Kasepuhan is also known as
Pakungwati Palace after the name of the daughter of Prince
Cakrabuwana, the sultanate’s first ruler who built the
palace in 1446. Pakungwati married Sunan Gunung Jati, one of
nine highly respected Muslim saints in Java. He renovated
the palace in 1483 and used it as Islamic education centre.
In 1529 new building was added by Prince Mas Mohammed Arifin
the great grandson of Sunan Gunung Jati.
Entering the Palace, the first thing you see is a
Hindu-styled split gate named Gapura Adi. It is similar to
the gate of Balinese Hindu temples. This red brick gate
leads you to Siti Hinggil area, a square surrounded by
mortarless thick red brick bearing wall. Siti means land in
local language and hingil means high. This area was built on
a level higher than any other areas of the palace to
symbolize the divinity of the member of the royal family.
There are five wooden pagoda-like pavilions in the area used
for royal ceremony. The structures are covered by wooden
roof and have no wall. They roofs follow the style of
traditional local houses.
Cirebon was one of the busiest ports in Java. It was a
place where many cultures intermingled. As a meeting place
of many cultures, Kasepuhan Palace has a unique mix of Pre
Hindu, Hindu, Islamic, Chinese, European and Javanese
architectural styles
Cirebon, also spelled as Tjirebon or Cheribon (Dutch),
Charabom (Portuguese) or Cerbon (Sundanese) is a city in
West Java province, Indonesia. It is located on Java
Island’s Northern Coast, approximately 297 km from Jakarta,
the capital of Indonesia.The name Chirebon comes from the
word “chi” means water or river and “rebon” means shrimp.
The city gets its name because of the abundance of fresh
water shrimp found in local rivers.
Based on old manuscript written by a Hindu monk, Prince
Bujangga Manik, who travelled across Java and Bali in the
16th century, the city was founded in the 13thcentury by Ki
Gedeng Alang-Alang as part of Padjajaran Kingdom, the
biggest kingdom in West Java at the time. The seaport of
Cirebon, was one of the most important harbor and main entry
to the fertile Java Island
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