Pantai Bandengan Jepara

A. Selayang Pandang

Pantai Bandengan, atau juga dikenal dengan sebutan Pantai Tirto Samudro, adalah salah satu obyek wisata pantai unggulan yang dimiliki oleh Pemerintah Kabupaten Jepara, selain Pantai Kartini. Pantai yang berjarak sekitar 8 km sebelah utara dari pusat kota (Alun-alun) Jepara ini, terkenal dengan airnya yang jernih, hamparan pasir putihnya yang luas, dan rerimbunan pohon pandan di sepanjang bibir pantainya.

Kenapa obyek wisata ini diberi nama bandengan? Dari cerita yang berkembang di masyarakat, nama Bandengan tidak bisa dipisahkan dengan legenda Pulau Karimunjawa. Legenda itu bercerita perihal keprihatian Sunan Muria atas kenakalan putranya, Amir Hasan. Singkat cerita, sang Sunan memerintahkan putranya untuk tinggal di sebuah pulau yang terlihat ”kremun-kremun” (samar-samar) dari puncak Gunung Muria dengan maksud agar si anak sanggup menuai ilmu hikmah di pulau itu. Dalam perjalanan menuju pulau yang oleh Sunan Muria dinamai karimun itu, sampailah sang putra di sebuah pantai yang memiliki rawa-rawa dan di dalamnya terdapat banyak ikan bandeng. Karena penduduk sekitar belum memberi nama pantai tersebut, kemudian sang putra menamai pantai itu dengan “Pantai Bandengan”.

Pintu gerbang menuju Pantai Bandengan.

B. Keistimewaan

Kondisi pantainya yang landai, kualitas airnya yang bersih, serta hamparan pasir putihnya yang luas merupakan daya tarik tersendiri dari obyek wisata Pantai Bandengan. Dengan kondisi pantai seperti itu, pengunjung dapat mandi sepuasnya sambil menikmati semilir angin pantai yang masih bersih dan sejuk karena jauh dari area perindustrian. Pantai yang sebagian besar lahannya ditumbuhi rerimbunan pohon pandan ini juga cocok untuk kegiatan seperti camping, voli pantai, sepeda santai, dan lain-lain.

Para pengunjung berenang, bermain ban, serta perahu kano.

Di lokasi obyek wisata ini juga tersedia kapal wisata yang siap mengantarkan pengunjung berkeliling di sekitar pantai atau menuju ke Pulau Panjang yang terkenal dengan kekayaan flora dan faunanya. Tarifnya pun relatif terjangkau, yaitu sekitar Rp 5.000 per orang untuk berkeliling di sekitar pantai dan Rp 10.000 per orang untuk sekali perjalanan menuju Pulau Panjang. Selain itu, setiap tahun (biasanya tengah tahun) di Pantai Bandengan juga diselenggarakan perlombaan motor cross dan festival layang-layang baik yang berskala regional, nasional, maupun internasional.

Kapal wisata untuk menuju Pulau Panjang.

C. Lokasi

Pantai Bandengan terletak di Desa Bandengan, Kecamatan Kota Jepara, Kabupaten Jepara, Propinsi Jawa Tengah, Indonesia.

D. Akses

Jika perjalanan dimulai dari arah Kota Semarang, pengunjung dapat menggunakan bus jurusan Semarang—Jepara. Setelah sampai di Terminal Bus Jepara, pengunjung dapat melanjutkan perjalanan dengan menggunakan angkutan umum jurusan Bandengan dengan ongkos Rp 3.000 (April 2008).

E. Harga Tiket

Harga tiket masuk dibedakan antara hari biasa dengan hari libur. Pada hari biasa, tiket masuk sebesar Rp 1.000, sedangkan pada hari libur Rp 1.500 (April 2008).

F. Akomodasi dan Fasilitas Lainnya

Sebagai obyek wisata favorit di Kota Jepara, Pantai Bandengan memiliki sarana akomodasi dan fasilitas yang cukup lengkap, di antaranya: shelter (tempat istirahat sementara di lokasi pantai), kapal wisata, mushola, toliet dan tempat pemandian umum, mini market, motel/rumah penginapan, rumah makan (yang menjajakan makanan khas seperti kerang rebus, rajungan, ikan bakar, dan pindang srani), dan lain-lain.

Berbagai fasilitas di Pantai Bandengan, antara lain kereta keliling untuk anak-anak, kamar bilas, persewaan ban, dan persewaan perahu kano.

Jepara Pavilion

Jepara Pavilion at Maerokoco Castle Semarang was built based of the letter of the former Province Governor of Central Java, Number : 510.1/32442 dated on August 29th, 1991 as the information and promotion service of Jepara Regency on the source full non oil and gas commodities in the form of craft industries of tourism.The Jepara Pavilion at Maerokoco Castle Semarang is about 890,74 m2 wide consisting of :
1. Traditional Building 63 m2
2. Pradonggo Birowo Building 29,16 m2
3. Sculpture Palace Building 9 m2
4. Multifunction Building 147 m2
5. Mantingan Gateway Building 12,75 m2
6. Songgolangit Waterfall Miniature Building 16 m2
7. Toilet / Service Room Building 227,70 m2
8. Garden 373,33 m2
9. Paza Building 217 m2
The construction of Jepara Pavilion in Maerokoco Castle Semarang was started in June 1992 and finished in July 1993, costed as much Rp 407.887.600,- (Four hundred seven million eight hundred eighty seven thousand six hundred rupiahs) through Inpres 1993/1994.

