PART 5: BANGSAL MANGUNTUR TANGKIL

Manguntur Tangkil is a small bangsal in Trateg Sitihinggil, therefore it is a bangsal in a bangsal. It means that in our body, there is a soul. Manguntur Tangkil means a high place for anangkil, which is a place to devote for God the Almighty by praying silently or doing a “semadi”. Behind this, there is a bigger bangsal called Bangsal Witono. Witono comes from the word wiwitono (Javanese) and means get it started. Some day Sri Sultan started to semadi in Bangsal Manguntur Tangkil, gave a code to the gamelan player Abdi dalem to play the gamelan slowly and softly, following the in and out of breaths: ning nong ning hu, ning nong ning huh u huh u ……. Then stopped.

This depiction becomes more obvious when the Abdi Dalem had been seated in front of Sri Sultans feet stand. It means: Sri Sultan has been “kepareg” (close) to the God in His name to implement the kingdom’s law to his people. People themselves are classified into some levels, positions or jobs, depicted by their abdi dalem’s different colors and motifs’ outfits when they were sitting surrounding Sri Sultan. Some of them wore yellow, red, green, black etc., some wore kampuhan, the others wore kuluk, some wore commonly-worn destar, some half-naked on top, because the top was twisted on their keris, some of them were disabled etc, too much to mention, but in general, each position and title had its own outfit’s how-to-wear and color. The experience in doing semadi, is depicted by the presence of ampilan dalem such as: banyak, dalang, sawung, galling, ardawakila, kacumas, kutuk, kandil and saput. Each was brought by a manggung, i.e. a lady that came up in a grebeg. Each of the things had 9, i.e. there are 9 ampilan dalem, 9 flags of prajurit kraton (peleton), and 9 accesses to come in and out of the Kraton. Nine is a sacred number that always comes in Kraton and depicts the existence of 9 ‘Wali’, the Islam missionaries in Java, and also figures 9 holes in our body.

‘Condrosengkolo’ of the ‘Prabayeksa’ building establishment, where Kraton keeps its heritages, says: ‘Warna Sanga Rasa Tunggal’ or 1694 in Javanese calendar.

That kind of clothing is only worn in Grebeg. Green velvet cloth, yellow samir (ceintur), bride-like hairdo. All ampilans are made from gold and enchantment. What does ampilan dalem (palace regalia) mean?

1.        Banyak/Angsa (swan) symbolizes purity and awareness.

2.        Dalang/kijang (deer) symbolizes agility and wisdom. Agility in thinking and taking actions making decisions.

3.        Sawung/ayam (cock) symbolizes courage.

4.        Galling/merak symbolizes authority.

5.        Ardawakila/naga (dragon) in Javanese mythology means a scaffold, the world taker. It means that Sri Sultan is a taker, as well as a scaffold all responsibilities.

6.        Kacu-mas/saputangan mas (golden handkerchief) symbolizes eraser of all dirt (physical, soul, state-order, governmental etc).

7.        Kutuk symbolizes attractor.

8.        Kandil/lentera (lantern) symbolizes lighting for people.

9.        Saput or a place for anything symbolizes readiness and preparedness or alert. This last ampilan should be brought by a lurah keparak para gusti.

The colors of abdi dalem-abdi dalem symbolize the color of lights in each human when doing a semadi.