The Melaka Palace

8/11/2019 The Melaka Palace

1/8

The Palace of Sultan Mansur Shah at MalaccaAuthor(s): Michael D. SherwinSource: Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 40, No. 2 (May, 1981), pp.101-107Published by: University of California Presson behalf of the Society of Architectural HistoriansStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/989723.

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2/8

The Palaceof

Sultan

Mansur

Shah at

Malacca

MICHAEL D. S

H

ERWIN Universiti Sains

Malaysia, Penang

This article

proposes

a

reconstruction,

shown

in scale

drawings,

of

a

palace

built

for

a

Malay

Sultan,

probably

in the

1460s.

The

main aims

of

the discussion are

to

clarify

the

reconstruction,

the

problems surrounding

it,

and the reasons

for

arriving

at

this

form;

to

place

it in

the context

of

region

and

epoch;

and

to

elaborate

on its

salient

aspects.

The article

begins

with

a

brief

account

of

Malacca in

the

i5th

century,

considers some

of

the cultural

influences

on

it,

and com-

ments

on the

Malay

Annals,

a

traditional

history

of

the Malacca

Sultanateand the sources for the account of the palace on which

the reconstruction is based.

The

description of

the

building,

re-

markably

lucid

considering

its

age

and

circumstances,

is

trans-

lated. Various

possibilities concerning

the overall

form of

the

palace

are

discussed,

particularly

wo

alternatives

rom

the

South

East Asian

area,

and one is

posited

as

being

the basic

forerunner

and

formgiver.

The

different parts

of

the

building, particularly

those mentioned

specifically

in the translated

passage,

are con-

sidered relative to

the

proposed

reconstruction.

MALACCA

is a small

port

which lies on the west side of

the

Malay Peninsula (Fig. i), in what is now Malaysia, but in the

15th

century

it

was a sultanate and a

power

in

its own

right.

The

Straits

of

Malacca

between

the

peninsula

and the

neighboring

island

of

Sumatra are named after

it,

signs

of its

former

impor-

tance.

The

fixing

of

present

national

boundaries bears little

rela-

tion to

the situation

at that

time,

when a

variety

of

principalities

vied for

ascendancy

over one

another,

Malacca

being

one of

the

strongest

in

the

Malay

world

and the most

independent

of

those

on

the mainland.

The

Malay

world

was

by

no

means confined to

what came

to

be known

as

Malaya;

indeed the homeland

is

in

Sumatra,

and

the

diplomatic

and other

exploits

of

the

Malays

throughout

a wide area are the reason for

the

national

language

of

Indonesia

today

being Malay. Many

contacts occurred

among

different

groups

in

the

region,

with

ample

opportunity

for

many

influences to

pass

to

and fro.

Buddhism and

particularly

Hinduism

had a

major

impact

on

the entire

region,

overlaying

and

combining

with an

earlier an-

imism. In addition

to its new

religious

vocabulary-which

was

easily

able to

incorporate

the

spirits

and

charms

already

native

to

the area-Indian

influenceintroduced the

concept

of

rajahs

who

were of

divine

ancestry,

and

probably

the

collection of

appur-

tenances and customs

attendant

on

the

sacred

kingship.

Among

BUR

A

Ayutthaya

C

IM

Angkor

* .0

TAN

N T N

RK

N G

l c

O E g a p o r e

U ORNEO

H N G G

JAMB

Pale

bang

JAVA

Fig.

i.

Malay

Peninsula nd

surroundingegion,

howing

Malacca

nd

some

places

of

importance uring

he

Sultanate.

these,

and one

that concerns us

in

this

discussion

of

a

palace,

was

the

right

to

seven tiers whether for

umbrella,

ceremonial

pavil-

ion,

or

residence.Lesserrankshad

lesser

numbers

of

such

tiers

to

proclaim

their

status.' The seven

levels,

apart

from

the

univer-

sality

of

seven

as a sacred

number,

derive

probably

from

the

Heaven of

Indra

on

the

top

of

the

seventh level of

Mount Ma-

hameru,

the

center

of

creation

in

Hindu

cosmogony:

the

rajahs

were

supposed

to be descended

from

Indra,

who

as a

divine

being

not

worshipped

as an

immortal

god,

was

acceptable

to the

Theravada

Buddhists as

well as to

Hindus.