PORTRAIT ON JEPARA PAVILION

1. Buildings included in the Jepara Pavilion consist of :
a. Jepara Mansion
This kind of building is a traditional building of Jepara tradition which recently can be found the special characteristics of the building architecture as follows :
– The building materials are made from wood is carved wooden wall.
– The middle of the building has four pillars
– Tile-made roof and special with puppet-motives-carving guardhouse.
Where are the philosophies of Jepara Mansion Building are as follows:
– Facing the sea meaning to think widely.
– Opposing a mountain meaning never arrogant nor stubborn
– Pyramidal roof meaning religious thinking, i.e., divine alignment that is powerful over the universe.
– The three pieces of doors in front imply crystallization of relationship between :
– Human to god
– Human to human
– Human to nature
– Never-breaking but curving dome representing the intelligible people’s way of life.
b. Pradonggo Birowo Building
This building is a duplicate one based on the origin located lefts side verandah of Jepara Regency. The building functions as place of gamelan orchestra consisting just kendang (small drum), kecrek (piece of metal), kempul and genjur.The gamelan orchestra is usually played every Mondays, so it is called GONG SENEN (Monday’s Orchestra) by Jepara people.
c. Sculpture Palace
This building is a monumental one for the potency of craft industries in Jepara, i.e., in carving sculpture of a man describing a man sculpturing wood into a horse-sculpture many a dynamic symbol of Jepara as a city of craft industry.
d. Multifunction Building
This building was constructed for Jepara art interest in the given-programmed events.
e. Mantingan Gateway Building
This gateway is an existing ancient gateway in Mantingan village being the first gate to Kalinyamat Queen Tomb and Mantingan ancient Mosque. As seen based on the architecture point of view, this mantingan ancient gateway was built in the end of 17th century, i.e., in Arabic meaning, ghoruuren in forming people coming  into the  complex of  Mantingan  Mosque  and Kalinyamat Queen Tomb in order to remember to ask mercy’s sake to the great unity.
f. Songgolangit Waterfall Miniature
This building is a prototype of a beautiful-natural tourism object with waterfall located in Bucu village of Kembang Sub-district.
g. Toilet / Service Room
This building is located beside toilet interest function and as a store room.
2. The description of the contents and building uses
a. The construction of Jepara Mansion building will be filled with:
– RA Kartini’s duplicate furniture (table-chairs)
– An ancient ceramic table
– Traditional loom from Troso
– A picture of RA Kartini
– An imaginative picture of Kalinyamat Queen
– Some samples of Jepara art industrial products, i.e. relief, string woven clothes, monels, etc.
b. In a certain time, Jepara Mansion is concerted with multifunction building that can be use as exhibition arena.
3. Artistic entertainmentOn the given event, the multifunction building can be used as well for the needs of specialty entertainment of Jepara among other things: emprak, kentrung, ketoprak, and other (dramas and dances).

The Javanese Princess From Jepara

Kartini was born into an aristrocatic Javanese family in a time when Java was still part of the Dutch colony, the Dutch East Indies. Kartini’s father, Raden Mas Sosroningrat, became Regency Chief of Jepara, and her mother was Raden Mas’ first wife, but not the most important one. At this time, polygamy was a common practice among the nobility. Kartini’s father, RMAA Sosroningrat, was originally the district chief of Mayong. Her mother was MA Ngasirah, the daughter of Kyai Haji Madirono, a teacher of religion in Teluwakur, Jepara, and Nyai Haji Siti Aminah. At that time, colonial regulations specified that a Regency Chief must marry a member of the nobility and because MA Ngasirah was not of sufficiently high nobility[1], her father married a second time to Raden Ajeng Woerjan (Moerjam), a direct descendant of the Raja of Madura. After this second marriage, Kartini’s father was elevated to Regency Chief of Jepara, replacing his second wife’s own father, RAA Tjitrowikromo. Kartini was the fifth child and eldest daughter in a family of eleven, including half siblings. She was born into a family with a strong intellectual tradition. Her grandfather, Pangeran Ario Tjondronegoro IV, became a Regency Chief at the age of 25 while Kartini’s older brother Sosrokartono was an accomplished linguist. Kartini’s family allowed her to attend school until she was 12 years old. Here, among other subjects, she learnt to speak fluent Dutch, an unusual accomplishment for Javanese women at the time[2]. After she turned 12 she was ‘secluded’ at home, a  common practice among Javanese nobility, to prepare young girls for their marriage. During seclusion girls were was not allowed to leave their parents’ house until they were married, at which point authority over them was transferred to their husbands. Kartini’s father was more lenient than some during his daughter’s seclusion, giving her such privileges as embroidery lessons and occasional appearances in public for special events.

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