Have you ever visited Taman Prasasti (Inscription Park) Museum on Jl Tanah Abang? What is interesting to trace and visit an old cemetery of Dutch remnant?
Funeral complex that became the forerunner of Taman Prasasti Museum is one of the oldest modern public cemeteries in Jakarta. According to Nirwono Joga (2005), it is not impossible that this cemetery is even one of the oldest in the world. Older than Fort Canning Park (1926) in Singapore, Gore Hill Cemetery (1868) in Sydney, La Chaise Cemetery (1803) in Paris, Mount Auburn Cemetery (1831) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Arlington National Cementery (1864) in Washington DC.
In 1975, since the tomb area was full, then it was closed as cemetery. Then on July 9, 1977, the funeral area was used as Taman Prasasti Museum and was inaugurated by the Governor of DKI Jakarta at that time, Ali Sadikin.
The area of funeral complex which had expanded to 5.9 hectares was consequently depreciated into 1.2 hectares. At the site of public cemetery remnants, there are at least government buildings established now, which are the Central Jakarta Mayor's Office and KONI (Indonesia National Committee of Sport) Center.
In order to explore archeological tourism to see various Dutch colonial artifacts, the main principal must be understood is history, at least in an outline. Without that, the heritage of historical artifacts will remain silent.
Behind the quiet and calm atmosphere of grown trees there, this museum holds plenty of deaths stories of important figures from different historical periods.
Cemetery Church
https://indonesia.go.id/assets/img/assets/1546430421_Makam_JP.jpg" style="height:400px; width:700px" />Cemetery of J.P. Coen. Photo source: Istimewa
Let’s imagined together that bringing awareness back to the past and going into the last two decades of 18th century, when WV Halventius, the son of 29th Governor General Jeremias Van Rimsdijk, hold the power in Batavia (1775 – 1777), donating land around Tanah Abang area to the City Government of Batavia as a new graveyard.
What was Halventius’ reason to do such a kind thing? The land of 5.5 hectares was intentionally designed to be a public cemetery particularly for Europe and Netherlands citizens, who were domiciled in Batavia at that time. Definitely, after the old funeral, which used to be lied inside and outside the Church of De Nieuw Hollandsche Kerk (New Dutch Church) or often also called Gereja Salib (criss-cross church), has been crowded with tombs.
Around 17th century until the end of 18th century in Indonesia, it seemed that the church was not only a place of worship, but also commonly became funeral place. This phenomenon was clearly not a particular and typical phenomenon of Christian-European practice in Indonesia, but in fact it also generally happened in Christian World at that time. It’s said, the phenomenon that had commonly occured since entering the middle ages began to end after the outbreak of French revolution in 1789.
In Indonesia, especially in Jakarta, besides Church of De Nieuw Hollandsche Kerk in Old City, it is also worth mentioning Zion Church, known as Portugeesche Buitenkerk, encountered the phenomenon of churches and funerals in one area.
This funeral in Church of De Nieuw Hollandsche Kerk, which is now become Puppet Museum in Old City, has lost track of its function as a tomb in the past, at least they still keep the gravestone artifacts of Governor General Jan Pieterszoon Coen and Governor General Van Imhoff.
https://indonesia.go.id/assets/img/assets/1546430634_Gereja_Sion.jpg" style="height:697px; width:1024px" />Sion Church. Photo source: Jakarta-tourism.go.id
Whereas the Zion Church, which was established in 1695 to replace simple wooden hut that was inadequate for Portuguese Christians, even today in the era of independent Indonesia still plays its function as a church.
As it’s known that Sion Church is three-century-old and located on Jalan Jayakarta now. Its position at that time was spatially located outside city walls of Batavia or currently known as Old City. In this church burial courtyard at least recorded there were Governor General of the Indies, Carel Reyniersz, and Governor General Hendrick Zwaardecroon burried there.
Kerkhof Laan
https://indonesia.go.id/assets/img/assets/1546478063_Taman_Prasasti.jpg" style="height:536px; width:800px" />Taman Prasasti Museum. Photo source: Istimewa
This spot has been officially started to be used on September 28, 1795. This grant land that became new cemetery was called 'Kerkhof Laan'. It changed after the independence of Indonesia into 'Kebun Jahe Kober’, until in time the name changed into Taman Prasasti Museum.
Derived from Dutch, Kerkhof Laan itself came from the words 'kerk' which means 'church', 'hof' means 'grave', and 'laan' means 'yard'. However, approximately in three years later, the Dutch Government, in this case VOC, issued a 'placaat' in 1798, which was the official announcement of the government that people should no longer bury deadth people in the church and its surroundings, because they were considered unhealthy, moreover he funeral space in the church was very full.
