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Royal True Yellow
Thursday, July 19, 2012 at 6:50AM | Share Article In my previous post about finding the Lost Horizon in Shangri-La Putrajaya, I mentioned that the hotel was on a hill in the center of the city. There is only one other property on the hill and that is the Istana Melawati, the second national palace and retreat house of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia. Istana means "palace" and Melawati means "guard's tower".
So not only was I in a fabulous garden hotel, I was neigbors with royalty. Well, almost. I don't think the King and Queen were in residence while I was there. Click here to see a picture of how close my hotel is to the Istana Melawati.
I ended up visiting Istana Negara along Jalan Istana, which was the official residence of the King of Malaysia for 54 years up to November 2011.
Beyond the palace gate are cypresses and casuarinas.
*** Click on this and subsequent images to enlarge.
A close-up of the intricate design on the columns of the palace gate. Can anyone ID this please? :-) UPDATE: Alex of 1784 suggested that it is a stylized hibiscus and I tend to agree since it is their national flower. Maybe the Malysian bloggers can weigh in?
Gold domes top the yellow palace.
A view from below.
Look at how ornate the outdoor electrical lamps are.
Some areas are closed off to the public.
There are 9 states of Malaysia which have their own sultan. Melaka, Penang, Sarawak and Sabah each have governors. Every 5 years, one of the 9 sultans is appointed King and he leaves his state to rule the country. Below, the portraits of the past Kings and Queens of Malaysia line the wall.
These are replicas of the thrones used by the King and his consort. The motifs are colored gold. These are seen every 5 years when a new monarch is crowned. I wonder how it feels to sit there.
From indoors, let's move to the grounds. On topic. The palace sits on over 11 hectares so that is a lot of ground to cover.
Once back outside, I was drawn to a cluster of palms. These are Ptychosperma macarthurii, originally from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Also known as the MacArthur palm, they were named not after the general but after the Australian horticulturist Sir William Macarthur. These palm clump nicely.
The royal gardener must have a thing for variegated plants. Below are Furcraea gigantea striata.
Dracaena 'Rikki'.
My favorite of the palace plants, Alpinia zerumbet variegata.
In Malaysia, yellow symbolizes royalty and is reserved for royal usage. I wonder if the variegated plants were chosen by the royal gardener specifically to add regality to the gardens.
The individual plants were wonderful but much more engaging all together.
Immaculate lawns.
Elegant pathway down to the expansive outer grounds.
Unfortunately, the King and Queen no longer stayed at the Istana Negara Jalan Istana, having recently upgraded their residence. What an upgrade, too. From over 11 hectares, the new grounds of Istana Negara Jalan Duta are a massive 97 hectares.
So I went to the new palace to get a glimpse. For security reasons, this palace was not open to the public and commoners like us had to be content with just a few photos at the gate sans royalty. Below is the more massive gate of the new palace.
The Mountain Royal Guard.
I personally prefer the guards outfitted in traditional samping.
Royal guard of the Malaysian Army outside the main gate of the Istana Negara along Jalan Istana. Image in Public Domain.
Bonsai plants are found in front of each column of the perimeter fence.
Here is the new Istana Negara. Notice its sprawling grounds. It is supposed to have 22 yellow domes. Can you count them?
So there I was, the royal retreat house next door to my hotel and a visit to the past and present royal palaces and not a royal in sight. Will I ever get to see the King or Queen?
gigantea, macarthurii, malaysia, palm, rikki, striata, variegata, variegated, zerumbet | in Alpinia, Dracaena, Furcraea, Ptychosperma
Reader Comments (21)
I think the design of the grillwork is a stylized hibiscus?
That's a fabulous looking place Bom, thanks for sharing!
What a glorious residence for royalty! Both locations. Your photos are really stunning here, and really give a good sense of place. Funny how color symbolizes differently around the world. Yellow in the US has much more common meaning.
@ 1784 : You're most likely correct. It is their national flower after all.
@ Mark and Gaz : Glad you liked it.
@ Donna : What does your yellow mean? Yellow in the Philippines has come to symbolize democracy because it was the party color of our former president Cory Aquino.
A garden fit for a king! The Alpina is also my favorite of the royal plants you featured. Since the King and Queen have upgraded to a new palace, what will happen to the old?
Thanks for a splendid tour! I love Malaysia! My geographical mind roams and dreams. Maybe someday...
David/:0)
@ Deb : You know, I forgot to ask. We were able to enter because there is an exhibit currently going on. I'm not sure what happens afterwards.
@ David: You're welcome. One reason I enjoy blogs is because of the virtual travel one gets to do. If you are ever on this side of the globe, drop by Manila to visit.
Hahaha! Bom, I was so engrossed in this post that I almost burned my oatmeal! The palace is so opulent and I was fascinated about your description of the plants. I like your observation that they are using so much variegated foliage for the symbolism of yellow. Can you imagine the budget that gardener must have!?
Ahahah, what a lucky man you are! BTW: it's really a stunning place.
@ Cat : Sorry to hear about your oatmeal. I wouldn't be surprised if my observation were true. Gardeners budget must be a huundred or a thousand times ours. Don't forget that now he has the new palace, all 97 hectares, to work on.
@ Dona: Yes, the palaces are stunning!
Bom what an amazing post...I was so engrossed and learned so much...how interesting about yellow.
Thanks Donna. So glad you enjoyed it.
If it were not for bloggers and post like this I would never see the world. Thanks for sharing a little bit of it and being such an informative tour guide.
Thanks Rita! It makes me happy that you enjoyed my post.
Yellow is used because it is a happy color, as in optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. I find this a bit ordinary because it is used heavily in advertising, especially for fast food restaurants. That seems common to me.
What a gorgeous place and great photos!
I agree with Rita aka Cashjocky - thanks for taking us on tour Bom, this royal palace tour was amazing and enjoyable. Nice little palace, definitely (lol).
@ Donna : Now that you mention it, yes, yellow does seem to be a favorite color of fastfood restos, even here in the Philippines. In fact, our most famous fastfood mascot is a bee.
@ JM : Thanks!
@ Catmint : It was my pleasure. Yes, nice little palace, just 97 hectares nice. :-D
Wow, nice bonsai!
Gorgeous, yes? And they are all around the palace perimeter.