Taman Sari

The Taman Sari ( Javanese “flower garden”) is a site of the city of Yogyakarta in Indonesia , where was a garden created by the first Sultan . It is located about 200 meters west of Kraton , the royal palace. Built in the middle of the xiii ^th century, the Taman Sari had several functions: resting place, workshop, place of meditation, strong military, cache ¹ .

The former Taman Sari had four distinct zones: in the western part, a large artificial lake with islands and pavilions, in the center, baths, in its southern part, a set of pavilions and basins, and in its part is, a second smaller lake. Only the baths are well preserved. The other areas are now built and constitute the district of Kampung Taman (“the hamlet of the garden”).

Since 1995, the entire Yogyakarta Palace, including Taman Sari, has been nominated for World Heritage nomination ^2 , 3 .

Etymology

The name Taman Sari comes from the Javanese words taman (garden or park) and sari (beautiful, or flower). Taman Sari means a beautiful garden decorated with flowers. An old article described it as a “castle on the water” ( Dutch : waterkasteel ), since by closing the floodgates, the complex would be completely immersed, leaving only high structures visible ⁴ .

History

Demang Tegis

The Serat Rerenggan mentions the story of a “Demang Tegis”, that is to say, a Portuguese who was one of the architects of the Taman Sari. According to this text, a strange man would have suddenly appeared in the village of Mancingan near Parangtritis , on the coast south of Yogyakarta. With his lonely nose, fair skin, and outspoken speech, the villagers believed he was a forest spirit. They presented it to Sultan Hamengkubuwono II. He became interested in this strange man and took him to his service.

Notes and references