INDONESIAN HERALDRY
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Even when from the first centuries after the
introduction of Buddhism in Indonesia there are only a few data about the heraldic
system used available, it may be taken for granted that it was adapted from
hindu-buddhist sources and introduced in the time of the hindu buddhist
kingdoms in Java of the sixth and eight centuries. The use of the buddhist heraldic system was continued
in the Majapahit era but largely abandoned when Islam was introduced in the
16th century. It was maintained by Majapahit refugees in Bali and was still
alive when Bali was subjected by the Dutch in 1908. The buddhist heraldic system in itself had its
roots in ancient Mesopotamia from where it was dispersed, to the west as well
to the east on the waves of Hellenistic expansion. The Indonesian heraldic system can be summarized
as the Surya-Naga-Garuda system as the empire was symbolized by a sun
(Surya), the ruler by a snake (Naga) and the state by a
bird-man (Garuda). At the level of the ranges of authority we meet
the lotus, the conch and the club, symbolizing administrative authority,
religious authority and armed authority. |
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As in many other cultures the empire is symbolized
by the sun. In Egypt and China the sun was depicted as a red disc. In ancient
Mesopotamia a sun was depicted as a disc with eight or more pointed rays.
Later versions have different shapes, sometimes it is a golden disc and
sometimes it has innumerable short rays. In the case of Indonesia it is a sun with pointed
rays with the geniuses of the eight celestial directions in between. Also we
may see a sun radiant as a badge on the crowns of rulers or officials. In the case of the Javanese kings the sun
of the early kingdoms is depicted as a (flaming) halo around the head of the
ruler. The illustration in the head of this essay shows ‘Surya Majapahit’ or ‘The Sun of Majapahit’. It is an emblem
common found in temples and ruins dating from the Majapahit era. The sun disk
is stylized with carved rays of light; surrounded by eight Lokapala
gods, the eight Hindu gods that guarded eight cardinal points of the
universe. (Coll. National Museum, Jakarta) |
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Ruler in dhyana-mudra
attitude, pajong,
sun and lotus, and between two lions. Batang, Yogyakarta, 8th-9th century National
Museum Jakarta, inv. 5556. |
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The ruler may be represented by his imago, that
is his portrait when carrying the parafernalia of his office. These
parafernalia are borrowed from the Hindu-god Vishnu of which many Javanese
rulers considered themselves to be a incarnation. As such the ruler is
standing or sitting in a buddhist attitude, his head crowned and surrounded
by a halo and carrying in his hands a lotus, a conch and a club symbolizing
the ranges of authority. To this symbols sometimes a pajong
(umbrella) is added, a symbol of rank originating in Assyrian Mesopotamia and
also adopted as one of the royal symbols of rank in ancient India. |
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The emblem of the ruler is a snake or naga. This emblem
is of Egyptian and/or Chinese origin. In Egypt it is known from the time of
the 1st Dynasty (3100-2905 B.C.). In China it is known from the 7th
millennium B.C. but was replaced by a dragon (itself of Mesopotamian origin)
during the Han Dynasty (207 B.C.- 9 A.D.). Some Indian dynasties had a snake
as their emblem still in the 19th century. As far as we know, the snake occurred in Indonesia
in the era of the Hindu-empires as a royal emblem and thus was of Indian and
not of Chinese origin. |
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According
to Hindu and Buddhist iconography the state could be symbolized by a cakra
or Wheel of Law. This has the form of a compass rose and is a representation
of heaven. Initially it was a symbol of sovereignty but later came to
symbolize Buddhist doctrine. In the Indonesian
context the Wheel of Law seems to have been abandoned quite soon as there are
only a few examples known. ï Cakra
with spear head. Selumbung, Blitar, East Java, 13th-14th century. H. 30 cm Æ 16 cm. National Museum Djakarta, inv. 5961. |
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Statuette of a garuda.
