Happy New Year 2021!

After several years of not being active on the blog, I found my own posts staring at me by accident on google. 

Many things have happened and circumstances have changed; some for the better and others for the worse.

May this year bring us better news and good fortune.

The view of the krobongan in the annexe building.

The statues of Sri and Sadana usually sit before the krobongan and not inside it; however there are some instances when they may be moved within, during cleaning or when there are outsiders within the area of the senthong. There is a period photograph circa 1920s of the krobongan at the Kepatihan in Surakarta during the time of Sosrodiningrat IV where the statues have been moved up onto the krobongan and their faces deliberately obscured by the curtains.

These are sacred statues, symbols of the lingga and the yoni; of the creation proper and exist within the sacred space of the inner sanctum.

Ideally the krobongan floor should have a mattress with an appropriate cover and the pillows and bolsters in matching colours. The walls of the krobongan stricture should also be covered with curtains. However since this is a temporary exhibit, the furnishings will be completed in due course. 

This is the 3rd krobongan structure in my collection and comes from a princely residence west of the Mangkunegaran Pura and it probably is of a late 19th to early 20th century construction. The ndalem has an Art Deco style facade and entire site had been up for sale for some time, however portions of the structure were sold separately by the heirs at different times in the past decade.

Perhaps if time and effort permits, I shall update the site more frequently.

 

Back again... hopefully with vengeance...

After being a couple (or more...!!) years dormant, I've finally replaced my work-machine and can get back to putting both blogs in order.

Let me settle down a bit and learn the features first...

See you folks again in a while.

A view of the Suro month festivities at the Keraton Surakarta

The preparations on the eve of 1 Suro before the kirab pusaka at the Keraton Surakarta Hadiningrat

The sesajen and wilujengan in the Bangsal Maligi, the porch before the Sasana Sewaka, main pendopo of the Keraton Surakarta

A view from the southern porch of Sasana Handrawina towards the Bangsal Maligi, the wafts of smoke from the incense and ratus can be seen

A view from the front of the Bangsal Maligi looking towards the inner court

The entourage and bearers of the pusaka with their umbrellas of state, songsong and the censer for incense lighted and ready

The senior princes and courtiers lined up in the Sasana Parasdya, the peringgitan area of the court

Part of the entourage passing through the Srimanganti Lor gate which leads out of the pelataran of the court

A view of the Sasana Mulya

A view of the magnificent joglo of the Mangkurat model with a three-tiered roof reserved for the nobility as the main pendopo of the Sasana Mulya

The previous seat of the crown prince during the 19th century within the Keraton Surakarta complex 

Detail of the usuk ksatria pinayungan, like rays of the sun emanating from the centre

A view inwards where the peringgitan can also be seen

A view of the main emperan doors leading into the dalem ageng

A frontal view of the ndalem ageng of the Sasana Mulya built in the early 1800s

The sacred Krobongan can be seen together with ceramic mosaic portraits of Pangeran Hangabehi who was crowned as PB XI and his permaisuri RAj Koes Pariah, GKR Pakubuwana XI.

A view from the eastern side of the joglo within the dalem ageng

A mosaic portait of the elderly PB VIII (reigned 1858 - 1861)  found on the eastern side wall

A series of old picture cards of the wayang wong genre sent from Surakarta to the International Exhibition in Amsterdam, ca. 1883.

All images copyright and courtesy of the Photography Gallery, National Gallery of Australia.

Gatot-Kaca with the diagnostic star on his breast-plate

A scene of a wirengan dance portraying the Bugis

A scene of Irawan, the son of the noble Janaka and Gatot-Kaca wrestling with a member of the Kurawa clan

Bumo-Narokosuro, a son of Kresno with Werkudoro

A character portraying Sumbradra with Anilo, the dancer with the monkey mask

The sacred temple dance Bedhaya Ketawang at the Sasana Sewaka

The grand pendopo within the kraton complex of the Kasunanan...

The view from the eastern veranda

The assembled senior nobles known as the sentana seated within the inner canopy

The nine maidens performing the sacred temple dance and it is interesting to note the two seated emban servants seated on the left whose duty is to ensure the apparel of the dancers do not slip and to sometimes wipe the prespiration from the dancers who stick to a strict 90 minute duration of dance, which was shortened from the original 3 hours... Tedious but beautiful...

A view of a traditional dalem in-situ

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a cultural dance performance put up at the nDalem Prangwedanan which is the preparatory house of the appointed prince who would later become the Mangkunegara, a title roughly measuring to that of a duke, in the old city of Surakarta. A prince from this hereditary line would first have to be appointed the Prangwedono before he replaces the vacant seat of the Mangkunegoro in the future.

A view of the dalem of the Prangwedanan and it is interesting to note the contemporary loro blonyo statutes which are in the folk medium of terracotta and somewhat aberrant to the normal styles for the nobility.

The close-up of the krobongan which are draped over with ceremonial cloths and the interior with pillows and bolsters in modern cinde type material, but they are not piled up in the traditional fashion and somewhat lacking in quantity. This is probably beacuse this dalem was contemporaneously refurbished from a state of earlier disrepair. The highlight is the cinde boards at the back which probably date to the same period as the building which is circa 19th century.

The view from the pringgitan