The name of the hotel, the venue of the closing program and farewell dinner of the Asia-Pacific conference I attended, brought back memories of a lesson in high school history.
The conference, where I presented two papers, was held exactly this week seven years ago and was hosted by Petra Christian University in the “City of Heroes”, Surabaya, the second biggest urban center in Indonesia, next to Jakarta. Surabaya, located in the northeastern part of Java island, is an hour’s flying distance from the nation’s capital.
A great sense of anticipation ran through my mind when I read in our conference program of activities that our final dinner will be held at the luxurious Majapahit Hotel, which is located in the heart of the city.
“I’d be back to my high school classroom days during our final night,” I told my conference seatmate, an Indonesian professor, as I explained to him the reason for my excitement.
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Majapahit, as I learned from my Oriental History class, was a Java-based empire that lasted from 1293 to 1527 and ruled almost 100 areas in Southeast Asia, including the Sulu Archipelago. These Majapahit-influenced tributaries include the present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Timor Leste and Myanmar.
Records show it was one of the last major Hindu-Buddhist empires and considered one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the history of in the region.
Its influence declined due to a struggle in succession following the death of its leader in 1389 and started to collapse about nine decades later.
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Guests immediately feel the influence of yesteryears even outside the hotel, which was built in 1910, with its art deco architecture. Upon stepping into its lobby, a vintage car and old photos and other artifacts relive the glory of its storied past.
Its nearly 150 rooms and suites are decorated with historical paintings and handmade furniture pieces.
Now managed by Accor, the hotel name and management changed a number of times since it was founded as Hotel Oranje by Lucas Martin Sarkies.
In 1930, a major renovation was done with opening rites attended by European royalties and high-profile personalities.
The hotel had a Japanese name, Yamato, when it was used as headquarters of the Imperial Army during WWII.
In 1945, after WWII, the hotel became the scene of the Flag Incident, which served as a turning point in Indonesia’s march toward democracy.
The incident stemmed from the raising of the colonizers’ Dutch flag on a pole on the top-floor of the hotel following the ouster of the Japanese. The act angered the leaders of the rising independence movement with the youth of Surabaya tearing down the Dutch flag sparking the tide of nationalism that led to Indonesia’s independence in 1949.
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It became L.M.S. Hotel, the name bearing the initials of the founder, following the war. In 1969, it got its Majapahit name, after the storied kingdom.
Following its high-financed 1994 restoration, its name was prolonged to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Majapahit Surabaya after another change in management.
Finally, in 2014, it reacquired its Hotel Majapahit name. Two years later, it was officially recognized by the government as a cultural heritage landmark.
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Because of its central location, Majapahit is in the neighborhood of major establishments, including Tunjungan Plaza, one if the biggest malls in Asia.
The mall has six buildings with five to ten floors and more than 500 stores. It boasts of parking space for 6,500 cars
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I was overwhelmed to set foot in a cultural heritage site that I readily volunteered to speak when the program master extended the invitation to conferees to share their impressions and thoughts about the gathering.
Along with the insights I gained from the conference, the occasion to learn from each other through the paper presentations and the opportunity to personally build an academic and social network, I shared with my highly-appreciative colleagues that I was grateful almost beyond words for that brief Majapahit experience that relived my youthful learning days and renewed in me the value of history and of appreciating our past. – NWI
