Home Of A Thousand `Wayang`

Magelang, Central Java - From his humble home in Tingal Kulon, a serene neighborhood near the Pawon and Borobudur temples in the province of Central Java, traditional dancer Eko Sunyoto described a nearby wayang (puppet) museum.

The museum, he said with the enthusiasm of a cultural ambassador to an outsider, was replete with time-honored puppets from all over Indonesia, and even some from foreign lands.

Enticed by this description, I decided that missing the opportunity to visit such a collection was not an option.

After a short motorbike ride, we arrived at the Pondok Tingal Hotel and Restaurant in the Pondok Seni dan Budaya Boediardjo (Boediardjo Art and Culture Complex), sitting peacefully across a hazy string of distant highlands called the Menoreh hill.

Niniek, the general manager of the complex, gave us an insight into the history of the wayang museum, called Sasana Gunarasa.

She said the museum was built as a tribute to the late H. Boediardjo, a Javanese arts and traditional crafts devotee who served as Indonesia`s minister of information from 1968 to 1973. Boediardjo, who came from a line of puppet masters, passed away in 1997.

“After Boediardjo passed away, his collection of wayang and gamelan instruments were not being looked after. There were 11 boxes of wayang, each containing more than 100 puppets,” Niniek said. “His wife thought that the legacy should be preserved.”

In November 2001, Sasana Gunarasa was opened to the public as part of the complex, which holds wayang performances in its halls and is managed by the hotel.

“The hotel supports the arts and cultural programs,” Niniek said. “On the fourth Saturday of every month, we organize a shadow puppet performance.” When Pahing, a day of the five-day week on the Javanese calender, meets a Saturday, the complex runs a storytelling program for children.

“Every full moon we have the Padang Bulan People`s Arts Festival,” she said.

“These have been going on for years now.”

Once every two years, the complex also runs a competition of mocopatan, the singing of Javanese poetry.

Eko escorted me to the museum, a simple building tucked into the corner of a grass court.

In front of the museum was a stone gunungan, a spade-shaped symbol of the universe in Javanese wayang plays, inscribed with Boediardjo`s full name and his dates of birth and death.

The entrance door, adorned with wooden masks, opened to reveal a desk watched over by a couple of welcoming effigies, called Loro Blonyo , and a guest book that I signed as the museum`s second visitor of the day.

Starting the tour from the right wing, Eko and I walked into a labyrinth of wooden partitions where local wayang from Java, Bali, Kedu and Lombok, and some from other countries were mounted.

A passageway leading to a gamelan orchestra displayed a number of puppets, starting with one from Yogyakarta and ending with the kancil wayang, which are figures used in animal stories for children. The gamelan orchestra was surrounded by wayang golek dolls (three-dimensional puppets) from West Java and a large glass case filled with colorful Cantonese wayang and other priceless antiques.

The simple museum houses about 1,600 wayang. More than 700 books, videos and cassettes about wayang are stored in an adjacent library.

Boediardjo hunted for these wayang and antiques himself throughout his life. Some pieces were given to him as gifts from colleagues and those who knew he would take good care of the puppets.

“My wife comes here every now and then to clean and check the condition of the wayang,” Eko said, as we returned to the entrance.

Before we left the museum, Eko pointed to a painting of Salyo Begal, the main character of a play by the same name, which Boediardjo himself wrote.

Boediardjo dedicated his life to the development of wayang and other Javanese arts. As a testament of respect to his dedication, the Sasana Gunarasa museum modestly stands as a source of endless study and inspiration for today`s generation and for those to come.

For those who are looking for a tranquil alternative to Borobudur and wish to have a glimpse into the richness of Javanese culture, Pondok Tingal makes for a rewarding trip. Dalih Sembiring

Sasana Gunarasa

Pondok Seni dan Budaya Boediardjo, Pondok Tingal Hotel & Restaurant Jl. Balaputradewa No. 32, Brojonalan, Borobudur, Central Java.
Tel. 0293 788 145, 0293 788 245,  www.pondoktingal.com

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com (19 May 2009)

Share

Tuliskan komentar Anda !