Alun-alun
Encyclopedia
Alun-alun is a Javanese
architectural term for the large central open lawn
squares
common to villages, towns and cities in Indonesia
.
Commonly, alun-alun in modern-day Indonesia
refers only to the two large open squares of kraton palace compounds.
Each kraton has two alun-alun: the most important and northern alun-alun lor and the less important and commonly smaller southern alun-alun kidul. The court of Pakubuwana in Surakarta
is unique as it incorporates the alun-alun kidul within the defensive wall of the kraton proper.
Javanese officials and commoners alike had to dismount carriages and horses before entering the alun-alun lor to continue to the kraton. At the two centrally located holy beringin or banyan
trees, officials had their payung (ceremonial parasols indicating office), placed down by their parasol valet
.
Ordinary commoner Javanese seeking an audience with the Regent would be required to sit and wait under the trees waiting for an official to leave the Kraton and ask their reason for an audience.
Dutch officials such as the Resident were commonly received with great ceremony to the alun-alun lor with the kraton soldiers firing three volleys, which would be answered by a twenty-one gun salute from the Dutch fortress, especially between the Yogyakarta kraton and the Dutch Fort Vredeburg
must be cited on the west side and hence correctly face east (to Mecca
). The official residence of the Regent
's "Patih", also Bupati (town or village head) was situated on the North or South. East is generally reserved for shops, markets, or houses of prominent families.
Two enormous Pacikra or Pacikeran doors conventionally separate the high defensive perimeter wall surrounding the kraton and the alun-alun.
The gladak or pradah compound for stables, porters and draught horses was stationed outside the north gate of the alun-alun, presumably for practicality for disembarking officials and to keep the smell of horses and manure as far as possible from the kraton.
s and executions. Condemned criminals were publicly executed by krissing (using a keris to stab the condemned from the left shoulder blade downward into the heart) beside the enclosed banyan trees of the alun-alun lor. For especially heinous criminals, most especially traitors and vicious brigands the condemned's head would be impaled on a pike
as a macabre public warning
The alun-alun lor functioned and continues to function as centre for public spectacles, court celebrations and general non-court entertainment. The Javanese festivals of Garebeganan and Sekaten
great fairs were held here, as they are still held today, with the spectacle of huge mountains of rice exiting the kraton for blessings at the mosque and distributed to the people in the alun-alun lor.
Occasionally a social and entertainment spectacle of a tiger and buffalo fight wold be held, though from Sultan Hamengkubawana VII onward these were rare, as the Yogyakarta court tigers were incredibly useful for public sanitation as they were fed a diet of stray dogs.
The alun-alun lor was the only place where the Sultan
would conduct dialogue with his people, and functioned to show his humanity and humility.
The alun-lun kidul was more of a generic ground, principally for everyday mustering troops or servants and for exiting officials, servants and workers attending to mundane everyday business.
stalls and for youngsters to picnic on the grounds and consume their recently purchased take-away (take-out) food.
The Yogyakarta kraton alun-alun kidul has two banyan trees in the centre famed, according to local folklore, to bring good luck to skillful enough to navigate their way between them without mishap, blindfolded and today on Friday and Saturday nights, youngsters boisterously pursue this fabled luck.
The definition of alon alon is to progress slowly or cautiously, and well-known within the modern Indonesian public sphere as the phrase "alon alon asal kelakon": "slowly and surely as long as it's [sic: task] done"- humorously amended to the very popular contemporary "alon alon asal kelakson": "slowly as long as you beep the horn" referencing Jakarta
's infamous gridlock
traffic.
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
architectural term for the large central open lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
squares
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
common to villages, towns and cities in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
Commonly, alun-alun in modern-day Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
refers only to the two large open squares of kraton palace compounds.
Each kraton has two alun-alun: the most important and northern alun-alun lor and the less important and commonly smaller southern alun-alun kidul. The court of Pakubuwana in Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
is unique as it incorporates the alun-alun kidul within the defensive wall of the kraton proper.
Function
The northern alun-alun lor functioned as the primary and most official entrance to the kraton.Javanese officials and commoners alike had to dismount carriages and horses before entering the alun-alun lor to continue to the kraton. At the two centrally located holy beringin or banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
trees, officials had their payung (ceremonial parasols indicating office), placed down by their parasol valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
.
Ordinary commoner Javanese seeking an audience with the Regent would be required to sit and wait under the trees waiting for an official to leave the Kraton and ask their reason for an audience.
