Understanding the Significant Woodcarving Motifs of the Traditional Timber Royal Palace Panels

Abstract

Royal sovereignty is a social acceptance between the commoners and rulers that develops the mutual social status hierarchy. The effect of this understanding is presented among the traditional wood carvers, whereby only the chosen one will be honored to become the wood carver for the royal buildings. It is essential to identify the culture that has been inherited to select the royal wood carver and the customary aspect of sovereignty that prohibits the commoners from applying the selection of wood carving designs to their houses. This study will examine the intricacy of the significant woodcarving motifs in traditional timber royal palaces. The methodology selected to achieve the study's objective was qualitative research. The research tools consisted of interviews with the targeted master craftsmen, a review of data collection and measured drawings, and the precedent study. This study focused on a traditional timber palace, namely Istana Balai Besar, Kelantan, and Istana Tengku Long, Terengganu. The findings show that the elements of the wood carvings applied in both palaces were dedicated to the Ruler during the era and were incomparable to the commoners’ houses. The calligraphy motifs of Quranic verses, mixed motifs of flora and fauna, and the intricate 3D incisions of the timber panels are the superior designs of this palace's wood carving ornamentation. Thus, the Ruler's sovereignty controlled the custom, including the elements of an aesthetic of the building during the era indirectly, to show the social status between the Ruler and the ruled persons. The study's implication is the enhanced understanding of mutual acceptance of the sovereignty concept in social life among the wood carvers, which indirectly regulates the wood carving ornamentation at the palace and the house. This study also exposes the beauty of the traditional royal palaces with intricate wood carving motifs that contribute to the local heritage identity and vital landmarks for tourism.

1 Introduction

The current scenario indicates a gap in the Malay woodcarving heritage advancement and analysis, especially in traditional Malay royal palaces. These include developing new motifs for contemporary use, competing with worldwide woodcarving items, and correctly documenting cultural heritage products. Woodcarving knowledge has been passed down through the centuries to live up to history. Very little work is done to document and research ornaments' forms, placement, and meanings in our heritage buildings, from houses to shops, mosques, palaces, temples, and labor houses [1]. The issues raised in this study are based on only a few timber palaces standing in Malaysia. There is a dialectic debate about preserving Malay architecture, focusing on the Malay house. Besides, scholars have been interested in the Malay Mosque's ornamentation and relics since the early 1980s, but there has been little follow-up about the timber palaces.

Similarly, academics still need to produce extensive research and documentation to record the Malays' traditional wood carving in the royal palaces. While the rapid advancement of technologies and modern architecture has imposed a risk of overshadowing the art of woodcarving [2] due to the present technological advancements also, there has been a tendency of modern Malay houses or buildings being created or existing houses being rebuilt employing non-traditional materials and building components. One of the functions of woodcarving is to reflect the social status of its owner and how this is related to royal sovereignty and the woodcarving composition at timber palaces [3]. Besides, the importance of Malaysia's sovereign interest can no longer be denied, as cited in the National Principles, which is loyalty to the king and the country, demonstrating the significance of the royal hierarchy and the king occupying the highest position and protecting the people. This study will explicitly examine the sociocultural influences of sovereignty and determine the significant intricate ornamentation of the wood carvings, especially in the traditional timber royal palaces. The structure of this writing introduces the background of the traditional Malay wood carving motif and its relation with Royalty. Then, the sample of the case studies with the most complex motif consisting of the higher motif elements such as the flora, calligraphy, and geometry composition will be discussed further about the significant intricacy of the traditional palace wood carving motifs that prohibited for commoners. This study focused on the remaining preserved traditional timber palaces, namely Istana Balai Besar and Istana Tengku Long, as the case study.

