By KEE HUA CHEE | Feb 27, 2010

Treasured traditions

Istana Jahar, built in 1887,

Istana Jahar is possibly the most splendid and refined wooden palace in Kelantan. Its elegant proportions and artistic embellishments easily mark it out as a state heritage building.

The palace is widely held up as Kelantanese architecture at its finest, making full use of local timber and traditional ornamentations. The large verandah on the second floor allows air to circulate, while the interior’s sensational double-storey oval balcony was the talk of town when it was completed. The unusual indoor air-well remains a conversation piece today.

With its well-ventilated interiors and high ceilings, the palace remains cool even on a hot day.

Istana Jahar was built in 1887 by Sultan Muhammad II for Tengku Long Kundor Sultan Ahmad, the Raja Bendahara who was third in line to the throne. The palace was then known as Istana Raja Bendahara. Not long afterwards, Kundor came to power as Sultan Muhammad III in 1889, and the palace became Istana Jahar after his favourite Jahar trees, which still grow in the garden today.

Istana Jahar was converted into a museum, Muzium Adat Istiadat DiRaja Kelantan, on July 27, 1992 when it was inaugurated by Sultan Ismail Petra.

The Kelantan royal family donated many of the artefacts used in the royal ceremonies. The most eye-catching display is the Royal Wedding dais on the ground floor. The Wedding Ceremony Hall (Balai Istiadat Persandingan) shows the wedding garments of Kelantan’s Crown Prince, the Tengku Mahkota, and the hantaran (dowry and gifts).

The air well with the oval balcony

Individual rooms faithfully replicate ceremonies connected with the wedding and birth of Kelantanese royalty. To the left is the Royal Suite (Bilik DiRaja) which shows the groom’s bedroom. He would be accompanied by 10 royal maidens as his bride would not spend the wedding night with him until the third night.

On the right is the Engagement Room (Akad Nikah) where the engagement is first solemnised. It is obligatory to have the gold or silver box containing the dowry, which would be between a minimum of 32 rial (one rial is 2.72g) and a maximum of 120 rial of gold.

On the night of the wedding procession, the dowry would be carried by a virgin dressed in red and a specific hairstyle. She would lead the procession and remain at the groom’s palace, as technically she was also considered part of the dowry!

There is also a golden platter containing fragrant flower petals, silver and embun embun leaves as well as foodstuff and valuable gifts of songket and jewellery.

At two corners of the ground floor are spiral staircases. These caused a sensation when they were first installed. Elaborately designed, wrought-iron spiral staircases with latticed, see-through steps imported from England had never been seen before as the locals never saw the need for such fancy but cramped stairs. This pair stands out as they are the only iron installations inside the wooden palace.

One of two elaborately-designed, Victorian wrought-iron spiral staircases in the palace.

The first room upstairs is devoted to the Shaving and Ascending the Cot Ceremony (Belah Mulut) for royal newborns. This ceremony is usually held seven to nine days after the cord is cut when three goats are slaughtered if the child is a prince, and one goat if it’s a princess.

The imam (clergyman) recites the Al- Fatihah into the child’s ears as well as other propitious Quranic verses. A gold ring, salt or water from Zam Zam (taken from the holy well in Mecca) is passed through the child’s lips and repeated seven times by seven other pious men. The mufti then cuts three strands of hair, and the child is weighed using special golden coins with holes in the middle.

The child is passed from one guest to another forming a circle before he or she is shaven bald. The hair or tulah is weighed and its gold equivalent donated to the poor. The hair is kept so that it can be buried in Mecca later by a pilgrim.

The Earth Stepping Ceremony (Istiadat Pijak Tanah) is another royal tradition steeped in history. As the royal baby is considered precious, he or she is not allowed to come into contact with the earth until the proper ceremony is conducted to seek permission from the spirit of the earth.

This is usually held when the child is five to seven years old but the process can be pushed forward should the child inadvertently step on the earth.

Of course, playing on palace floors or on surfaces elevated from the ground is fine. In this ceremony, a holy man holds the child as prayers are recited while the ground is marked upon where the child’s bare feet are finally allowed to make direct contact with the soil.

Sometimes a tray of earth is brought to a high-ranking prince for him to symbolically step on.

The Circumcision or Istiadat Berkatan is one of the most important events in a Muslim male’s life and can be performed at various ages from 10 onwards. The ceremony involves a sheer, translucent curtain that hangs from the ceiling. It is charmingly kept suspended by a pair of little golden birds, one holding a gold chain and the other a suasa (mixed gold) chain.

Seven or nine layers of expensive cloth, including the golden songket, act as cushion for the prince during the circumcision ceremony. The feast rice or nasi kenduri served during this ceremony is a lavish spread of yellow kunyit (turmeric) rice plus all the condiments like egg, dodol and coconut. Also in attendance are four youths under 21 from noble families and two bentara (palace officers) who stand on guard.

The main portion of the second floor is devoted to the Seventh Month Pregnancy Ceremony (Istiadat Melenggang Perut) and Royal Maternity Rites (Istiadat Beranak) which are among the most important rites, as they may herald a new Crown Prince, and hence a new Ruler.

On the seventh, and occasionally eight month, the pregnant princess is laid on seven layers of costly cloths while the village midwife (bidan kampung) circles an incense burner seven times around her. She then pretends to shave the royal consort’s forehead, head, arm, shoulders, knees and feet, before placing the razor at her feet.

The midwife then combs the princess’s hair and again pretends to “comb” her stomach before discarding the comb at her feet.

Finally, a coconut is rolled on her stomach and left by her feet while her stomach is tied with a seven-coloured thread for a painless and safe delivery.

Royal wedding garments, antique wooden beds and a unique bronze handbag

Opposite this diorama is the Royal Maternity Rites enclosure, which is filled with royal regalia arranged to greet the newborn. Holding a golden cloth, the royal midwife receives the royal baby whose first cry is echoed by cannon fire. The umbilical cord is trimmed with a yellow thread and cut with a bamboo splinter. The child is bathed with extract of beluru creeper and soothed.

As per custom, the mufti recites the azan (call to prayer) into the baby’s ear if a boy or qamad if a girl, all while facing Mecca.

As the newborn is lulled into slumber, the midwife massages the mother with special ointments while reciting prayers. For 40 days, the mother is massaged using heat treatment and placed near a clay stove to strengthen her pelvic muscles.

A round stone ball, usually heated and wrapped in cloth so it is comfortably warm, is used to massage away the remaining flab. A small room depicts how the Bathing Ceremony (Istiadat Bersiram) is conducted. On display are seven urns containing medicinal water, coconut water, beluru water used as shampoo, floral water, herbal water, water with gold and silver flecks, and fresh water.

The museum also has wooden cupboards and lavishly carved cabinets that display brassware, silverware, gilt ornaments, jewellery and decorative household items, some of which are still used today in their original form. A bronze pencil case and handbag are among the unusual highlights.

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