Apart

from

such

mythic

Hindu

origin,

many

of the

royal

families

probably

were

i. R.

Winstedt,

The

Malays:

A

Cultural

History,

London,

1947,

I96I,

86.

IOI

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3/8

102

JSAH,

XL:2,

MAY

1981

Fig.

z.

Pagaruyung,

Sumatra,

palace,

at

present

being

reconstructed.

Room

covered

by

the

top

roof

at

right angles

is

known as

the

mahaligai.

descendants of intermarriageswith themoreculturallyadvanced

immigrants

from

India.

Malacca is

traditionally

said

to

have been

founded

in

1394 by

a

Hindu,

Parameswara,

whose

ancestry

was

Sumatran. The

newly

established

port

soon

attracted

many foreign

merchants,

many

of

them

Muslims,

whether

of

Arabian, Indian,

or

Suma-

tran

origin.

Muslim

influence

increased as the

kingdom

grew

richer and

stronger;

apparently

during

the

first half of

the

I

5th

century,

Islam

became the

official and

prevailing religion

and

the

Rajah

became

Sultan. The

heyday

of the

Malacca Sultanate

was

brief,

since

in

15

11

the

Portuguesecaptured

the

town,

the

begin-

ning

of

the

long process

of

draining power

from the

traditional

rulers.

Before the

coming

of

Europeans,

little written

material from

the

region

exists,

and its

history

is but

sketchily

known.

One

well-known

account of

the

Malacca Sultanate

is

available,

the

Malay

Annals,

probably

recorded at the

end of the

i6th

century.

Although many

of

the

incidents are

mythic,

the outline of

the

account

regarding

the

succession

of

rulers and the

growth

of

power

of

the Sultanate

seems to be

accurate.

One

of

the

rulers

when

Malacca was at

its

height,

well

established,

and

already

converted to

Islam,

was Sultan Mansur

Shah,

who

reigned

from

1456

to

1477.

An

account

in

the

Malay

Annals

considers the

palace constructedby Mansur Shah to proclaimhis glory, fame,

and

power-the

building

of such a

palace

in

those

days

was

equivalent

to a

state

having

its

own

nuclear

weapons

in

these

times. The

account

runs:

...

And

the

size

of

that

palace

was seventeen

spaces,

for

each

space

the

breadth

was three

fathom,

the

columns were as

large

around

as could

be

embraced;

of

seven

levels were the

pinnacles.

In

between that were

provided

windows,

in

between those windows

were

placed

roofs at

right

angles

and like

suckling elephants,

all of

them with

wings

like those

of

a

kite and

carved and

projecting

from

under the

eaves,

in

between that

projection

was carried out

the

'rectangular

grasshopper',

all of

it with

peaks

and

fringes

all

over.

Moreover all those

windows

of

the

palace

were

altogether ainted

nd

gilded

with

iquid old,

ts

[their?]

innacles

werered

glass.

When t

caught

he

rays

of the sun ts formblazed

ike

a

jewel;

and the

walling

of that

palace

was

pannelled

ll

over,

moreover

insetwith Chinese

mirrors f

large

izes.Whent

caught

he

glare

of

the

sun

its formblazedn

flashes,

o that ts

image

was not clear

o

peoples'

sight.

Moreover

he crossbeams

f that

palace

were

a cubit

broad,

a

hand

and two fingers hick;as for the upstand t was two cubitsin

breadth,

cubit n

thickness,

he frames f those

doorswere

carved,

nd

forty

wasthenumber

f those

doors,

all

of them

painted

nd

gilded

with

liquid

gold.