2 Literature Review

There is no disputing that the art of wood carving in Kelantan and Terengganu is influenced by countries with which they have a commercial relationship. Through this trade, foreign influence permeated the Malay population, which was accepted through adaptation to local natural conditions to establish its own identity. The Petalawati Indera Sri Kayangan has become the pride of the Kelantan. However, it was carved in neighboring Thailand during the reign of the Chulalongkorn emperor as a gift to the Kelantan government for delivering bunga emas yearly (personal interview with Mr. Muhaimin, 2022). Besides, the carvings found in Kelantan today link to neighboring nations such as Jawa. The carvings of flowers and leaves found in the palaces and Borobudur Temple on the East Coast contain the same carving motifs. Terengganu states also possess a few beautiful carved palaces, such as Istana Tele, Istana Raja, Istana Kolam, Istana Tengku Long, and Rumah Tengah. It is stated that most of the wood carvings are influenced by Siamese carving motifs, as Siam once influenced the state. This is based on the carving patterns of mosques, waqfs, palaces, and old residences, which share many similarities with Siamese state sculpture. Thus, it is expected that the wood carvers in this country originated in Patani, Southern Thailand. The socio-culture of Malay society comprises law, customs, order, and advice. The most vital aspect of the Malay socio-culture is the customs and traditions. It differentiates the social class and status of society. Malay rulers and royalties were held in high regard in traditional Malay society. The royals' socio-culture, which was similar to but more refined than ordinary Malays, was generally reflected in palace architecture [4]. The ornamentation was designed especially for the kings, with the most complex and intricate to reflect the owner's status. Previously, the ornamentation motifs were influenced by Hinduism, and as Islam was introduced, the application of animal and human figures as motifs was prohibited. The common motifs that can be seen are the fauna, flora, Islamic calligraphy, geometric patterns, and the universe. Table 1 shows the motif's application in the traditional woodcarvings.

Table 1 The development of motifs before and after the presence of Islam

3 Methodology

To achieve the study's objective, the methodology applied for this research was the qualitative method. A case study was selected at Istana Balai Besar, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, and Istana Tengku Long, Terengganu, with a review of outcomes through documentation and measured drawing by Gapura Measured Drawing [5] and Terrapuri Measured Drawing [6]. An in-depth interview with craft master Mr. Muhaimin was done to understand the woodcarver philosophy and techniques. Besides, reviewing the secondary data from the journals, books, and unpublished thesis was also implemented.

3.1 Istana Balai Besar

Istana Balai Besar (Fig. 1) has been the residence of the rulers of Kelantan since the nineteenth century. It was officially turned into the Office of the Sultan of Kelantan. Istana Balai Besar is famous for having a large front hall, a throne, and a collection of the King of Kelantan royal instruments. Sultan Muhammad II built Istana Balai Besar to replace his palace on Saba Island, which was destroyed due to floods and riverbank erosion. The palace's location was picked based on its accessibility at the time, as it was neither too far nor too near the river of Kelantan, where traders used to do their business, and also due to the belief that the nearby Calumpang tree was magical. The Malay community at the time believed that when a Calumpang tree produced flowers, it would prevent flooding to the surrounding area. After the Istana Balai Besar was completed, the people called it ‘Kota Bharu' in conjunction with ‘Istana or a new city that was completed.' Over time, this name became a household and official name for the State Capital of Kelantan, Kota Bharu. Istana Balai Besar also symbolizes the sovereignty of the institution of the King of Kelantan, which is magnificent in the heart of the state capital of Kelantan. Table 2 shows the summary of the palace chronology.

Fig.1

The facade of Istana Balai Besar, Kelantan [5]

Table 2 The timeline of Istana Balai Besar, Kelantan

3.2 Istana Tengku Long

Istana Tengku Long (Fig. 2) was built in 1904 by Tengku Long because of his marriage to Tengku Embung from the relatives of the great king of Terengganu. According to a discussion with Dr. Zukifli Abdullah, in 1920, Kampung Pengkalan Teluk, a densely populated village, was located on the river's edge and caused the soil to be eroded by the river. Therefore, the resident school there had to move to a new site for the second time, namely Balai Istana Tengku Long. The hall was the former residence of Raja Besut, owned by Tengku Long at the time. The school was also moved from the palace for the third time after a significant flood, namely the Red Flood in 1926, which submerged almost the entire city of Kuala Terengganu and several other districts. In 1929, The governance of Besut district, which borders the state of Kelantan, took over by Tengku Long from Tengku Chik Haji, and Tengku Long officially became the second Besut commissioner. The palace was built during the reign of Tengku Long with the help of two artisans, Mrs. Long and Cik Hat, who were famous skilled workers and craftsmen from Pahang. Mrs. Long and Cik Hat were appointed as a contractor for the project building, and the palace had very distinctive and unique decorations that manifested the richness of traditional Malay architecture of the period. Table 3 shows the palace's historical background.