Central Java, 8th c. A.D. (National
Museum, Jakarta) Instead, the State came to be symbolized by a Garuda who, being a servant
of Vishnu, and as such a messenger of Heaven, represented the heavenly
mandate. In that case, the state is not supposed to be a function of the
ruler but of heaven. |
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Royal couple bearing a
lotus. Golden plaque, 9th century. Banyumas,
Central Java. 20 Í 12,4 cm. National Museum Jakarta inv. A
29 Administrative
authority is symbolized by a lotus. This can be carried in hand but it is
also the seat of the ruler as can be seen in many royal portraits. |
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Mahakala Crowned warior armed with a club (gada). Candi Rejo, Central Java. 9th century. H. 75 Í W. 35 cm (National Museum, Jakarta, inv. 5515) |
Armed authority is
symbolized by a club. It is carried by Vishnu in one of his hands. As the gada is
clearly of Hindu origin, another symbol of armed authority is the vajra or
thundebolt. This has come to Indonesia by way of tantrism. The thunderbolt as
a symbol of armed authority is of Mesopotamian origin. In the range of
armed authority there is a symbol of the army personalized by the god
Mahakala or Boma who is depicted carrying a club. This God is the
Hindu-buddhist version of the Hellenistic Medusa, Nike or Victoria (not of
Mars). Mahakala often is
a guardian of a temple of Shiva, he himself being an aspect of this god. The supreme
commander is symbolized by the monstruous head of Kala / Boma, which finds
its counterpart in the Hellenistic Gorgoneion but also in the
dragon-heads of China and Indo-China. As an apotropaic symbol it is above the
entrance of Buddhist temples as for example on the Borobudur.
Kala above the entrance of the Borobudur, ca.
800 A.D. The monstruous
head is between two sirens,
personifications of the wandering souls of the deceased or killed on the
battlefield. |
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Lion |
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On the executive level
we find the lion (or tiger) as a symbol of the individual warrior or even of
the warrior-caste (ksatrya). In Hindu or
Buddhist iconography this lion is very often winged but early examples show
just a plain lion (as in Borobudur).
Lion. Borobudur, Central Java. Ca. 800. Pairs of such lions guard the four
entrances of the Borobudur.[1] |
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Conch on a plate used at religious ceremonies Central Java 9th-10th century. Height of conch ca.
12,5 cm. National Museum Jakarta, inv. 8492. Religious authority is symbolized by a conch. A Śankha (conch-shell) is a special symbol of Vishnu. His
conch is known as Pañ-chajanya, being made from the body of the demon
Pañchajana. It is symbolic of the spoken word, a tradition originating in
Vedic India. It is thought to make a frightening noise that terrifies the
enemies of Vishnu. In sculptural representations, the conch appears plain or
ornamental. In the latter case, its head is covered with a decorative metal cap,
surmounted by a lion-head and having a cloth tied round it. Tassels of pearls
may also hang from the sides. Generally speaking the Śankha is the symbol of religious authority exercised by the word. |
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The pusaka were heirlooms containing magic power essential in pursuance of royal authority. Amongst them were a keris (dagger) and a lance which can be qualified to be the de facto royal arms. [2] |
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Three Majapahit
lance-heads, 17th century. The Tombaks (lances), which are qualified pusaka,
have the symbols of the empire and the ruler, symbolized by the cakra and the
snake on top. On the third is a cock which may have been the symbol of a kraton-official.[3] |
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The crowns we meet in the Indonesian archipelago are of a bewildering variety. For that reason a typology of Indonesian crowns is difficult to set up. We may be sure that the oldest crowns were of the model common in early India and had a pagoda-like shape. A later and more local form was developed in the second century of the Majapahit era. In that time the crowns became the shape of a cap rising from a pointed diadem. This shape survived for centuries in the crowns of the Ramayana and Mahabarata heroes figuring in the wajang kulit and wajang golek. A third typus seems to be the kuluk, a conical shaped headdress, which appeared in the sixteenth or seventeenth century and probably is a muslim invention. In some cases this kuluk is decorated with naga, or royal emblems, or with other ornaments. It should be mentioned that these crowns were symbols of rank in that way that the wearing of a crown of a certain shape was the prerogative of the ruler. The crown was a part of the royal dress but a coronation was not the inauguration of a ruler in the western sense as this took place by acclamation, by enthronement, and the transfer of the imperial treasure, of which the pusaka were a part, and by some ceremonies. [4] |
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™ Examples of Indonesian Crowns ˜ From
left to right and from top to bottom: 1. Kediri 11th
c.; 2. Majapahit, 15th c.; 3. Banten, 16th c.; 4. Gowa, 17th c.; 5. Mataram,
17th c.; 6. Banten, 18th c.; 7. Bima,
18th c.; 8. Kutai, 19th c. 9. Siak, 19th c. 10. Siak, 20th c.; 11.
