Kraton (Indonesia)

Pendopo (pavilion) in Kraton Yogyakarta
Kraton of the Sultan of Ternate
Pendopo (pavilion) in Kraton Yogyakarta

Kraton or Keraton is the Javanese word for a royal palace. Its name is derived from ka-ratu-an which means the residence of ratu. Ratu is the traditional honorific title to refer the "ruler" (king or queen). In Java, the palace of a prince is called puro or dalem. The general word to designate a palace is istana, as in Indonesian and Malay.

Specific Palaces

Pendopo (pavilion) in Kraton Surakarta.
Pendopo (pavilion) in Kraton Kasepuhan.

Kraton that function as the residence of a royal family include:

Yogyakarta (Jogja) region
Surakarta (Solo) region
Cirebon area

Historical Palaces

The locations of former kraton has been determined by historical records or archaeological efforts. Former kraton include:

In Banten region there are remnants of the Sultanate of Banten's palaces:

In Surakarta and Yogyakarta region, there is the remnants of Sultanate of Mataram palaces:

Metonymic Use

The term kraton 'palace' is also used as a way to refer to the court which it houses.

This is especially the case for native Indonesian states where the succession is disputed, giving issue to two or more branches of the dynasty, or even rivaling dynasties, each setting up an alternative court, while competing for the same state, but generally only controlling part of it.

An example is the West-Javan state of Cirebon, which was founded in 1478 and since 1662 was ruled from three Kraton (palaces):[6]

See also

Notes

References

External links

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