Exceedingly

eautiful as

the

execution

f that

palace;

here

was no other

palace

n the whole world

ikeit. And that

palace

t

was

whichwas

called

by

men,

Mahaligai.

tsroof

covering

was brassand

in

crested.2

However literal

one

may try

to make

a

translation,

as in this

case,

coloration

will result from the translator's

understanding, espe-

cially

when

the structure

of the

language

is different

from

our

own,

and terms are

employed

that

are no

longer

in

general

use.

Still,

this version seems

more

intelligible

than that in the

gen-

erally used English version of the Malay Annals,3 which was

translated from

a different

Malay original.4

This

is not the

place

to

go

into the

ages

of and

variations

among

the several

recensions

of the

manuscript.

The version

used here can

be seen to

make

sense from an architectural

point

of

view,

even if some details

are

ambiguous;

indeed

it is

remarkably

clear and concise

for

the

description

of a

building.

It

is all the more

important

as a

source

for architectural

history

when

we realizethat

all such

buildings

in this

region

were of

timber,

and that

not a

single

relic of

any

comparable

structure

survives.The

palace

described

here

burnt

down

not

long

after

being completed.

This

description

was

writ-

ten

to draw attention

to the

magnificence

and

special

features

of

the

palace;

it was for

an

audience

who would

know in what

form

a

Malay

Sultan's

dwelling

should

be,

and who could therefore

fill

z. W. G.

Shellabear,

Sejarah

Melayu,

Kuala

Lampur,

1975,

133.

Spellings

are altered to

bring

them in line with

the new rules.

This

translation

by

the author

is fromthe

most

generally

accepted

Malay

text.

Ada

pun

besarnya

istana

itu

tujuh

belas

ruang, pada

seruang tiga

depa

luasnya,

besar

tiangnya sepemeluk;

tujuh

pangkat

kemuncaknya.

Pada

antara itu

diberinya

bertingkap, pada

antara

tingkap

itu

diberinya

ber-

bumbungan

melintang

dan

bergajah

menyusu,

sekaliannya

bersayap

layang-layang

berukir dan

bersengkuap, pada

antara

sengkuap

itu

di-

perbuatnya belalang

besagi,

sekaliannya

bergunungan-gunungan

dan

berjurai-jurai

belaka. Ada

pun

segala

tingkap

istana

itu

sekaliannya

dicat

dan dibubuhi air

emas,

kemuncaknya

kaca

merah.

Apabila

kena

sinar matahari bernyala-nyalarupanya seperti manikam; dan

dinding

istana

itu

sekaliannya

berkambi,

maka

ditampali

dengan

cermin

Cina

yang

besar-besar.

Apabila

kena

panas

matahari

bernyala-nyala

rupanya

kilau-kilauan,

tiada

nyata

bahana

dipandang orang.

Ada

pun

rasuk

istana

itu sehasta

lebarnya,

sejengkal

tiga

jari

tebalnya;

akan

birai

istana

itu dua hasta

lebarnya,

sehasta

tebalnya,

diukirnya

jenang pintu

itu,

dan

empat puluh banyak

pintunya,

sekaliannya

dicat

dibubuh air

emas.

Terlalu indah-indah

perbuatannya

istana

itu;

sebuahpun

istana

raja-

raja

di

dalam dunia

ini

tiada

seperti

itu. Dan

istana itulah

yang

dinamai

orang

mahaligai.

Atapnya

tembaga

dan timah

disirip.

3.

C. C.

Brown,

Sejarah

Melayu

or

Malay

Annals,

Kuala

Lumpur,

1970,

77-78.

4.

R.

Winstedt,

transcriber,

RafflesMS of

Sejarah

Melayu,

Journal

of

the

Malayan

Branch

of

the

Royal

Asiatic

Society,

xvI,

part

III,

1938,

II4.



4/8

SHERWIN: THE PALACE

OF

SULTAN

MANSUR

SHAH

AT

MALACCA

103

Fig.

3.

Minangkabau,

traditional

house,

now

preserved

for

display.

Roof

arrangement

reflects the internal

layout,

with

the

long reception

room continuous

along

the front.

