KUALA KANGSAR, April 28 — Throughout the four centuries of the Perak Sultanate, newly-installed sultans and their consorts perform a bath ritual known as the Istiadat Bersiram Tabal.
It will be held again on the evening of May 7, a day after the official enthronement of Sultan Dr Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah as the 35th Sultan of Perak.
Adib Vincent Tung, author of the book “Adat Pusaka Raja-Raja & Orang Besar-Besar Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan”, says the ceremony is conducted with full traditional royal custom led by one of the important titled officers of the royal court.
“Consisting of nine or 11 tiers, this dais has steps on all sides,” Adib told Malay Mail.
“The top is decorated with gold cloth and silver carvings interposed with specially crafted wooden structures called Persada Terbang.
“The pillars are gilded and their surfaces decorated with yellow mirrors or white glass.”
Budidaya leaves (celery) are hung around the dais, and the four corners of the dais are decorated with wooden statues of dragons with golden scales.
“Mechanical devices allow one of the dragons to spout fresh water from its mouth, lukewarm water from another, fragrant water made from limau kasturi bark from the third dragon, and rosewater from the last,” he said.
“The dragons’ horns are fashioned from semi-precious stones with red pearls to give the impression of fiery eyes.”
The four pillars will be adorned with a cloth that bears the colours of the state flag — white, yellow and black.
At each of the four corners of the base, special shelters house the nobat instruments, the royal shaman’s paraphernalia, royal court singers, and items for the bath ritual.
The Panca Persada is built with 500 logs, 500 pieces of bamboo, and planks for the steps and floor.
Malay Mail was told that 30 men are building the dais within the compound of the Istana Iskandariah.
The water used for the ceremony will be collected from seven tributaries of the Perak River on the morning of May 7 by court officials.
They are the Kangsar River, Chepias River, Sayong River, Hitam River, Chermin River, Buaya River and Menora River.
Those invited to witness the ritual are required to don black attire, and media personnel covering the event are prohibited from using flash photography.
Adib’s book is a thorough guide on titles, forms of address and ceremonial traditions of the Perak Sultanate.
He is working on an English version of the book but is expanding the edition with more chapters on the biodata of Sultan Nazrin Shah and the history of the royal household.
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