Stained Glass Window at Bandung West Java Grand Mosque

Photo caption: The pattern of stained glass window of the West Java Grand Mosque in Bandung.

Arches and Curvatures

Photo caption: The arches and curvatures of the Pusdai Mosque interior, on Jalan Diponegoro, Bandung.

Bedug and Kentongan

Top picture: The bedug at Al-Hikam Mosque in Cililin in West Bandung.

Bedung is a musical instrument that is traditionally used as part of the gamelan ensemble. It is basically a double-barreled drum made of wood with buffalo skin/leather covering both ends. Its shape is similar to the kendang but is generally much larger in size. Because of this, the sound it produces is deeper and duller. Another feature that makes it different from the kendang is that it is typically placed on a rack (see picture above) and played with a mallet.

On Java island bedung is also traditionally used in mosques to mark the times of the daily prayers and is sounded before the adhan (call to prayer). The tradition probably began in the old days before the loud speaker was invented. The sound of the bedug could reach farther than the voice of the muezzin (the caller to prayer). This function has long been replaced by the loud speaker. However, many mosques still retain and use the bedug as a matter of tradition.

In addition to the bedug, many mosques on Java island traditionally also use the kentongan or slit drum to mark prayer times and help call Muslims to prayers.

The use of bedug and kentongan in mosques is just another example of many ingenuous adaptations and localization that Indonesians have been making in absorbing foreign cultural and religious elements to suit their own environments and needs.

The Al Irsyad Mosque at Kota Baru Parahiyangan

This is the mihrab of the Al Irsyad Mosque at Kota Baru Parahiyangan in the west of Bandung. Instead of the traditional niche in the wall facing the direction of the Kaaba in the direction Mecca, this mosque's mihrab has the shape of an open "tunnel" with a pond surrounding a pulpit in its center. At the other end of the tunnel, there is a globe with an inscription of Allah in Arabic.

This is what the mihrab looks like from the other end of the tunnel.

 

The Al Irsyad was completed and dedicated in 2010 and was declared one of the "Building of The Year 2010"  in the religious architecture category by the National Frame Building Association. The mosque was designed by Ridwan Kamil, an Indonesian top architect living in Bandung.

Al Imtizaj Mosque

The Al Imtizaj mosque is a small mosque attached to a trade center on ABC Street (Jalan ABC). It is one of the two mosques in Bandung that have a touch of Chinese traditional architecture. The other one is the Lautze Mosque No. 2 on Jalan Tamblong.

Aerial View of Bandung: Southwest of The Grand Mosque

Here is an aerial view of Bandung looking to the southwest direction from the city center. I took this photo from one of the towers of West Java Provincial Grand Mosque or Mesjid Agung Propinsi Jawa Barat. In the foreground, behind the minaret, you can see Plaza Parahiyangan, one of the first shopping malls built in the city in the early 1980's.

Mihrab of The Al Ukhuwah

This is the mihrab of the Al Ukhuwah Mosque whose chandelier I posted yesterday. As you can see in this picture, this mosque has wooden floor and light-structure roof.

Al Ukhuwah Chandelier

This is the chandelier at Mesjid Raya Al Ukhuwah (the Al Ukhuwah Grand Mosque) on Jalan Wastukancana No. 27.

Like many other mosques in Indonesia, the architecture of this mosque combines the Islamic elements with those of local culture, in this case the Sundanese culture. In this picture, the Sundanese element is represented by the ornamental motifs behind (above) the chandelier.

This post is Bandung Daily Photo's participation in My World Tuesday weekly meme and ABC Wednesday (this week's letter is M, which in this post stands for mosque or masjid, the place where this chandelier is placed). Please visit other participating blogs by clicking the links.