Imogiri - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Imogiri is a royal graveyard complex in Yogyakarta, in south-central Java, 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...

, as well as a modern village located near the graveyard in Bantul

Bantul

Bantul is a town and the capital of Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia.-2006 Earthquake:On 27 May 2006 an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck near Java's southern coast causing widespread damage. Bantul Regency was the region most affected by the disaster...

regency. Imogiri is a traditional resting place for the royalty of central Java, including many rulers of the Sultanate of Mataram and of the current houses of 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...

and Yogyakarta Sultanate

Yogyakarta Sultanate

Yogyakarta Sultanate is a Javanese monarchy in the province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia.-History:...

. The name Imagiri is derived from Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

Himagiri, which means 'mountain of snow'. The latter is another name for Himalaya.

Role and importance

The Royal Graveyard that preceded was Kota Gede

Kota Gede

Kota Gede also known as Pasar Gede is an area in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta. One of the old capitals of Mataram, the area now has an archaeological site which contains the remains of the kraton , the royal cemetery, and royal mosque of Mataram, dated from the late 16th and early 17th...

. The graveyard was constructed by Sultan Agung of Mataram

Sultan Agung of Mataram

Sultan Agung of Mataram or Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo or Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo was the Sultan of Mataram from 1613-1645...

in the later years of his reign, probably in the 1640s. The graveyard is a significant pilgrimage ziarah site, particularly on significant dates in the Javanese calendar

Javanese calendar

The Javanese calendar is the calendar of the Javanese people. It is used concurrently with two other calendars, the Gregorian calendar and the Islamic calendar...

(such as Satu Suro

Satu Suro

Satu Suro is the first day of the Javanese calendar year in the month of Sura , corresponding with the Islamic month of Muharram....

, New Year's Day), and the Islamic calendar

Islamic calendar

The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...

.

It also belongs to a larger network of significant locations in Javanese pilgrimage traditions. It is possibly the only major location remaining in Java where the Palaces of Surakarta

Surakarta

and Yogyakarta have personnel manning a jointly administered royal graveyard.

Among the site's most prominent graves are that of early Mataram ruler Sultan Agung of Mataram

Sultan Agung of Mataram

Sultan Agung of Mataram or Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo or Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo was the Sultan of Mataram from 1613-1645...

, and Sultan of Yogyakarta Hamengkubuwono IX, a leader during Indonesia's war for independence. The most recent is that of Pakubuwana XII of Surakarta who was buried in 2004.

Construction

The Imogiri complex is separated into three parts, named Giriloyo

Giriloyo

Giriloyo is a locality and graveyard in the Wukirsari valley north east of Imogiri, in southern Central Java or the Yogyakarta region.The Royal Graveyard at Giriloyo is one of the three graveyards in the Imogiri graveyard complex. Traditionally it is attributed as to being the oldest of the three...

, Banyusumurup

Banyusumurup

Banyusumurup is a village southeast of Imogiri in Southern Central Java or Yogyakarta region.The village was acknowledged as a 'kris making' location at some stages in the 20th century...

and Imogiri. Traditionally it is accepted that Giriloyo was the earliest of the three graveyards. In some local folklore, Sultan Agung had commenced work on his own graveyard at Giriloyo - but because his uncle Juminah died at the graveyard, Agung was guided by various portents to choose his graveyard on a hill some three kilometres to the southwest, at Imogiri. A later ruler, needing to bury outcasts in a graveyard separate from Giriloyo and Imogiri, chose Banyusumurup as an appropriate site. However it is possible to find rivals and enemies within Javanese royal families buried within metres of each other inside the walls of Imogiri.

