate the new year of Javanese calendar. This procession is by holding a parade where in the first line is holy
buffaloes as the pets of
Karaton
named
Kyai Slamet
. The sacred heirlooms are put in the cart. The parade route is from
Karaton
,
Kamandungan
, northern square,
Gladhak
,
Sangkrah, Jl. Pasar Kliwon,
Baturana, Gading, Gemblegan, Nonongan, Jl. Slamet Riyadi
, back to
Gladhak,
northern square,
Kori Kamandungan
, and to
Karaton
. This event is to pray to God in order to give the country salvation.
d. Jamasan
Jamasan
is an event held in
Sitihinggil
. This is an event to treat the heirloom of
Bangsal Manguneng
. It is the sacred cannon,
Nyai Setomi
. This event is held three times a year. The society surrounding
Karaton
also still have a faith that the water used after
Jamasan Kyai Setomi
could bring the blessing for their life.
commit to user 27
e. Tingalan Jumenengan
It is an event to celebrate the anniversary of king’s coronation. The activities of this event include
Bhedoyo Ketawang
dance, graduation of
Sentono Dalem
high-ranking aristocrat and
Abdi Dalem
, and parade.
Tingalan Jumenengan
becomes annual cultural event of Karaton Surakarta Hadiningrat. They who participate in this event are
royal family, royal guests, and
Abdi Dalem
. f.
Wayangan
Shadow Puppet Performance Puppet performance is the event that is not frequently held. This event
is usually held by KGPH Puger BA., in
Sitihinggil
, which is exactly in
Sasana Sewayana
.
commit to user 28
C. The Activity During Job-Training