Fig.4.

Burma,

iered

emple

ower

built

n

wood.

in

the

missing parts

of the

description

for

themselves.

We on

the

contrary

have no

direct

evidence about the

basic form of

such

palaces.

What

existing buildings

or

depictions

of

buildings

in old

sources could be

related

to the

description given?

The

Malays

do

not seem to

have

used

funerary

ornaments,

no

drawings

survive,

and the wood carvingshave disappearedwith the buildings

they

once adorned.

In

any

case,

Islam

discouraged

all but abstract

ornament. As far as extant architecture s

concerned,

two

prom-

ising examples

can be

consulted

without

having

to

go

as

far afield

as

the stone

temples

of India or

the multi-tiered

buildings

of

Nepal.5

Fig.

5.

Malacca

district,

mosque

with three

iered

pyramidal

oof.This

building, erhaps

ess han

40 years

old,

showsHindu

nfluence,

s

well

as

Islamic,

British

Colonial,

Malay,

andevenChinese

lements.

Abstract

dragon ndpearl motifcanbe seen ncorner inial.

One of these

is the curved

roof

buildings

of

the

Minangkabau.

The

Minangkabau

people

(the

name means

winning

bull )

have

their

present

homeland in the hills of

Sumatra,

inland

from

the

coast

opposite

Malacca,

and an area

was also

settled

by

them on

the

peninsula,

inland

and to

the northeast

of

Malacca. Their

style

of

building

is distinctive

(Fig.

z).

Most

likely

developed

mainly

within

Sumatra,6

he

particular

orm of

the

upcurving

roofs

lends

itself

well

to a

layering

which

incorporates

the

concept

of tiers of

building.

No

evidence

suggests

that

these

people

had

any greater

influence on

the culture

than the

many

other

peoples

who

settled

in

the Malacca area or

with whom

the

Malacca

Malays

had

dealings, except

that

the

simplified

type

of

Minangkabau

house

(Fig.

3)

built

in

the

peninsula

seems

to be

strongly

reflected n the

type

of

house common in the

Malacca

area to this

day.

The

other

example

is

a

Burmese

temple

tower,

such

as the

one

shown in

Figure 4,

constructed

in

timber,

and in

a sense

the

simplest

possible

structure that could fit the

description

given.

The roof

consists

of

seven

tiers,

excluding

the

Buddhist

termina-

tion

at the

top.

Each

tier could be

said

to

have

pinnacles

in

the

form of the

corner

finials,

and

windows

are located

betweeneach

tier.

However,

such

a tower

presupposes

a

building

below

it

which is

square

in

plan,

or

very

nearly

so. We are told in the

description

that the

palace

was

i7

bays

in

size,

which is

always

taken to mean that it was

17

bays

long.

It would be

possible,

of

course,

to

arrange

17

bays

in three

rows,

two

of

5 bays

to

either

side of

one row with

7

bays,

resulting

n

a more

rectangularplan.

This

is

unlike

anything

else

to be found in the

region

today,

and

5.

As

mentioned

above,

Hindu influence was

probably

at

work,

par-

ticularly

as

indicated

by

the

phrase

of seven levels were the

pinnacles,

but such

influence was

spread widely

throughout

Asia and

manifested

itself

in

a

variety

of local

forms.

Indeed if

we recall that the

many

storied

pagodas

of

Japan

originated

from

the Buddhist

stupa

which

was

orig-

inally

a

burial

mound,

we can see

to what

an

extent

an

abstract form can

be

totally

modified

by

its

architectural

mbodiment

ccording

o local

style.

6.

M.

D.

Sherwin,

From

Batak o

Minangkabau, ajallah

Akitek,

I:79,

March

1979,

38-42.



5/8

I04

JSAH,

XL:2,

MAY

1981

ISTANA

MAHALIGAI

PANDANGAN EPAN

,

15

Ofeet

10

2n

30 40

50

untuk

SultanMansurhah

Fig.

6.