Solo, 20th c. 12. Yogya, 20th.c.. |
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These symbols can be found in several
combinations, the most extended combination being the effigy of Vishnu who
carries a cakra and the symbols of authority in his four hands and sometimes
is depicted riding a Garuda who is his exclusive vehicle. His divinity is symbolized by his four arms which
cannot be human. As a consequence a more-limbed statue never depicts a ruling
prince.
Vishnu and Garuda Gemuruh, near Banyu Kembar, Leksono, Wonosobo,
Central Java, 9th century. H. 34,5 Í W. 16.6
cm National Museum Jakarta, inv. A31 486a. Crowned
four-armed god, standing on a lotus, behind his head a sun, in his hands a
cakra, a conch, a club and a jewel. At his right side a winged man holding a
snake in his hands, a somewhat deviant form of a Garuda as he is depicted as
an angel and not as a birdman. The confusion is understandable as both are
servants of a divine being, the first a divine messenger (aggeloi) the
second a divine vehicle. This plaque is a display of the main symbols of
the socio-political system. On it may be the oldest picture of a naga symbolizing
kingship. |
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Statuette of Vishnu
riding a Garuda. Java, ca. 1000 A.D.
(National Museum, Jakarta) Vishnu sits on a
lotus is crowned and keeps a cakra and a conch in two of his hands. Behind
him is a halo. The garuda has a sun radiant on his headdress and stands on
two cobras. It is accepted that the group dates from the time of Airlangga,
raja of Kahuripan († 1049). In socio political terms this statuette would mean
that kingship is subordinated to the state, itself a function of the divine
ruler. The ruler is a normal human being and thus cannot
have more than four limbs. His imago shows him with two arms and legs
and wearing the parafernalia of kingship, mainly an umbrella, a crown and
royal dress. On a more secular level the ruler is depicted
carrying a sun or has a halo around his head. This makes the ruler “the ruler
of the empire”. In western heraldic terms these are the imperial arms
consisting of the arms of the empire and the arms of the ruler himself being
his personal or family arms. Sometimes Garuda is depicted carrying a snake or Naga
in his beak. Translated into western heraldic terms this royal achievement
consists of a symbol of the ruler (his imago) supported by a Garuda
and symbolizes royal government. |
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Garuda carrying a
(female?) ruler and a naga. Probably from the time of Anusapati, 2nd king of
Singasari (1227-’48). Candi Kidal, Rejokidal near Malang, East
Java. The ruler is
depicted
in lalita
asana and bhumi sparsa mudra attitude meaning that he is calling
the earth as a witness in a languid relaxed sensual position. This attitude
would fit a constitutional monarch very well. In socio-political terms this
garuda-ruler-kingship combination would mean that the state is a function of
the human ruler and king. This may be the oldest picture where Garuda
carries a human ruler instead of the
divine ruler. |
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Another version of such an achievement is a Garuda
carrying the imago of the ruler who has some of the symbols of
authority in his hands. This combination should have the same meaning, the emblem
carried in hand symbolizing the department of administrative-, religious- or
armed forces affairs in plus. As can be seen in some temples and the temple
complex of Sukuh in particular, this symbolic system was in use in the
Majapahit era. Two examples are known which seem to be a kind of exception on
the rule. From the beginning of the 14th century a phoenix as a symbol of a
Javanese ruler is documented by European sources. Another exception is a
golden seal from about 1400, showing a senmurw or peacock-dragon.