Renovations

The Imogiri complex has had ongoing renovations since initial construction, due to exposure to tropical rain and weather, most materials at the graveyard have requires continual upkeep. Pakubuwono X

Pakubuwono X

Pakubuwono X was the tenth Susuhunan . His reign corresponded with the political changes happening in the Dutch East Indies at the time, in particular the growth of local indigenous political organizations such as Budi Utomo and Sarekat Islam of which he and the royal family were patrons...

during his reign spent a large amount of money on upgrading the Juru Kunci administration buildings in Imogiri village, the Mosque at the foot of the stairs, the stairs and the Graveyard in general. He also constructed the Girimulya section as well. Hamengkubuwana VIII in the process of constructing Saptorenggo in the 1920s also conducted repairs on the earlier structures that required repairs. Various Suharto-era bureaucrats and army personnel with connections with branches of earlier rulers contributed to a number of roof renewals and other renovations. The Indonesian Government contributed to a project that rehabilitated the yard known by its split gate - the Supit Urang - under the auspices of the archaeology service and appropriate agencies in the 1980s. In the 1990s the main gate into Sultan Agungan also required repairs.

The 2006 Earthquake in the region saw considerable damage to the complex. It is not known yet to what extent repairs and renovations are possible again, and from where the funds will emanate.

Layout

Many travel accounts, tourist guides and references to Imogiri imply a simple single whole. On closer examination the graveyard has more complexity within its structure. The complex is divided in two ways. First, there are separate Yogyakartan and Surakartan sections. Second, the whole graveyard is divided into eight sections which constitute three generations of ruler in each section. Some are jointly governed by custodians (Juru Kunci
Juru kunci
Juru kunci are the custodians of graveyards in Java, Indonesia. Literally, the name means 'keepers of the keys'.They are significant in their keeping security over sacred and special graveyards....

) from Surakarta and Yogyakarta, while some are governed by representatives of one of these palaces only. The original area within the Imogiri graveyard is that area with Sultan Agung's grave - it is jointly governed. The western wing of the graveyard is the Surakartan section, while the eastern wing is the Yogyakartan section.

Not all rulers of the Sultanate of Mataram are buried in the Imogiri complex; there are a number of rulers who are buried elsewhere in Java. Some immediate families of rulers were also buried in Imogiri, but not all; this was dependent upon each ruler's preferences. Printed lists of the burial plots within the royal graveyard complex are maintained for Imogiri to provide guidance for researchers looking for a specific grave site. This process is sometimes complicated by the multiple names some individuals were known by during their lives.

Sections

Each section is a walled compound with three internal sections - Variation may occur in transcription for these terms.

The Top section is named 'Prabayasa.'
Middle section is named 'Kemangdhungan.'
Entrance yard is called 'Srimanganti.'

Note that dates after rulers name are supposed dates of internment, variant dates are possible in some sources. They are given in Gregorian calendar

Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...

years. Dates after construction are arbitrary and may vary up to 10 years. In most cases the new walled compounds have been built prior to the death of the first ruler interred. However it is possible that the grave precedes the walls, as is probably the case in Sultan Agungan, and those that follow. Most names listed have abbreviated forms, for Javanese royalty there are usually extra titles when written, any abbreviation here is for purposes of the list and not out of disrespect for the deceased or their status.

Chronological sequence

The following list is in the assumed order of construction of the walled areas at Imogiri. The first two are in the shared parts; afterwards, as the kingdom split, the sections are for the Yogyakartan and Surakartan rulers are separate.

Kasultan Agungan (constructed in the 1640s)
- Sultan Agung
  Sultan Agung of Mataram
  Sultan Agung of Mataram or Sultan Agung Anyokrokusumo or Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo was the Sultan of Mataram from 1613-1645...
  
  1645
- Amangkurat II 1703
- Amangkurat III 1734
Paku Buwanan (constructed in the 18th century)
- Pakubuwana I 1719
- Amangkurat IV 1726
- Pakubuwana II 1749
Kasuwargan Surakarta (constructed in the 1770s)
- Pakubuwana III 1788
- Pakubuwana IV 1820
- Pakubuwana V 1823
Kasuwargan Yogyakarta (constructed in the 1780s)
- Hamengkubuwana I 1792
- Hamengkubuwana III
  Hamengkubuwana III
  Hamengkubuwana III was the third sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from 1812 to 1814.-See also:*Hamengkubuwono...
  
  1814
Besiyaran Yogyakarta (constructed in the 1820s)
- Hamengkubuwana IV
  Hamengkubuwana IV
  Hamengkubuwana IV, also spelled Hamengkubuwono IV was the fourth sultan of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, reigning from April 3, 1814 - December 6, 1822, and then from August 17, 1826 - January 2, 1828....
  