Malacca,

Palace f

Sultan

Mansur

Shah,

cale

drawings

f

reconstruction

roposed

by

author:

a. front

elevation,

b.

side

elevation,

.

enlarged

detailof

projectingdormer'

roof.

the

scale becomes small

for the

most

magnificent

of

palaces.

The

question

of

the

40

doors cannot be

gone

into

fully

here,

as

it

would involve a discussion of the usage of the relevant Malay

words and of the traditional

construction

of

houses.

In

any

case,

this

number of

doors can

be

fitted

in

whether the

squarish

or

long

plan

is

adopted,

so little can be deduced from the

matter of

doors.

A

building

tradition exists

in

the district and

throughout

the

peninsula,

again following

Sumatra,

of

layered

pyramidal

roofs

on

a

square

base;

to

this

day

in Malacca

itself

one

finds

mosques

with three

layers

of roof

and small

gaps

between them

(Fig.

5).

This

arrangement,

however,

can

hardly

be

said to

provide

levels

of

pinnacles,

and a

severe

problem

of

scale would

be

created in

any reconstruction based on such a type, since either the hall

would be

too

small

for a

regal palace-a square

enclosure is

suitable

for

a

mosque,

indeed

is

often

preferred,

but

hardly

for a

palace-or

else

the roof

height

would be

beyond

the

probable

limits

of timber

construction,

quite

apart

from the

matter of

17

bays.

In

attempting

a

reconstruction,

ioo

feet would

be about

the maximum

height possible,

even

though

in

the

Malayan

forest

straight

trunks

of

up

to

150

feet can be

found.

In

the

largest

timber

building

in

Malaysia today,

the

palace

of

Sri

Menanti,

the

main

pillars

rise

60

feet,

and

the

palace

at

Pagaruyung

s

about

the

same

height.

No evidence

suggests

taller

buildings

in

the

region.7

The reconstruction

proposed

here

is

25

meters

(82 feet)

to the

ridge

and

the

topmost pinnacle

is

just

short

of

ioo

feet

from

the

ground,

so it is within conservative imits.

Considering

all

aspects

of the

matter and

trying

to arrive at a

plausible building proposal,

it seems

necessary

to

reject

the

square

based

pagoda

tower and follow the

example

of

Minang-

kabau

structures

with

predominantly

horizontal

emphasis

and

upflung

pinnacles.

Thus

we arriveat the

reconstruction

shown in

Figure

6,

which

brings

together

several themes and

appears

to

correspond

to

the

intentions

of

the

description.

Not

only

do

sound historical reasons for this design provide solid

support,

but internal evidence from the

terms used and the

way

in

which

it

fits

the

description, point

to

its

probability.

As

is

nearly

universal

among

the

Malays,

the

building

is

raised

off the

ground

on its timber

posts.

This is

proved by

a

passage

just

after the one

translated

above,

where the

followers

of the

Sultan walk under

the

palace

while

he

ascends

to

inspect

it. As

can

be

seen,

the

arrangement

of

17 bays

along

the front has been

adopted,

with columns at

4.5

meters

(15

feet)

spacing

and

each

column

0.5

(zo

inches)

in

diameter.

Allowing

for

only

a

slight

exaggeration

in

the

account,

this would

suit

the

probable

height

of a Malay of those days. The palaceof Pagaruyunghas

15

bays

(Fig.

z),

so

this is

quite

in

character.That

palace

has the end

bays

set back on the central

longitudinal

axis,

whereas

the

reconstruc-

tion

proposed

here has

a

straight

run all

along

the front both in

order to have a

simple arrangement

of

seven

tiers

and to

follow

the

surviving

examples

of

Minangkabau

houses

in

Malaysia

it-

self

(Fig. 3).

Each

tier has its

pair

of

pinnacles

at the

swept-up

ends.

The word

translated as window in

the

text,

and indeed

in

general

use

today, tingkap,

has

a

one

letter difference rom

the

word now used to

mean

storey,

tingkat,

so

that

an

etymologi-

cal

connection

is

probable;

tingkap originally may

have meant

window in a

storey,

or

clerestory.

