Bantul, Yogyakarta - Back in the old days, Yogyakarta`s royal carriages were more than just a way of carrying around the Javanese royal family -- they were also a symbol of grandeur, believed to be endowed with supernatural powers.
Now they are treasured heirlooms, with 18 of them stored at the Yogyakarta Palace Carriage Museum.
Yogyakartans believe that, as heirlooms, the royal carriages can bring them blessings. Every year, when the royal carriages are washed during a ritual known as jamasan, local residents fight for the leftover water, as they believe the water used to wash a royal carriage has been blessed.
The wood of these heirloom carriages may be decaying, but as they are used for royal ceremonies -- and are believed to possess special powers -- the Yogyakarta Palace royal carriages cannot be repaired by just anybody, and the repair process requires a series of rituals.
So the palace calls on Paidi.
Paidi, a royal servant at Yogyakarta Palace, is believed to have the special skills and powers needed to repair the palace`s royal carriages, as well as those of Puro Pakualaman.
The carriages, said to have been built by a craftsman possessing more refined skills than those of an average person, are said to be guarded by a supernatural power -- a power that Paidi reveres.
Paidi, who inherited the carriage repair workshop from his father in 1986, fasts for one week before laying his hands on the royal carriages.
"Fasting cleanses the spirit. Without sincerity and a clean spirit, you may come across a lot of obstacles while repairing a royal carriage," Paidi said when The Jakarta Post recently visited his workshop in Pandean hamlet, Patalan, Jetis, Bantul.
After fasting, but before starting the repairs, Paidi holds a ritual feast in his workshop where he makes offerings such as ingkung (flowers and food).
This pre-repair ritual is obligatory -- otherwise, as Paidi explained, he would experience many disruptions.
Only after the ritual has been completed may the repair work begin.
Royal carriages are brought to Paidi`s workshop in a deteriorated state, mostly because of their age. Some of the carriages are hundreds of years old and need to have their framework replaced.
Paidi stressed that repairs to a royal carriage must be given thorough attention: Carvings inside the carriages must keep their original shape.
As most work is quite complicated, it often requires between three and four months to complete.
Paidi cannot remember how many royal carriages he has repaired. To the best of his memory, he said, every year there had been between one and four royal carriages for him to repair.
Paidi has repaired nearly all the heirloom royal carriages of Yogyakarta Palace including those named the Kyai Manik Retno, Kyai Mondrojuwolo, Kyai Kapolitin, Landower, Landower Surabaya and Landower Wisman.
He has also repaired the royal carriages owned by Paku Alam, including Nyai Roro Kumenyar, Kyai Brojonolo and Manik Brojo.
According to Paidi, the royal carriages were made by craftsmen with supernatural powers: masters locally known as empu. The empu always conducted a special ritual during construction to give the carriages special powers.
Paidi, as the third descendant of Mas Bekel Joyodiharjo, a royal servant and ironsmith who made royal carriages, is qualified to repair them.
As a small boy, Paidi followed his father and learned the rituals and repair techniques required to maintain the royal carriages.
"I received the ability, perhaps, through inheritance," he said.
Since 1986, Paidi has also regularly received orders to make carriages. The orders usually come from members of royal families, who are spread all over the country, and also from regional administrations. Some orders have come from Jakarta and even from outside Java.
He is currently building a carriage ordered by the Malang regency administration.
It usually takes between three and four months for Paidi and his four assistants -- his younger brothers -- to make one carriage. The finest teak and pure steel must be obtained before construction can begin.
And how much does a carriage cost?
"The price is a secret and should not be revealed," Paidi said.
"The only thing that I can tell you is that I must spend at least Rp 25 million to buy the teak and the steel."
Paidi said he had enjoyed many blessings since his appointment as a royal servant in 1998. He said his workshop always received a lot of orders for repairs from owners of andong, the local four-wheeled and horse-drawn carriages.
Technological developments and the increasing use of motorized vehicles have had little impact on Paidi`s business.
"As Yogyakarta is a cultural city, you can still find a lot of andong here," Paidi said.
"The number of automobiles has not much affected my business. I still have a lot of `patients`. It is a blessing for me." Slamet Susanto
Source: http://old.thejakartapost.com (July 19, 2008)