Tiang Seri
Encyclopedia
Ilmu tajul muluk is the Malay pseudo-science of metaphysical
and geomantic principles
considered when siting or designing buildings to improve well-being. It was traditionally practiced by shamans (dukun
or bomoh
) and architects from Malaysia and Indonesia
. The term tajul muluk comes from the Arabic word taj-al-mulk meaning "royal crown of jewels".
n origin, indicating that it has existed as far back as the Hindu
period of Southeast Asian history
.
Originally tajul muluk had no name and its principles were referred to more specifically as adat mendirikan rumah (house-building customs), petua tinggi rumah (house height rules), etc. These concepts were later written about in a book for Aceh
nese royalty. The book was called Taj-al-Mulk (meaning "Royal Crown Of Jewels" in Arabic) and covered a number of other subjects including herbal medicine, astrology and dream interpretation. The title was pronounced Tajul Muluk in Malay
so people often referred to geomancy as ilmu tajul (knowledge of tajul) before it eventually became known as tajul muluk.
Geomancy was a common practice on the east coast of Malaysia, an area often called the "cradle of Malay culture" because many traditions originated there. This continued in rural areas through European colonisation and some of the rites were recorded by British authors such as William Skeats' book Malay Magic originally published in 1900. After the Islamic revival
of the 1980s, animistic and Hindu
-Buddhist aspects of Malay culture were discouraged. Today tajul muluk is considered a superstitious relic of the past and books written on the subject are sometimes banned in Malaysia out of fear that they could mislead Muslims. Nevertheless, there are those who believe geomancy is worth researching, particularly the common ground between the Malay, Chinese
and India
n systems, all of which have traditionally been practiced in the Malay Peninsula
.
) and this is reflected in old building principles. The main part of traditional Malay houses is called the rumah ibu (mother house) and the house's main pillar is often called the tiang ibu (mother pillar), thereby acknowledging the mother's role as homemaker. Their construction is based on the length of the matriarch's outstretched arms, called one depa. Tiang seri uses this unit of measurement in everything from the siting to the construction of the home's main area.
or bomoh
to select a house site. The shaman begins by smoking the area with incense
. He then measures one depa of bamboo
and sticks it in the ground together with a container of water. Incense is burnt again as the dukun
recites incantations. At dawn the next morning, the stick and water are checked. If the pail of water has spilled or the bamboo
has shortened, the plot is bad luck. If the water has overflowed or the stick has lengthened, it is very auspicious. Once the site has been chosen, a hole is dug in the ground for the house's main pillar. The shaman places seven grains of rice
into the hole and recites mantera
before inserting the pillar. If any of the rice grains are missing the next day, the site has negative energy. It is important to note however that an area which is bad for one family may be good for another since the ritual is based on the matriarch's armspan.
Another method involves a mother's dreams. After clearing the area, the dukun
lays four sticks in its centre. He then takes a handful of soil and chants to the local spirits. The chant as recorded by Walter William Skeat goes as follows.
The soil is then wrapped in white cloth, fumigated with incense and placed under the mother's pillow at night. The house can be built there if she has a good dream but if she has a nightmare, the area would be unlucky for her. This method is rarely practiced today. The four corners mentioned in the incantation is found in Malay, India
n and Chinese spiritual world concepts
. In Hindu cosmology
the surface of the earth is represented as a square in reference to the horizon's relationship with sunrise and sunset. In Vastu Shastra
it is called chaturbhuji and represented by the Prithvi Mandala.
Malay village houses were built so that they could be disassembled and rebuilt when the situation demanded it such as war, floods or famine. Some have noted that these rules consider the number four unlucky, just as in Chinese
superstition.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
and geomantic principles
Principles
Principles may refer to:*Value *Principles and parameters*Principles...
considered when siting or designing buildings to improve well-being. It was traditionally practiced by shamans (dukun
Dukun
A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic.The dukun is...
or bomoh
Bomoh
A bomoh or dukun is a Malay shaman. The bomoh's original role was that of a healer and their expertise was first and foremost an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and tajul muluk or Malay geomancy...
) and architects from Malaysia and 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...
. The term tajul muluk comes from the Arabic word taj-al-mulk meaning "royal crown of jewels".
Terminology
- tiang ibu / tiang seri ("mother pillar" / "shining pillar"): The main pillar in traditional Malay homes
- depa (armspan): The matriarch's armspan, used as a unit of measurement
- rumah ibu ("mother house"): The main part of a house
- baris Laksmana: A symbol drawn onto a beam to protect the house from evil. Named after the magic line drawn by Laksmana to protect Sita DewiSITASITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
History
Malay geomancy has always been passed down orally so not much is known about its early history. Although its age may be unknown, the system contains cultural symbolism of IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n origin, indicating that it has existed as far back as the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
period of Southeast Asian history
History of Southeast Asia
The history of Southeast Asia has been characterized as interaction between regional players and foreign powers. Each country is intertwined with all the others. For instance, the Malay empires of Srivijaya and Malacca covered modern day Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore while the Burmese, Thai,...
.
Originally tajul muluk had no name and its principles were referred to more specifically as adat mendirikan rumah (house-building customs), petua tinggi rumah (house height rules), etc. These concepts were later written about in a book for Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
nese royalty. The book was called Taj-al-Mulk (meaning "Royal Crown Of Jewels" in Arabic) and covered a number of other subjects including herbal medicine, astrology and dream interpretation. The title was pronounced Tajul Muluk in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
so people often referred to geomancy as ilmu tajul (knowledge of tajul) before it eventually became known as tajul muluk.