Dutch officials such as the Resident were commonly received with great ceremony to the alun-alun lor with the kraton soldiers firing three volleys, which would be answered by a twenty-one gun salute from the Dutch fortress, especially between the Yogyakarta kraton and the Dutch Fort Vredeburg
Fort Vredeburg
Fort Vredeburg is a fortress built by the Dutch in Yogyakarta during Colonial times. It is located in front of Gedung Agung, one of seven presidential palaces in Indonesia and the Sultan Palace called Kraton. It was built in 1765 to protect the Dutch governor. It is surrounded by a trench that is...
Architectural convention
Strict rules govern the location of buildings surrounding the alun-alun lor. The main mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
must be cited on the west side and hence correctly face east (to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
). The official residence of the Regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
's "Patih", also Bupati (town or village head) was situated on the North or South. East is generally reserved for shops, markets, or houses of prominent families.
Two enormous Pacikra or Pacikeran doors conventionally separate the high defensive perimeter wall surrounding the kraton and the alun-alun.
The gladak or pradah compound for stables, porters and draught horses was stationed outside the north gate of the alun-alun, presumably for practicality for disembarking officials and to keep the smell of horses and manure as far as possible from the kraton.
Historical Function
The alun-alun lor also historically functioned for a place for public corporal punishmentCorporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
s and executions. Condemned criminals were publicly executed by krissing (using a keris to stab the condemned from the left shoulder blade downward into the heart) beside the enclosed banyan trees of the alun-alun lor. For especially heinous criminals, most especially traitors and vicious brigands the condemned's head would be impaled on a pike
Pike (weapon)
A pike is a pole weapon, a very long thrusting spear used extensively by infantry both for attacks on enemy foot soldiers and as a counter-measure against cavalry assaults. Unlike many similar weapons, the pike is not intended to be thrown. Pikes were used regularly in European warfare from the...
as a macabre public warning
The alun-alun lor functioned and continues to function as centre for public spectacles, court celebrations and general non-court entertainment. The Javanese festivals of Garebeganan and Sekaten
Sekaten
Sekaten is a week long Javanese traditional ceremony, festival, fair and pasar malam commemorating Mawlid , celebrated annually started on 5th day through the 12th day of Mulud month...
great fairs were held here, as they are still held today, with the spectacle of huge mountains of rice exiting the kraton for blessings at the mosque and distributed to the people in the alun-alun lor.
Occasionally a social and entertainment spectacle of a tiger and buffalo fight wold be held, though from Sultan Hamengkubawana VII onward these were rare, as the Yogyakarta court tigers were incredibly useful for public sanitation as they were fed a diet of stray dogs.
The alun-alun lor was the only place where the Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
would conduct dialogue with his people, and functioned to show his humanity and humility.
The alun-lun kidul was more of a generic ground, principally for everyday mustering troops or servants and for exiting officials, servants and workers attending to mundane everyday business.
Contemporary Function
In modern-day Yogyakarta, the alun-alun lor is now surrounded by shops and malls, frequently holding micro-businessMicro-enterprise
A micro-enterprise is a type of small business, often registered, having five or fewer employees and requiring seed capital of not more than $35,000. The term is often used in Australia to refer to a business with a single owner-operator, and having up to 20 employees...
stalls and for youngsters to picnic on the grounds and consume their recently purchased take-away (take-out) food.
The Yogyakarta kraton alun-alun kidul has two banyan trees in the centre famed, according to local folklore, to bring good luck to skillful enough to navigate their way between them without mishap, blindfolded and today on Friday and Saturday nights, youngsters boisterously pursue this fabled luck.
Alon-alon errata
The transliteration of "alon alon" is erroneous Javanese. Possibly the accent of the Javanese speaker confused the scribe.The definition of alon alon is to progress slowly or cautiously, and well-known within the modern Indonesian public sphere as the phrase "alon alon asal kelakon": "slowly and surely as long as it's [sic: task] done"- humorously amended to the very popular contemporary "alon alon asal kelakson": "slowly as long as you beep the horn" referencing Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
's infamous gridlock
Gridlock
The term gridlock is defined as "A state of severe road congestion arising when continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill; a traffic jam of this kind." The term originates from a situation possible in...
traffic.
Further reading
- Behrend,T.E. 'Kraton and cosmos in traditional Java'. Archipel 37: 173-188
- Keraton Surakarta: A Look Into the Court of Surakarta Hadiningrat, Central Java By Paku Buwono, A. Mutholi', Marshall Cavendish Edition 2006: 411 pages, ISBN 9812612262
- Java and modern Europe: Ambiguous Encounters, Ann Kumar, Routledge 1993, 472 pages: ISBN 0700704337