  1826
- Hamengkubuwana V
  Hamengkubuwana V
  Hamengkubuwana V Hamengkubuwana V Hamengkubuwana V (also spelled Hamengkubuwono V, 1820 - 1855 was the fifth sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from December 19, 1823 - August 17, 1826, and then from January 17, 1826 - June 5, 1855 being interspersed by the rule of Hamengkubuwana IV.-Notes:...
  
  1855
- Hamengkubuwana VI
  Hamengkubuwana VI
  Hamengkubuwana VI was the sixth sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from 1855 to 1877.-Notes:...
  
  1877
Kapingsangan Surakarta (constructed in the 1840s)
- Pakubuwana VI 1846
- Pakubuwana VII 1858
- Pakubuwana VIII 1861
- Pakubuwana IX 1893
Saptorenggo Yogyakarta (constructed in the 1920s)
- Hamengkubuwana VII
  Hamengkubuwana VII
  Hamengkubuwana VII was the seventh sultan of Yogyakarta, reigning from December 22, 1877 to January 29, 1921.-See also:*Hamengkubuwana...
  
  1921
- Hamengkubuwana VIII 1939
- Hamengkubuwana IX 1988
Girimulya Surakarta
Girimulya Surakarta
Girimulya Surakarta is the section of the Imogiri royal graveyard in Yogyakarta Indonesia, that houses the graves of the most recent rulers of Surakarta.It is the western-most section of the graveyard...

(constructed in the 1930s)
- Pakubuwana X 1939
- Pakubuwana XI 1945
- Pakubuwana XII 2004

Understanding the structure and details of the graveyard

Most sections have a sequence of three generations - 'Ego' or Father, Son and grandson, where the succession is that simple. The ones that don't are: Kasuwargan Yogyakarta has a missing person (Hamengkubuwana II

Hamengkubuwana II

Hamengkubuwana II Hamengkubuwana II Hamengkubuwana II (also spelled Hamengkubuwono II, 1750 - 1828 was the second sultan of Yogyakarta, . who was also ruler for a second time in 1811-1812 and finally between 1826 and 1828 during the Java War.-See also:*Hamengkubuwono...

is buried at Kota Gede

Kota Gede

); Kapingsangan Surakarta has four due to family dynamics. Much earlier, Amangkurat I was buried at Tegal

Tegal

Tegal is the largest city in the Tegal Regency, Indonesia. It is situated on the north coast of Central Java, about from Semarang, capital of Central Java....

on the north coast of Java, and as a consequence is not in Paku Buwanan.
Juru Kunci

Juru kunci

Juru kunci are the custodians of graveyards in Java, Indonesia. Literally, the name means 'keepers of the keys'.They are significant in their keeping security over sacred and special graveyards....

Surakarta and Yogyakarta share the tending of the graves and courtyards in Sultan Agungan and Paku Buwanan.
International tourists are usually encouraged to enter the yard prior to Sultan Agungan, pay a registration, put on appropriate clothing, and visit Sultan Agungan.
Imogiri is now 'full up', both the Girimulya and Saptorenggo sections have three generations interred, unless the traditional practice is changed for any reason, the current living rulers in Surakarta and Yogyakarta would now need to prepare a new section each on each 'side' of the graveyard to continue the practice of the last 400 years.

Sources

At Imogiri over the decades, various small publications have listed the main names of rulers buried in the graveyard. In some cases they have had maps as well.
Some websites have appropriated lists of royalty, and have reprinted the names of rulers, with dates.
In the Yogyakarta and Paku Alam palaces there are 'silsilah' lists showing the successions.

Non-English sources

Djumadi, Thojib Pasareyan Pajimatan Imogiri Jaya Baya vol43. no.22 pp. 11–12, 45-47 (29/1/1989) (in Javanese language)
Winarsa, Prawira Babad Alit Volkslektur no.462 (in Javanese script)

External Links

The Mataram royal graveyard complex in Imogiri

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.