Wirun Village Sukoharjo: Knowing Javanese Culture Through Musical Instrument Gamelan

Welcome to the gamelan industrial area, Wirun Village, Mojolaban, Sukoharjo Regency. Wirun Village has become the only gamelan industry in Jawa Tengah that had developed since 1954. It has dozens of besalen (gamelan craftsmen) up to now.

As its nickname, this village has been worldwide because gamelan craftsmen can attract domestic and foreign tourists. Besides giving a popular image to the public, a gamelan industrial area, Wirun Village, also contributes to the economic sector to people and maintains the original culture of Indonesia.

In Wirun Village, tourists can watch the processing of the raw materials to the valuable musical instruments in the history of Indonesia. The bronze, a composite of copper and tin from Bangka Island, is used as the material in besalen Panji Pamungkas by Sahli. The production of gamelan does not include brasses (a composite of copper and zinc) or irons to maintain its good quality.

As mentioned in pariwisatasolo.surakarta.go.id, the process of gamelan production starts with boiling tin and copper to form the metal plate. Those two materials are boiled in clay pottery until they are melted and create the right mixture. Then, it is poured into a mold. After it is cold, it can be taken out of the mold becoming a plate. This plate is then heated several times to get the shape that we want. The plate forging process is done to make a certain shape, and it takes around two hours with 7 to 9 people working on it.

The following process is setting the tone or note of gamelan with the standard tone. It is unique since the tone setting is done by instinct. Surely, this step needs a special skill. No wonder that the difficulty and production time of making gamelan cause it costs fantastic. A set of gamelan with 26 items which is made in 3 to 4 months costs around IDR 300 million. 

There are some unique facts about gamelan, it is used as a medium for spreading Islam in the era of Sunan Kalijaga. One of the traditions is Sekaten or the commemoration of Prophets Muhammad SAW's birthday with the instruments of gamelan. Besides, in past, gamelan ageng was only owned by the palace. Now, anybody can own a gamelan as long as it is not an heirloom. (Wiwin/Contributor)