This is

what

it

signifies

in

this

reconstruction,

meaning

the bands of

windows

separating

the tiers of

roof.

There were roofs at

right angles

at each

level,

and

this must

mean some sort of

dormer

system

as shown

here. The

suckling

elephant type

of roof

may

refer to this

small

piece

running

into

the main

flank,

but

more

likely

it refers to a

gable

running

into

another

gable

end wall under a

higher

roof

on

the

same

axis;

thus

it

presumably applies

to the

successive tiers where

they

overlap

each other. It is

not clear

how

many

small dormer roofs

at

right

angles

thereshould

be,

whether

merely

one line down

the center

or

more.

The former

arrangement

would render each

one a bit

7.

TheDaibutsuden t

Todaiji,

Nara,

s

157

feet

high

and he

Fokuang

Temple

Pagoda

n

China,

rom

Io56,

is

z16

feet

high,

so

these

heights

couldbe

obtained n

timber.



6/8

SHERWIN:

THE PALACE OF SULTAN

MANSUR SHAH AT

MALACCA

IO5

inconspicuous,

but is

in

keeping

with

the derivationof the

sym-

bolism of the

building

from Mount

Mahameru,

which faces

four

directions-compare Angkor

Wat and others.

The

provision

of

several such roofs at each level would

be more

impressive

and

in

keeping

with the Hindu

proclivity

toward

multiplicity

and

pro-

fusion, but the number must be limited by the curve of the build-

ing

lines which makes the

construction

of

such

dormers at the

end

bays

all but

impossible.

The

meanings

of the

wings

of

the

kite,

and of the

phrase

translated

here,

literally,

as

rectangulargrasshopper,

are

un-

certain.

In the

typical

Malay

house

today

the

gables

under the

ends of the roof are

filled

in

with

a

triangular

construction

which

slants inward

at the

top

and is known as

sail ;

the

Malay

kite is

diamond-shaped,

hence

one

wing

of this

is a

triangle.

Thus the

reference

may

be to this

gable-end

board or sail

(this

type

of

kite is

layang-layang,

whereas

sail is

layar:

the

slanting gable-

end is known as tibar

layar;

Fig.

7).

This

makes sense

of

the

word

translated here as

projecting

from under the

eaves,

a term

usually

used for a small

ancillary

roof on a lower level than

the

main

eaves

and

partially

overhung by

them:

if

the

slant of the

triangular

sail is

fairly

extreme,

it is covered

by

the

pitched

roof

of the dormer at the

top

and

exposed

where

it

leans out at the

bottom. Such

a feature s not found

on traditional

Minangkabau

buildings

in

Sumatra,

but is almost

universal

on all

styles

of

house

in

Malaya.

On

the

main

gable

ends

of a

large

Minangkabau

palace

such as the one at

Pagaruyung

t would

be

virtually

im-

possible

due to the

large expanse

of the area

involved,

but

on the

smaller

projecting

dormers it becomes

possible.

Presently

one

of

the hallmarksof the

Malay

house,

at that date it

may

have been a

new

feature,

which would

explain

why

special

attention is

paid

to it in the description. The rectangulargrasshopper would

appear

to

be

some

particularshape

of

bracket

or

infill

associated

with the

projecting

sail and

perhaps helping

to hold

it

in

place.

A

shaped pendant

bracket

is

shown,

copied

from houses in

Su-

matra;

it

has

something

of the

image

of

a

grasshopperpoised

to

leap.

Other features

mentioned

pose

little

problem

and fall into

place

naturally.

The

Chinese mirrors are round or

octagonal

ones

as

commonly

used

by

that race as talismans above

door-

ways,

set

into

panelling

in

the

screen wall

below the eaves

at

the

ends of the

buildings;

this can be

seen to this

day (Fig.

8).

