Pracimosono as a Place of Intimacy and Spiritual Experience for the Mangkunegaran Princesses in Surakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Dalem Keputren Pracimosono known as DKP is an area for women's communal housing in the system of the Palace Mangkunegaran, in Surakarta, Indonesia. The experience of those who live communally can reveal the history and meaning of the power spatiality and manifestations of space and place, especially when they live within the center of power. In this context, this article reveals the transformation of the sense of space into sense of place at DKP. The study uses ethnographic methods to analyze the life of the princesses in DKP and their relationship with cultural events and intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intelligence development. It applies Tuan’s notion of place to this situation which posits that an environment's geographical properties are related to space and place. Space is abstract, but place is a lived whole with history and significance. Places can express people's feelings and goals. Location is closely linked to a person's sociological and spatial position, with place being a passion or emotion that transcends objects. Places have unique personality, a combination of Nature and dwellers investments. People feel a sense of place when they engage values and aesthetic sense to places. However, the Javanese architectural concept to understand this relationship between cultural events and spiritual intelligence is referred to as ‘laku’ in interpreting space as manifest with the dwellings of the princesses. The paper concludes that the structure of DKP illustrate both Javanese and colonial spatial concepts with a feminine atmosphere. Princesses move between places to form their identity as Javanese Mangkunegaran women. DKP shapes the characters, attitudes and manners of the princesses and direct proper movements with etiquette. The community life of the princesses transforms DKP into place, forming intellectual, emotional, and spiritual intelligence according to the Javanese tradition. Srikandhi Mangkunegaran is a spiritual source for men and serves as a role model for Javanese women. DKP shapes the interiority of place through the intimate and spiritual experiences of the princesses, forming a strong connection to the Mangkunegaran Palace.