These two exceptions will be treated in the section about Majapahit. |
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Golden ring with double
rayed sun charged with a Śanka Central Java, 8th-9th century. This is the combination of the symbol of the
empire and the symbol of religious authority and for that reason the ring may
have belonged to the High Priest of the (Mataram) Empire. [5] |
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The symbolic system of Islam differs
somewhat from this hindu-buddhist system. Like in the older system the empire is usually
symbolized by a sun, be it a disc or be it a disc radiant. The state in
islamic symbolism however, is symbolized by a crescent and this is in
contravention with the white moon in Chinese and Indian symbolism. The crescent was invented in ancient Mesopotamia
as a symbol of Ur. It was depicted as a disc in which a crescent was carved
out. Sometimes it was combined with a sun radiant and in that case the
crescent was surrounding the sun. For a long time the moon was depicted in
the way of the symbol of Ur. In the Middle Ages the moon came to be depicted
as a crescent without the disc. In this form it became the symbol of the
islamic state. As Islam is opposed to the depiction of living
beings, the ruler in islam usually is not represented by his imago.
Instead he is represented by his name and titles in calligraphic form, known
as tughra. As a head of state he has a flag with one or more
crescents. For the same reason the army is not represented by
a monstruous human or divine figure but by a sword, usually called the “sword
of islam”. This can be depicted as a single edged sword but also as a
two-pointed or double-bladed sword, commonly known as the dhu-l-fakr or Sword
of Ali and going back to the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, Ali († 661). A third possibility is swords
in saltire, which may be a misunderstanding of a two-pointed sword. An early
example of swords in saltire in Indonesia is on the flag of Bantam which
shows two white swords in saltire on a yellow cloth. As an exception the lion was often maintained in
islamic Indonesia. This lion is in an even older tradition and goes back to
the paternal uncle of Muhammad Hamza ibn ‘Abd-al Muttalib, a champion of
early Islam who was called “The Lion of God”. More orthodox muslims depicted
the “Lion of God” in calligraphic form
but others just depicted a plain lion.
Royal Banner of Cirebon, West
Java. 18th century. 322 x 172
cm. Jakarta Textile Museum, Jakarta. This flag shows the double-bladed sword of Ali and three lions in calligraphic script. In the margins is a sura from the Quran. |
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In the sixteenth century European Heraldry was
introduced by the Portuguese
but, as the Portuguese were soon ousted by the Dutch, Dutch heraldry has had
most influence in the archipelago. European Heraldry is a system of institutional and
personal emblems which has its origin in the corpus of emblems used in the
armed forces. It is an individualistic system and not a classificatory
system. A symbol for the empire, in fact the not longer existing Roman Empire
is almost absent or exists in a cryptic form. For that reason the symbols of
the European states and rulers are always the symbols of lower governmental
bodies and subordinate rulers even when they were de facto sovereign.
