Standing in the northern part of the royal city of Solo in
Central Java is the Mangkunegaran Palace, an exquisite
representation of Javanese valor and determination against
injustice, oppression and colonialsm. The palace is known as
puri or pura (pronounced as “puro” in Javanese) and not the
usual Javanese term “Keraton” for a palace, since politically it
was not that of the ruling house, but was an independent
kadipaten or district. Therefore, it bears slightly different
characteristics compared to other Javanese palaces.
Mangkunegaran is mainly distinguished by the absence of a public
square with the classic pair of Banyan trees as typically found
in Javanese main cities. “As a monument of the Mangkunegaran
dynasty, the palace was built through a long historical journey
that eventually shaped the political map in the aftermath of the
breakup of the ancient Mataram Sultanate” The Mangkunegaran rule
in Surakarta was established through a long, bitter and
intricate historical process. The seed of its establis