The kraton of Yogya was built between 1756 and 1790 by the founder of the city, sultan Hamengku Buwono I. It's a beautiful example of traditional Jawanese royal architecture. As a royal residence, but most of all the centre of the principalty, the kraton was to be a miniature model of the Jawanese universe. All elements - pavilions, courts, gates and trees - have a symbolic meaning. The thought behind this constructions was to bring the royal court and the principalty together with the divine universe. With that, success for the ruler would be assured.
The Indo-Jawanese perception of the universe was mostly based on the Indian cosmology, and was used far into the Islamic time. In this look at the world the
Gunung Mahameru formed the centre of the universe, and also the residence of the gods, comparable with the Greek Olympus. The mountain was surrounded by a constellation of concentric world seas and land masses.
In the traditional Jawanese palaces the holy mountains is represented at the central court, the
Pelataran Kraton, with on that an impressive pavilion, the
pendopo, which is open at all sides. It has a 'bent' , high roof of the
joglo-type and at the back of the structure a small room where the jewelry is kept. North and south of the central court a number of massive walls, gates, smaller courts, a building with a higher floor, a big pavilion and the big outside squares (
alun-alun ) are built following strickt symmetry. Gates and buildings with a higher floor represent land masses; courts and squares symbolize oceans.
The north-south axis plays an importan role at all ceremonies at the royal court. Processions at the inauguration of the sultan, marriage and other important days follow the axis towards the north, to the mountains. Funeral processions cross the southern gates, towards the sea, the place where the ancestors stay.
The northern pavilions
Arrivind from the city the first building that the visitor sees is the beautiful meeting hall, which has a view over the lawn of the northern square (
alun-alun lor ). This is the Pagelaran, where ministers and kratontroups will gather. The 64 pilars which carry the roof, are representing the perfection ( 8 times 8, the age at which the representative Muhamad died ). Now the hall serves at room for gamelan concerts and dancing shows during the Sekaten-festivities and the birthday of the sultan. Left and right of the meeting hall there are smaller pavilions where the royal officials were seated during audiences. Now the royal costumes are displayed.
Behind these pavilions some steps lead to a higher floor, the
Siti Hinggil or 'High Ground'. At this place the official inaugurations still take place, On a step in the centre is the throne of the sultan, or
Bangsal Manguntur Tangkul, decorated with woodcarvings and gold leaf. In the building behind it are the royal jewelry, but only when the sultan is near.
Al these buildings can be visited. Entry cards can be optained at
Pracimasono, just west of Pagelaran. On the central court, which also was a sleeping place for Dutch soldiers once, is now the office of the palace guard and the
Habiranda, the school for wayang-players. Opened on weekdays from 8 o'clock in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, at Fridays until 11 in the morning. Included with the - low - entry price is a guided tour.
The palace
The real kraton is accessable from the west side. At the big clock, hardly ever running on time, you can entere the shadowfull court, the northern
Kemandungan or
Keben ( because of the Keben-trees ).
Once inside the heat and noise disappear, and you get a peacefull rest. The wide court exsist from black sand from the southern coast, and is overshadowed with leaves from big trees. The feeling of serenety is encouraged by the elegant game of lines through the buildings, painted with soft green and yellow, and by the friendly servants. In the centre of the court is a small
pendopo, a stone throne, on which the sultan used to convict law violators.
Directly after the main gate is an enourmous wall, the
baturana Just like on Bali, this barrier serves to protect the building from bad spirits. Since this bad spirits can only move in straight lines, they will never get in the building. Behind the wall is a smaller court with two pavilions and fruit trees. The western
Bangsal Sri Manganti, where the sultan meets his guests, is empty. In the eastern Bangsal Trajumas are the carriages, used at weddings, and stuff for worship.
Ha and ba
Smiling, silver-coloers giangs guard the gate to the
Pelataran Kedaton, the central 'royal court'. This mythological guards were made from an example of
dwarapala-figures, which guarded the entrance to the old temple complex of
Candi Sewu, north of Yogya.