Geomancy was a common practice on the east coast of Malaysia, an area often called the "cradle of Malay culture" because many traditions originated there. This continued in rural areas through European colonisation and some of the rites were recorded by British authors such as William Skeats' book Malay Magic originally published in 1900. After the Islamic revival
Islamic revival
Islamic revival refers to a revival of the Islamic religion throughout the Islamic world, that began roughly sometime in 1970s and is manifested in greater religious piety, and community feeling, and in a growing adoption of Islamic culture, dress, terminology, separation of the sexes, and values...
of the 1980s, animistic and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
-Buddhist aspects of Malay culture were discouraged. Today tajul muluk is considered a superstitious relic of the past and books written on the subject are sometimes banned in Malaysia out of fear that they could mislead Muslims. Nevertheless, there are those who believe geomancy is worth researching, particularly the common ground between the Malay, Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n systems, all of which have traditionally been practiced in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
Role of the matriarch
Ancient Malay society was matrilineal (as can still be seen in SumatraSumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
) and this is reflected in old building principles. The main part of traditional Malay houses is called the rumah ibu (mother house) and the house's main pillar is often called the tiang ibu (mother pillar), thereby acknowledging the mother's role as homemaker. Their construction is based on the length of the matriarch's outstretched arms, called one depa. Tiang seri uses this unit of measurement in everything from the siting to the construction of the home's main area.
Eight-point divination
As with the Chinese bagua, Malay astrology and geomancy also uses eight points of divination. These directions represent transitional states in the process of changing. Each one corresponds to an animal possessing its own characteristics.- DragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
(nāgaNagaNaga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
) - Dairy cow (sapi)
- LionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
(singa) - Cow (lembu)
- ElephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
(gajah) - DogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
(anjing) - DonkeyDonkeyThe donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
(keldai) - CrowCrowCrows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
(gagak)
Siting ritual
This ritual is carried out by a dukunDukun
A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic.The dukun is...
or bomoh
Bomoh
A bomoh or dukun is a Malay shaman. The bomoh's original role was that of a healer and their expertise was first and foremost an in-depth knowledge of medicinal herbs and tajul muluk or Malay geomancy...
to select a house site. The shaman begins by smoking the area with incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
. He then measures one depa of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and sticks it in the ground together with a container of water. Incense is burnt again as the dukun
Dukun
A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic.The dukun is...
recites incantations. At dawn the next morning, the stick and water are checked. If the pail of water has spilled or the bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
has shortened, the plot is bad luck. If the water has overflowed or the stick has lengthened, it is very auspicious. Once the site has been chosen, a hole is dug in the ground for the house's main pillar. The shaman places seven grains of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
into the hole and recites mantera
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
before inserting the pillar. If any of the rice grains are missing the next day, the site has negative energy. It is important to note however that an area which is bad for one family may be good for another since the ritual is based on the matriarch's armspan.
Another method involves a mother's dreams. After clearing the area, the dukun
Dukun
A dukun is an Indonesian-Malay term for shaman. In Malaysia, they are often referred to as bomoh, but dukun is the more ancient term. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic.The dukun is...
lays four sticks in its centre. He then takes a handful of soil and chants to the local spirits. The chant as recorded by Walter William Skeat goes as follows.
Ho, children of Menteri Guru; Who dwell in the Four Corners of the World; I crave this plot as a boon; If it is good show me a good omen; If it is bad show me a bad omen.
The soil is then wrapped in white cloth, fumigated with incense and placed under the mother's pillow at night. The house can be built there if she has a good dream but if she has a nightmare, the area would be unlucky for her. This method is rarely practiced today. The four corners mentioned in the incantation is found in Malay, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Chinese spiritual world concepts
Chinese spiritual world concepts
Chinese spiritual world concepts are cultural practices or methods found in Chinese culture. Some fit in the realms of a particular religion, others do not...
. In Hindu cosmology
Hindu cosmology
In Hindu cosmology the universe is, according to Hindu mythology and Vedic cosmology, cyclically created and destroyed.-Description:The Hindu cosmology and timeline is the closest to modern scientific timelines and even more which might indicate that the Big Bang is not the beginning of everything...
the surface of the earth is represented as a square in reference to the horizon's relationship with sunrise and sunset. In Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...
it is called chaturbhuji and represented by the Prithvi Mandala.
House height rules
The rules of a house's height are determined by the matriarch's armspan (depa). Ideally the main pillar should be a round number (eg. five depa) but the actual measurement usually contains a fraction (eg. five and two-tenths depa). Depending on the amount of extra length, there would be a different result.| Fraction of extra height | Malay Malay language Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore... | English English language English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria... | |
|---|---|---|---|
| One tenth depa | tinggal tangga | leave stairs | The house will always be relocated |
| Two tenths depa | asap kelam | blurry smoke | Indicates sadness or illness |
| Three tenths depa | singa sempurna | perfect lion Lion The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger... |
Brings blessings |
| Four tenths depa | anjing kekurangan | scarce dog Dog The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in... s |
Occupants will constantly argue with each other |
| Five tenths depa | kuda ketinggian | high horse Horse The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today... |
Someone will reach a high post |
| Six tenths depa | gagak kepatukan | pecking crow Crow Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several... |
Indicates sickness or death, such a house will never be completed |
| Seven tenths depa | harimau pahlawan | warrior tiger Tiger The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts... |
The son will be a warrior |
| Eight tenths depa | nāga Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India... keperbuan |
rushing dragon Dragon A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern... |
Wards off hardship and illness |
| Nine tenths depa | neraca timbangan | balanced scales | Someone will become village leader |
| Round number | ular cinta mani | chintamani snake Snake Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales... |
Great luck, named after a legendary snake believed to bring good fortune |
Malay village houses were built so that they could be disassembled and rebuilt when the situation demanded it such as war, floods or famine. Some have noted that these rules consider the number four unlucky, just as in Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
superstition.