After visiting and studying at Pertamina’s oil and fuel processing plant, the next day I took a walk in the city of Cirebon. I was helpless at the call of Nasi Jamblang and his friends.
But before lunch time arrived, I also had time to visit two tourist attractions in Cirebon. Sunyaragi Cave and Kasepuhan Palace.
The first stop in the morning is Sunyaragi Cave. This cave looks like a temple outwardly. The architecture is unique. The shape is like a temple, but the outer layer consists of sea coral. Not relief motifs like Hindu or Buddhist temples.
The Cirebon Sultanate was an Islamic sultanate. The depiction of living things such as temple reliefs is not permitted. That’s one of the reasons.
Sunyaragi comes from the Sanskrit word. Sunya means quiet. Yeast means body. A quiet body, like the purpose of this cave, which is to isolate the Sultans of Cirebon and their families.
There are several cave rooms here. The place is quite cramped for an adult.
At the back of the cave, there is a place that is said to be used for telepathy to Arabia and to China. For the Sultan’s communication with the leader of the kingdom which is thousands of kilometers away. Whether true or not, that’s what our guide said.
This cultural heritage which is located on the side of the Bridgen Dharsono bypass road is very instagramable!
Many candid photographers take our photos and then print them right away. Can be redeemed at a price of five thousand rupiah.
Duh, thank you, I’m so cool :))
After enjoying the hot sun at Sunyaragi Cave, we headed to the Kasepuhan Palace. One of the oldest palaces in Indonesia.
This palace is the largest and most well-maintained in Cirebon. Naturally, the Sultan still lives here! But we can still enter, as long as we don’t enter the main palace. Unless there is a promise or interest with him.
Every corner in this palace is full of meaning. Most of them come from Islamic values. For example, there is a pavilion that has five pillars symbolizing the five pillars of Islam.
Most of the wooden buildings here are still original, and their integrity has been maintained since the 15th century. The construction does not use nails, but only wooden pegs.
There are three main courtyards that we must pass and a garden called Dewandaru before reaching the main building of the palace where the sultan lives. Many large trees are very old here, making a very shady impression.
This palace has a new museum which just opened in June 2017. The museum is very modern. And most importantly it is clean, has air conditioning, is well maintained, and the collection is cool!
The collection of the mainstay of this museum is the barong train which is the golden train of the Sultan of Gunung Jati. The train is issued every one syawal to be ‘bathed’.
Besides the Barong kerata, the objects in the museum are relics from the late Padjajaran era, Sunan Gunung Jati, to the sultanate era from Sultan Sepuh I to Sultan Sepuh XIV.
The museum is open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. The entry ticket price is 25 thousand rupiah. I highly recommend if you visit Cirebon!
Lunch time arrived, I was looking for Cirebon culinary that I haven’t tried on this trip. Empal gentong and tofu gejrot have been removed from the list. There are only two special rice here that I have not tried. Jamblang Rice and Lengko Rice.
The choice fell to Nasi Jamblang because it was lunch after we had walked and heated up to the palace and to the cave Sunyaragi. I consider lengko rice just a ‘snack’ because it’s just rice, bean sprouts, chives, tempeh doused in peanut sauce. The vegetarian menu is not suitable for me who is in need of this animal protein.
Nasi Jamblang is actually plain rice and side dishes. What distinguishes it from ordinary rice is the use of teak leaf packages for the rice. So there is a unique aroma that emanates from the rice.
The side dishes are varied. The most popular is the squid cooked with the ink. There is no trace of chili in this black ink, but it turns out to be very spicy when eaten! The side dishes are more like Sundanese cuisine. The sambal is delicious. I didn’t feel like I had finished two packets of Jamblang rice.
Thank You!
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