On the
baturana on this gate, the Yogyan weapon of the sultan is printed. In the centre Jawanese characters represent the initials of the sultan:
ha and
ba. Above that a crown with wings, which counted nine feathers under Hamengku Buwono IX. The new sultan, Hamengku Buwono X, added a feather to each wing and printed the Jawanese character for the number ten.
Right around the corner, on the central court Gedung Purworetno, is the private office of the sultan. Behind this is the Gedung Kuning with the private areas of the sultan. The open gallery contains 19th century European furniture, baroc mirrors, marble tables and crystal lights. The
kantil-tree in the corner of the square is a holy tree.
Left of the gate is a music pavilion, built in European style. It has painted windows of trumpets, drums and other instruments. Once the palace musicians played European music in here, for example national anthems at special occasions.
The 'Golden throne room'
The court is dominated by the wonderfull
Bangsal Kencono or 'Golden throne room', of which the high
joglo-roof represents the mountain Meru as the centre of the universe. From the bottum and upwards the decoration is a clear example of the Jawanese power of absorption: gold leafed lotus flowers from the Bhuddhism, a red with gold Hinduist motif, and the Arabic calligraphy represents the first line from the Koran: 'There is no God than Allah'.
Behind the throne room is the
bangsal Proboyekso, the place where the royal jewelry is kept behind glass. The
Bangsal Kencono and the
Bangsal proboyekso together form the heart of the kraton. These are the only buildings aimed towards the east - the direction of the rising sun, the source of all power.
Two small pavilions besides the
Bangsal Kencono contain Sekaten-gamelans, which should origin from the 14th century, and are played once a year. Due south a long dinner room was built, complete with big windows and a marble floor. A head of a monster, surrounded by two snake-heads, shows the date of the restauration: 1853 ( A.D.1925 )
The rooms besides the southern and eastern side of the square are used for several purposes. In one of them, a daily tea is made for the sultan at 7 and 11 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. Half way the morning tea is brought to the sultan, under sunshades and by older female servants. In another room, with the good nickname'
Sarangboyo or 'nest full of dangers', liquors are prepared. Other rooms are used for storage of gamelan instruments and the treasury room.
An arched passageway leads towards the east, to a small court where the former royal stables used to be. Behind this is a bigger square, the
Kasatrian, the earlier stay of the prince, but now in use for dancing practice and gamelan concerts. Portraits of nine generations sultans and their family are displayed along the southern and eastern side of the gallery of this court. In the northern corner,
Gedung Kopi, a small museum and a souvenis shop can be found. The museum shows copies of royal jewelry and a collection of bizar gifts, which the sultans got on their state visits: crystal lights and porcelain vases for example.
Everywhere on the terrain of the kraton are royal servants. The men, who guard the gates to other courts, wear dark jackets. The women have bare shoulders and wear clothes with simple batik prints, tight to the body. The number of servants, totalling about 800, have to give the kraton it's high status, quietness and spiritual protection which expresses the presence of the sultan.
Many Jawanese are stict believers in the mystical powers of the kraton and sultan. Since the kraton was opened to public in 1968, hundreds of visitors visit the kraton daily, and on Sundays it's flooded with busloads of Jawanese. Inside the kraton they have to dress properly: hats are not allowed.
The royal stables
Don't leave the complex without brining a visit to the royal carriages in the
Rotowijayan-stables in the southwestern corner of the centrasl court ( same opening times as the kraton ). Many were made in Europe ( Holland for example ). Under them is the
Kangjeng Nyai Jimat, an elegant carriage which was given to Hamengku Buwono I by the Dutch governor-general Jacub Mossel in 1756.
The
Kyai Garudoyekso a richely decorated golden carriage, was built in the Netherlands in 1861. Hamengku Buwono VI and his successors used it for a short trip around the kraton, after he was crowned sultan. The
Kyai Rotopraloyo is a white carriage for deceased, which serves to take the sultan out of the kraton to the royal graveyard
Imogiri.
Kangjeng Kyai Cekatak is an old saddle which is decorated with gold and silver-thread and diamonts, whioch originally belonged to Hamenku Buwono I.