Fig. 2

Istana Tengku Long, Kuala Terengganu [6]

Table 3 The timeline of Istana Tengku Long, Terengganu

4 Findings and Discussion

4.1 Woodcarvings Panels in Istana Balai Besar

The intricate design of the woodcarvings inside Istana Balai Besar shows the hierarchical status between royals and commoners. There are twelve panels of woodcarving located at Istana Balai Besar, and the flora motif is the highest application here. The panels located at this palace are decorative panels with no structural or functional purposes. Figure 3 shows the 3D redevelopment of the main hall in the palace with the intricate woodcarving panels. The most intricate motif incomparable to other palaces is the combination motif of flora with Arabic words calligraphy stating the names of four Sahabi of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Abu Bakar As-Siddiq, Umar Al-Khatab, Usman Bin Affan and Ali Bin Talib located at the Front Hall (Balai Surung Hadapan). Besides, the floral motifs, such as flowers, become the most prominent elements of ornamentation in Istana Balai Besar. The detail of the significant motif of the panel will be elaborated in Table 4.

Fig. 3

The 3D development of the woodcarving panels at main hall of Istana Balai Besar

Table 4 Details of the sample wall panel

The uniqueness of this panel (Table 4) intentionally presents the faith of the Royalty as Muslim and the King or Sultan as the religious leader for more decades. The intricacy of the panel combined the element of floral motif (Bunga Bayam Peraksi), The Arabic calligraphy with the name of the four caliphs, and composed in a symmetrical geometry frame. The dedicated royal wood carver applied the deep grove, although this panel is only for decoration and not for ventilation.

4.2 Woodcarvings Panels in Istana Tengku Long

There are 31 panels located at Istana Teng Long, and most of the panels are functional panels that work as louvers for ventilation and lighting. The 3D redevelopment of the hall is shown in Fig. 4. The intricacy of the woodcarving panel motifs in this palace is presented with the 3-dimensional incision of the elements. The most significant motif incomparable with other palaces in this world is the panel with floral motifs that illustrated the two birds representing the verse from AlQuran (61: 13): “..help from Allah and an imminent victory..”. These panels are located at the right elevation of the palace and significantly face the primary access towards the palace from the river. This verse gives the meaning of hope for gaining the victory of a person in his life and any effort and is probably used as a prayer. In addition, calligraphy ornamentation is acceptable as a culture only but rejected as a belief. Istana Tengku Long was a presidential palace for Royalty and the Ruler of Besut. Therefore, it was believed that the importance of this verse in their daily life was a prayer to gain victory in ruling the state and any intention these Royalties wished. Table 5 shows an example of the most complex intricacy of a panel in this palace.

Fig. 4

The 3D image of the hall showing the woodcarving at Istana Tengku Long

Table 5 Details of the wall panel

The panel in this hall (Table 5) is a functional panel with ventilation and natural lighting purposes. The intricacy of the wood carving represented the belief in Royalty and also the cultural obedience in forbidding the fauna motif to be visualized as decoration. The image of the bird claimed on his panel can only be seen with focused eyes.

Reviewing the panels of woodcarving located at both palaces, the percentage of motif application is summarized in Table 6. The palace, as the royal monarchy system applied the hierarchical concept between rulers and ruled persons, influenced the ornamentation of the palace as well. The woodcarving on both palaces' panels symbolized the vital position of the royalties that no commoners' houses could decorate with a similar design. As the ornamentation can be the structural, functional, or decorative elements, both palaces show different purposes of the woodcarving panels. Istana Balai Besar implemented the woodcarving panels as the decorative elements, while Istana Tengku Long applied the woodcarving panels as the fenestration. Therefore, the woodcarving panels in Istana Tengku Long are mostly relieved with solid and void design.

Table 6 Comparison of the elements of woodcarving analysis at both palaces

5 Conclusion

Malay woodcarvings are an ornament that is a symbol of the identity and creativity of the Malay community. Besides that, it is vital to safeguard our legacy and keep it in the best condition possible to prevent its potential from being lost. The carving is more than just a decoration; it requires eloquence in its construction, and every choice of motif, pattern, source, incision, technique, and philosophy arrangement to form a woodcarving composition conveys many emotions and experiences. The most vital part is that the woodcarving at the palace is undoubtedly a symbol of royal status and dignity, as the royal works as the civilization's identity. The significance of the selected motifs represents the royal symbol of the Ruler, and the intricacy was forbidden for the commoners to duplicate. This research will contribute to understanding the vital values of the appreciation of traditional royal palaces and woodcarving as the identity of Royalty. Unfortunately, both traditional palaces need proper preservation and conservation as both were made of timber. The ingenious ingenuity of the wood carvers for both palaces need to be recognized, and the potential documentation with current preservation technology can contribute to prolonging the buildings for future generations. Convincedly, the current technology in wood carving alone can only produce the most intricacy of the wood carving motifs, such as in both palaces, with understanding the meaning and philosophy of the Ruler and ruled persons.