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Karaton Surakarta: A Look into the Court of Surakarta Hadiningrat, Central Java

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This is very much a niche topic, offering an intiguing insight into the workings of a Javanese Court.

There are two rival Javanese Courts which came into being after the fall of the Mataram Dynasty. One is based at Yogyakarta and the other is at Surakarta.

This book was commissioned by the then ruler of the Solo Court which almost guarantees the quality of coverage in this project. This book highlights various themes which are prevalent in these courts such as festivals, rituals, ceremonies, all accompanied by performance arts. Much is made of the court dances and orchestral accompaniment, all contributing to the tradition and heirlooms (pusaka) which resonate throughout this book. The splendour of the court is backed up by some magnificent pictures and the book makes an excellent case for preserving monarchical trappings in Javanese historical culture.