SEREWA—The Royal Cemetery

On the higher ground, is set with paddy terraces as background and is under old frangipanis, lies a royal tomb from Pejanggik Kingdom, those are King Pemban Haji’s  and his royal family’s.  This grave is famously known as Serewa.  It is derived from refined Sasak word serioq which means “look”.  Serewa consists of nine rectangles. Eight rectangles are tomb and one rectangle is a water spot. The eight tombs are in various sizes. The longer rectangle is the more people lie in it. Generally, there are two grave stones represent one body that lie in a grave. These grave stones were curved in Balinese curving style and Buddhist touch. 

The king’s tomb can be easily distinguished. It is forted by the iron fence and is the highest one. This tomb is next to a gazebo that is decorated in white fabrics. Under the gazebo, there is a stone and a soil made plate to put some offerings. This place is where the pilgrims make a wish and pray. This Royal cemetery attracts many pilgrims from Lombok and beyond. It is usually crowdedly visited in Lebaran or in some Islamic celebration. In the west side of the King tomb, lies Inaq Tali Umbaq—the woman who looked after the King when he was young. This tomb is different from the others since it is the only tomb with the three stones on. These stones represent idea, fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) and tasawuf (Sufism).  In the eastern part three royal family members lie in the lower shape of rectangle. In the lowest rectangles, there are about 17-19 family members were buried. 

Meanwhile in the water spot rectangle, it is found a hole in the middle of it, where the water comes out from. It is believed that the water comes from Sembalun—a village around Rinjani slope. Not all people could see the water. It chooses its own holder.  “Only the pure heart can experience that” added the grave keeper to his explanation. 

Another thing that can be experienced in this cemetery is an annual cultural event which is called Perang Timbung. Perang means war and Timbung is a cake. It is made from coconut milk and sticky rice that is placed in the bamboo and is burned. When it is well cooked, Timbung is taken out from the bamboo and is used as the weapon in Perang Timbung. This event is aimed to celebrate the cemetery birthday. It always falls on the fourth month when Pohon Dangah flower blossom. Serewa is located at Dusun Serewa, Desa Pejanggik, Praya Tengah, Lombok Tengah