Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine June 2016 | Page 111
Travel | Solo
109
© Mark Eveleigh; © Courtesy of Alila Solo
5 Senses – Sight
KAMPONG
KAUMAN
Royal guards on duty at the main
entrance to Keraton Kasunanan palace.
While Kampong Laweyan
has many fine batik outlets,
Kampong Kauman is the prime
batik-producing quarter. Batik
Gunasti, one of the most famous
producers, is located in a timber
building with an evocative café.
Apart from stocking a massive
range of beautiful batik attire
and souvenirs, it is also a great
place to watch some of the most
talented artisans at work.
You can even join a class and
produce a batik of your own.
An old man cycles past a richly
decorated pavilion at Keraton
Kasunanan palace.
It strikes me that Solo is
home to a living history in
more ways than one.
“Red protects them from evil, for example,” says
Ibu Endang, “orange guards against fear, purple
prevents bad thoughts, white is a talisman against
sexual desires, green combats frustration…”
We take off our shoes to enter the museum
that now occupies what was once the
dalem throne room.
“I see it [as] not only a sign of respect but also
of democracy,” Ibu Endang jokes. “Look around:
there are no high heels or sneakers among us now.
We’re all on the same level.”
The throne room remains as it did when it was
built in 1757, and a stuffed Sumatran tiger and
Javanese leopard still flank the royal thrones.
Glass cabinets display a fascinatingly eclectic
collection of artefacts that belonged to nine
generations of Mangkunegara kings: jewellery,
statues, chastity belts (female and male) and
religious paraphernalia related to the unique
combination of Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist
practices that mark the particular religion of the
Mangkunegara family. At one end of the room is
a collection of krises, scimitars and even Japanese
swords, and the cabinets that contain them are
protected with offerings to appease the spirits
that are said to still reside in these weapons.
While tradition reigns supreme in the throne
room, outside in one of the old stables stands
a Volkswagen three-wheel motorbike that belongs
to the current king, who happens to be a
Harley-Davidson fanatic.
It strikes me that Solo is home to a living history
in more ways than one.
While Pura Mangkunegaran has received muchneeded renovation, the slightly older Keraton
Kasunanan palace, on the other side of the city,
is sadly falling into disrepair. The iconic sky-blue
Kampung Laweyan memiliki
banyak outlet batik halus
sedangkan Kampung Kauman
adalah kawasan utama produksi
batik. Batik Gunasti, salah satu
produsen paling terkenal,
terletak di sebuah bangunan
kayu dan memiliki kafe penuh
nostalgia. Selain menyediakan
banyak sekali stok baju batik dan
suvenir bagus, di sini Anda juga
bisa menyaksikan beberapa
pengrajin paling berbakat sedang
berkreasi. Anda bahkan dapat
mengikuti kursus singkat dan
membuat batik Anda sendiri.