Java in a Narrow Aisle: The Celebration of Woman in Ullen Sentalu

In memory of Gusti Nurul - RIP Tuesday, November 10, 2015.

Can History of Javanese Kingdom be summarized in an hour story? Ullen Sentalu proves it can. It is even greatly showing the power of woman in the patriarchal traditional Javanese society. By walking in the aisle of that museum, visitors will be guided to know Javanese Kingdom since Panembahan Senapati until today brightly.

The scent of incense greets the visitors at the entrance of the museum, creating a magical feeling that makes chilling goosebumps. A row of beautiful guides with hair bun and folded hand are soothing smiling. They will bring a group of visitors 10 by 10 by foot walk through underground aisle walled by river stone. Cold air and smell of the soil immediately stormed, replaces the aroma of incense that is slowly disappearing. In every side of the wall, hundreds of Javanese kingdom’s family paintings hanging from corner to corner. The guides will fast and friendly tell about the story of Panembahan Senapati, Sultan Agung, Mangkunegara, Hamengkubuwana, Paku Alam, and their royal family, complete with all the intrigues. They appeared so expert in Javanese history.

Ullen Sentalu’s first room is “Guwa Sela Giri” the long and winding hallway that is focused on the separation of Jogja and Solo Kingdom. That room was started by the painting of Gusti Nurul, the princess of Solo Kingdom that is dancing in Netherland before Dutch Queen and ambassadors, accompanied by gamelan that is played in Solo, far away from Netherland.  Gusti Nurul’s dancing is looked riveting the audiences. “How Come? They are in the different place, rigth?” Many visitors will ask the same question in that site. All the visitors suddenly brought to mystical side of Java finding thus phenomenon. And with her witty smile the guide will say “No, it was not supernatural at all, it all happened because they used the technology. Radio! The music is played on radio station in Solo and directly emitted to Netherland.” “Ooohhh!” the visitor tuts by their relieved.

After Sela Giri, there are many rooms ahead. Batik room keeps all batik motives from Solo and Jogja; “Royal Room of Ratu Mas” which keeps wedding gown of Queen Mas of Solo; a beverage room, where the visitors will take a rest while they are served with a glass of ageless drinks treat that secretly mixed by Queen Mas herself. And the most touching is “Bilik Syair”, a room that neatly save letters from the gone away love story of Tineke, a princess from Solo Kingdom. They are very powerful love letters. One of the love letter is without title, said:

Gelarlah selimut cinta
di atas dosa dan kekurangan orang lain
Itulah kebahagiaan sejati

The free translation of that letter is:

Spread the blanked of love
upon the sins and shortcomings of the others
that is the real happiness

If the visitor are scrupulous, they will find that the main theme of Ullen Sentalu museum is Woman. That museum really celebration for women. Even many men paintings and relics, it is not comparable with abundant of women figure presented there. The entrance of the museum guarded Ken Dedes statue, a beautiful, smart, and powerful queen of Singhasari Kingdom. In the corner of Guwa Sela Giri, visitrs will meet with Durga statue, Siva’s mysterious, powerful, and mighty wife. Room by room the visitors guided to find an empowering unwritten story of Javanese queen and princess by its relics, paintings, and statues. Maybe they are not sitting in the throne, but elegantly they have their own way to control their husbands. And the central of Celebration is the last room, “Gusti Nurul Room” a room full of Gusti Nurul’s belongings. Gusti Nurul is a modern beautiful Javanese princess from Mangkunegaran Solo who is expert in dancing until riding a horse. A woman who bravely rejected the powerful men of Indinesia’s marriage proposal, including Soekarno, Sjahrir, and Hamengkubono IX. She kept herself single until 30, the unusual age for traditional woman to be not bond in marriage. The guide will tell that story from the very beginning of the tour, but they keep the reason until the visitors are entering Gusti Nurul Room. And when they arrive in that room, the impatient visitors will suddenly asking for the promised explanation. With big smiling the guide, that also women, will be answering:

“Marriage is sacred. Marriage is mighty. Especially for Javanese woman in patriarchal society system in Java. Gusti Nurul wanted to keep the marriage as its substance. She didn’t want to be marriage with Soekarno and Hamengkubuwono IX to avoid polygamy. And she refuse Sjahrir’s also that was not doing polygamy, because she didn’t want to marry with political man. Marriage is not political. Marriage is spiritual.”

And the visitor, ordinarily, will gape and dazzling overwhelmed by the answer. “So was she married to whom?” “To her school friends, her own choice Lieutenant Colonel Soejarsoejarso Soerjosoerarso, an ordinary man, a widower with one son.” Admiration, for instance, flies up in in the entire room.

In the end of the journey in that museum, the visitors will be brought to exit gate. That way out is pointing to two directions, to the right it is leading to restaurant and batik boutique, and to left to the garden with huge trunked trees and lotus ponds. And the magnificent tour of examination toward history of Java and celebration of woman is ending delightfully.