The body of emblems for these ‘subordinate’ states and rulers is quite
extensive. At the end of the eighteenth century, with the introduction of the
sovereignty of the people, the all-inclusive emblem or national emblem was
introduced symbolizing all aspects of socio-political organization. The most ancient European heraldic emblems in
Indonesia are the emblems of the Dutch East India Company, its chambers and
its officers. The emblems of the Dutch East India Company,
(VOC) consisted of shields charged with a cypher or a ship. Its chambers were symbolized by a like
cypher and a coat of arms. Some of the chief officers had a personal coat of
arms and coats of arms of the Governors General are collected in a study
published at the end of the 19th century [6]). After the VOC era the colonial government was
symbolized by the imperial and royal achievements of France and Great Britain
and after the Dutch-British Treaty until independence by the achievement of
the Kingdom of the Netherlands. For the colony itself no heraldic emblem was
ever adopted. The Indonesian princely achievements designed in
the 18th and 19th century are of European heraldic design. Their nucleus is a
coat of arms in the form of a European heraldic shield. Sometimes it is
crowned and has supporters. A motto may be part of the achievement. The achievements were usually adopted when a
special agreement of the ruler with the Dutch government in Batavia was
entered into. Such an agreement usually implied a protectorate, the Dutch
Government being responsible for the external relations and defense. Many
princes of these selfgoverning states have adopted an achievement western
style. The most important of them were the sultans of Surakarta and Yogyakarta
but there were also princes on Sumatera and Kalimantan bearing coats of arms. |
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Heraldic emblems for the lesser (colonial) governmental bodies were only introduced reluctantly. For a long time the coat of arms of Batavia was the only one in the colony (1619). Later the arms of Makassar (1667 or 1708), Semarang (29.V.1827) and Soerabaja (30 VI 1920) were added. By Ordonnantie of 7 September 1928 (Ind Stb. n° 394) the lesser governmental bodies (provinces, regencies and communities) were compelled to depose their existing coats of arms at the Governor General’s or could apply for the grant of a coat of arms to him. |
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At the end of Dutch rule the following governmental bodies had a coat of arms: Provinces West Java; Midden Java (1940) Regencies Garoet (Preanger); Pandéglang (Bantam); Tjiandoer (Preanger) Local Districts Ressort Minahassa Communities Amboina; Bandoeng; Batavia; Blitar; Buitenzorg; Cheribon; Madioen; Magelang; Makassar; Malang; Manado; Medan; Modjokerto; Padang; Palembang; Pasoeroean; Pekalongan; Pema-tangsiantar; Salatiga; Semarang; Soekaboemi; Soerabaja; Tegal. [7] After the Proclamation of Independence on 17 August 1945 deliberations were started about a national emblem for the new Republic. After all, no decisions were made for the next four five years. In the time between the Proclamation of Independence and the recognition by the Dutch Government of the United States of Indonesia on 28 December 1949, a few national emblems were adopted by the federal states. These were: Negara Sumatera Timur (20 December 1949). Indonesia Timur (31 March 1950) Republik Maluku Selatan (July 1950) Daerah Istimewa Kalimantan Barat Federasi Kesultanan Kalimantan Timur. The other federal states have not had the opportunity, as far as known, to adopt a flag or national emblem. These emblems disappeared after the declaration of the Republic on 17 August 1950 A national achievement for the United States of Indonesia was adopted on 12 Februari 1950 but changed on 17 August of the same year for the Republic. It was designed under the supervision of Sultan Hamid II Alkadrie of Pontianak with the cooperation of the Dutch heraldist Dirk Rühl. |
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Not long after this the adaptation or change of the coats of arms from colonial times was started. The first community which changed its coat of arms was Jakarta, former Batavia, which changed its coat of arms in October 1951. Certainly on purpose, the design of these arms and emblems was usually contradicting the rules developed in European heraldry. New emblems were adopted for the provinces of the Republic beginning at the end of the fifties or the beginning of the sixties of the 20th century. A charge appearing in many of these emblems is a garland. This garland most of the time consists of a branch of cotton and an ear of rice together symbolizing prosperity and the date 17 August 1945. This garland surrounds a main emblem, in such a way that an emblem in a kind of soviet-style, in which the garland is a characteristic element, is created. [8] Contrary to the sovjet emblems however, the composition is often placed on a large shield. As the garland was also around princely Javanese achievements and reminds us also of the garland around the sword in the arms of Batavia, a rather confusing design is the result, combining ancient colonial and princeley, and modern socialist elements. In this work the blasoning describes the main emblem, surrounded by a garland. The large shield on which this emblem is displayed is always called an embassy-shield. |
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© Hubert de Vries 2010.09.30
Updated 2010-10-31
Heraldry of the World