T

ouring around the renowned Yogyakarta Palace on board a traditional kereta kencana (royal carriage) is no longer just a dream for tourists visiting the ancient city.

Only days before the New Year, the palace officially launched on Tuesday the operation of four replica royal carriages for tourists to tour around the palace.

'€œWe have prepared four special royal carriages for tourists,'€ said co-initiator of the royal carriages project GBPH Yudhaningrat, who is also a younger brother of Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

The initiative offers a special experience for tourists as royal carriages are considered sacred and previously could only be seen during particular events such as the wedding of a palace princess or a ritual washing of the vehicles.

There are two routes on offer for the royal carriage tours.

The first route starts at the Inna Garuda Hotel on Jl.. Malioboro and passes through the Kilometer Zero area, along Jl. Pangurakan, Jl. Ibu Ruswo, Jl. Brigjen Katamso, Jl. Mayjend Sutoyo, Jl. Wachid Hasyim, Jl. Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Bayangkara and Jl. Pasar Kembang before returning to Inna Garuda.

The second route starts at Inna Garuda and also passes through the Kilometer Zero area, before traversing Jl. Ahmad Dahlan, Jl. Bayangkara and Jl. Pasar Kembang and ending at Inna Garuda where the tour management company, CV Kereta Kencana, is based.

'€œThe routes on offer include historical traces of the Mataram Kingdom. We want to make tourists feel a journey over centuries on board the glory of the palace'€™s means of transportation,'€ the company'€™s leader Herry Zudianto said.

Herry, who is also co-initiator of the tours and a former mayor of Yogyakarta city, said that detailed information on the value of every historical site passed was available on board the carriages, which also come with wireless headphones connected to a monitor installed in front of the driver.

'€œWhat you need to do to enjoy the glory of the heritage as well as information and legends living around every site passed is to put on the headphones,'€ Herry said.

The narration, he added, was available in four languages, namely Indonesian, English, Japanese and Dutch.

The drivers of the horse-drawn carriages wear abdi dalem (royal servant) attire.

Tourists are charged Rp 200,000 (US$16) each to enjoy the tours.

Herry also said that the four carriages available for tourists were replicas of the official royal carriage of Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII, which was made in 1839.

The original carriage is not for public use and is used only on special occasions, due to its age and its sacred status as a piece of palace heritage.

Despite being only replicas, Herry said, the form, size and decoration of the carriages were just the same as the original. Each reportedly cost hundreds of million of rupiah to make as they are also adorned with gold-coated carvings.

Horse-drawn carriages owned by Yogyakarta sultans, from Sultan Hamengkubuwono I to Sultan Hamengkubuwono VIII, are well-maintained as sacred objects in their original form at the Ndalem Ratawijayan palace carriage museum in Yogyakarta.

As is true of other royal heirlooms, the horse-drawn carriages bear the royal honorific title of kanjeng nyai or, when referring to a male, kyai.

The royal carriages are called titihan dalem (royal transportation) and each has its own story. Among the most well-known are the Kanjeng Nyai Jimat, Kanjeng Kyai Garudhayeksa, Kyai Harsunaba, Kyai Wimanaputra, Kyai Mandrajuwala, Kyai Maniqretna, Kyai Jaladara, Kyai Jongwiyat, Kyai Jathayu, Kyai Guthokaharya, Kyai Puspaka Manik, Kyai Kusgading and Kyai Ratapralaya carriages.