It is

probable that this is the wall referredto, since all the lower

part

of

the

building proper

would

be

occupied

by

the

40

doors ;

these are not

in

fact doors that can

be walked

through,

but

are

large

window

openings

closed

by

wooden shutters. The

part

described

as

upstand

is the

piece

of

walling

or

parapet

that

runs from

column

to column

all

along

the

building,

just

above

the

floor,

and

the

window

openings

are

directly

on

this,

so

that

the

top

of it becomes

the window sill.

The

top,

furthermore,

may

be

curved

along

the

length

to follow the

general

ines

of the

building

while

keeping

the floorlevel.The end

bays

of a

palace

or

chief's

house were

usually

raised

up

in

steps,

thus

forming

an

elevated

platform

where the

rajah

or

chief could

sit to

give

audi-

ence,

with

an

intermediate

level

for his

nobles

and the

general

floor

level

for

commoners.

Another

sign

of

royalty

to be found

directly

under

this

raised

floor

at

the

projecting

ends

of

the build-

ing

is the

hanging

column, s

a

column

which

stops

short below

8. W. G.

Shellabear,

ejarahMelayu,74.

Certainarchitectural

ea-

turesarereserved

xclusively

or the

rulers,

uchas

the

hanging

olumn

which does

not rest

on the

ground,

and columns

all the

way

from

the

groundup

to the underside

f

the

roof

covering

normally

f

course

columns

stop

at the underside

f the

truss).

Dan

larangan

berbuat

rumah

permanjungan

ertianggantung

iada

terletak

ke

tanah,

dan

bertiang

erus

dari

atap,

dan

peranginan.



7/8

106

JSAH,

XL:2,

MAY

1981

Fig.

7.

Malacca

district,house,

view

of

gable

end.

Slanting

sail'

can be

clearly

een

in

double

arrangement.

mall

upper

room s indicated

y

horizontalwindow

opening.

the crossbeam and does

not reach the

ground.

In

particular

at the

ends where the roof is lower

and

the

building

narrower,

the

individual columns have less

load

to

support

and so the extra

weight

from

this

unsupported

column can be borne

by

the cross-

beam-particularly

when these beams are

18

inches

by

8 inches

as in this account. The originof this curious feature of the hang-

ing

column is not known.

The

beams

are

socketed

into the col-

umns and the tenoned ends

may

very

likely

project beyond

them.

The floor is built

up

in

the

normal

way

above

them

with

joists

and

planks.

Apart

from the

shaped

and carved door

jambs

and

wings

specifically

mentioned,

probably

most of

the surfaces were

carved in

relief and then

painted.

The

doors

and windows are

described as

being painted

and also

gilded

with

liquid gold,

although

this

is

more

likely

to have been

gold

leaf,

and this is

reminiscent

of Thai

temples

where the doors and window shut-

ters are

bright

red

picked

out in

gold.

The

predominant

colors

over

most

of

the

building

are

likely

to

have been red and black

together

with white or

orange-yellow.

These are the colors of

the

cloths attached to the

newly

erected

principal pillars

of

houses

under construction to

this

day,

and of

course are colors

easily

obtained

from

natural sources.

The

covering

of

the roof

poses

a

problem.

The text has

gen-

erally

been translated to mean that

shingles

of

copper

(or brass)

and tin

were

used,

which

is

possible although

no

examples

sur-

vive. The Thais

today

use

bright

glazed

tiles

with

something

of

the same effect.

However,

the

passage

can

equally

be

translated

to mean that there

were

only strips

or

cappings

of

metal,

and

in

Fig.

8.

Malolo,

Sumatra,

illage

house,

projecting

ncillary

oof and

gable

end.Mirrors et nto

panelling leam

n

shadow.Surface

arving

s

paintedmainly

n

earth

olors.

this case the

main

roof

covering might

have been of

a

type

of

black

thatch;

this

combination can

be seen on the

palace

at

Pagaruyung

Fig.

z).

This

system

easily

accommodates the curves

of

the roof and

can

be

integrated

with the

pinnacles

which

would

most

likely

have been of

metal,

crowned as noted with red

glass.