Therefore since then the term of Kerkhof Laan which was often spelled briefly Kerkhof, or by a Javanese called Kerkop, has changed its meaning. The word Kerkhof means more to the cemetery area and is not always related or located close to the church. Furthermore the term did not mean special graves for Europeans any longer. Some Kerkhof in Bandung were found as Chinese graves, yet Kerkhof in Tanah Abang was also found by Indonesian graves.
According to various sources mentioned, that the location of Kerkhof Laan was far from city walls of Batavia, which its position was in currently Old City. Even though it is only 7 kilometers away, it’s said that if there were Batavia residents who died, then the corpse stretcher was taken by boat or canoe along the city canals to enter Krukut River, which is now located on Jl Abdul Muis.
Interestingly, it could be imagined the panorama of Jakarta at that time described by an English sailor in 1718. He said that the large canals were not only functionated to anticipate floods and drain the water from the rivers around Jakarta, it also has been neatly arranged so that could add more refreshing scenery.
https://indonesia.go.id/assets/img/assets/1546478783_Museum_Taman_Prasasti_(2).jpg" style="height:600px; width:900px" />Taman Prasasti Museum. Photo source: Pesona Indonesia
On each side of the canal was planted row of greeny trees, plus existing buildings that neatly arranged, making the streets look charming. Thus, the British sailor concluded, "I think this city (of that size) is one of the most neat and beautiful in the world."
At that time, the State Palace on Jl Merdeka, which is located 4 kilometers from the cemetery, has certainly not been established. It was only a year after the opening of public cemetery, the building of State Palace, which was originally a vacation home of Dutch businessman, J A Van Braam, and later became the palace of Governor General Dutch Indies, begun to be established in 1796 and completed in 1804.
It’s noted many important figures were buried in Kerkhof Laan. If you are an observer of ancient literature and Indonesian culture, more or less you certainly owe it to JLA Brandes. Died in Batavia on June 26, 1905, Brandes was a philologist who was renowned for his discovering Kakawin Nagarakretagama manuscript in Puri Cakranegara Lombok in 1894, and also because of the translation of Pararaton Fiber and his commentary.
When he died, Brandes was also still serving as Chair of Commissie in Nederlandsch Indie voor Oudheidkundige Onderzoek op Java en Madoera (Commission of the Netherlands Indies for Archaeological Research in Java and Madura), which was the forerunner of Archaeological Service and the Archaeological Research Center in Indonesia today.
Doctor HF Roll was also buried there. He was the founder of STOVIA (School tot Opleiding van Indische Artsen) in Dutch era. Previously the medical school curriculum in Batavia was only equivalent to standard of orderly. Since HF Roll served as director of The Javanese Medical School, he proposed that the Dutch government should conduct medical education,which was equivalent to medical education in Europe (the Netherlands).
Through Doctor HF Roll’s proposal then STOVIA had appeared in 1903. The emergence of STOVIA marked the end of Javanese Medical School. In 1909 STOVIA succeeded in graduating its students, and the graduates no longer hold Javanese Doctors, but Inlandsche Arts (Doctor Bumiputera).
Through STOVIA emerged the figures of early generation movement agents such as Tjipto Mangungkusumo, Wahidin Soedirohusodo, and Dr. Sutomo. Moreover, Budi Utomo organization was also invented in 1908. It’s interesting to be noted that STOVIA begun its education process in area around Kwini, Senen, thus since 1920s the location of STOVIA was gradually moved to Salemba and now become Faculty of Medical Science, University of Indonesia.
https://indonesia.go.id/assets/img/assets/1546441568_Nisan_Soe_Hok_Gie.jpg" style="height:853px; width:640px" />
Soe Hok Gie Gravestone. Photo source: Mondasiregar
There is also Olivia Marianne Raffles resided there. From her last name, you certainly remember the famous figure of Thomas Stamford Raffles. Besides she’s writing the classic work entitled The History of Java, she once served as Governor-General in Dutch East Indies from 1811-1816 when the British Empire took over from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as well as the founder of the Singapore state, whose name was attached to the carcass flower species, Rafflesia Arnoldii.
It’s said that based on Olivia Marianne’ suggestion, Raffles was then triggered to use the vast land where they lived in Buitenzorg or present called Bogor Palace. So a classic English-style botanical garden was created, which became the forerunner of Bogor Botanical Gardens as we currently know and can still be enjoyed today.
Meanwhile, Indonesians who were buried there were actresses in 1930s, Miss Riboet or popularly called Miss Tjitjih, as well as a movement activist from 1960s generation who was known as super idealist one named Soe Hok Gie. (W-1)