This is also more

probable

when we consider

the

account of

the

fire which broke out

suddenly

on

the

roof.9

We are left with the

impression

that,

apart

from

its size and

grandeur,

the

particular

significance

of

this

palace

that led to its

being

described-no

other

comparable passage

is contained

in

the

Malay

Annals

or

other

Malay

historical

writings-may

have

been its tiered roof

and

the

way

that it and the windows and

ancillary

roofs

fitted

together.

The overall

appearance

of

this

proposed

reconstruction

has

been

kept

as

simple

as

possible

congruent

with the information

9.

A

discussion f the

meaning

nd

significance

f

the

term

Mahaligai

as

applied

o the

palace

hadbestbe left to scholars f

Asian

anguages,

especially

anskrit;

t

may

be more han

coincidental

hat

oday

he term

means the

topmost

and

private

accommodationor

a

royal

wife

or

daughter

n

sucha

storied

palace.



8/8

SHERWIN:

THE PALACE OF SULTAN MANSUR SHAH AT MALACCA

107

given

in the

text.

If

the

design

seems

lodged

somewhere between

Sumatran

and Thai

forms,

that too is

appropriate

geographically

and

culturally.

The

Thais,

like the

Malays,

were

originally

tribes

of the Asian mainland who

migrated

into their

present

home-

or

so

it is

supposed,

though

the

relationship

between the first

settlements

of

Malays

in

the

peninsula

and

in

Sumatra

s

far

from

clear-and both were

much affected

by

Indian

religion

and

cul-

ture. The Thais

of course are closer to the Chinese

racially

and

geographically

and

definitely

have some affinities with them

in

their culture

and architecture. Other than

through

artifacts of

trade,

particularly porcelain

but also other

goods

such as the

mirrors

mentioned,

the

Chinese

probably

had little contact

and

influence with the

Malays.

According

to the

Malay

Annals

(and

also Chinese

sources),

the Malacca sultanate had at one

period

diplomatic

relations with

China,

and

in

another

episode

a little

later than the

account of the

palace,

the same

sultan,

Mansur

Shah,

married the

daughter

of the

Emperor

of China and the

attendants

who

accompanied

her took

up

their abode

in

Ma-

lacca

in an

area that was named

for

them,

Chinese Hill.

This

initiates

a

Chinese

presence

in

Malacca,

and

it is

plain

that the

influence from that

quarter

was infinitesimal

if

compared

with

that

from India and

Sumatra.So the

slightly

Chinese characterof

this reconstruction should more

properly

be

compared

with Thai

architecture:

the

Thais were the

only

land

neighbors

of the

pen-

insular

Malays.

Indian work

had

long

been subsumed

in

local

building

forms,

as

a

symbolic

framework rather

han

in

architecturaldetails.

The

crescent effect

of the

upcurving

roofs

may

be more

than acciden-

tal since

the

Minangkabau

culture is

a

well-known

example

of

a

matriarchal

or at least matrilineal

system,

and the moon

and

its

crescent were

often

a

powerful symbol

of the Mother

Goddess;

the bull

and its crescent

of horns is also

part

of

this

symbolism

and is

specifically

referred to

in

the

name of the

tribe. Once

the

style

was introduced

into the

Malay

peninsula

where conditions

were somewhat

different it was bound to

change,

and this

pro-

posal

is

already straighter

n

its

general

lines than the Sumatran

examples. Today

the

upswung

pinnacles

and

curved

roof are a

mere

vestige;

not

only

do

patriarchal systems

dominate on the

mainland,

but the most

commonly

available

type

of

roofing

ma-

terial before the

introduction of

corrugated

galvanized

steel was

a

thatch made

from

palm

leaves,

which comes

in

straight engths

and can

hardly

be

applied

to

a

pronounced

curve.

A

full historical

investigation

of this

building

and the back-

ground

to it

would

require

an

extended

presentation.

This dis-

cussion is intended as

an introduction to

a

little-known

part

of

Asian architectural

history.

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