Balangnipa Fort - Silent Witness of Struggle Colonial Period
A fort relics of the past that located in the district of Sinjai, South Sulawesi is crowded with people on holiday. Fortress as a symbol of the unification of the three kingdoms and be a bastion for Dutch Colonial still has variety of charm and mystery. Balangnipa Fort located in the Balangnipa Village, North Sinjai District, Sinjai, South Sulawesi was founded in 1557 by three local kingdoms - The Kingdom of Bulo-bulo, Lamatti and Tondong which later became known as the Kingdom of Tellulimpoe. In history, the three kingdoms under the auspices of the Kingdom of Gowa is the strongest kingdom in eastern Indonesia in the past. Geographically, this fort is located on the edge of the river upstream of Tangka which has headwaters from Bawakaraeng Mountain to the off the coast of Mangngarabombang. Tangka River is the boundary between the Kingdom of Gowa and Kingdom of Bone.
At the beginning of the construction, this fort was made of mountain stone that affixed with the mud of the river as a adhesives, and it had a comprehensive architecture with north side about 49.45 meters, west side about 49.10 meters, south side of 30.47 meters, east side of 49.27 meters, and thickness of the wall about 0.50 meters. The size of entrance door is about 4 meters with 2 doors.
In addition to serve as a fortress, this ancient fort was also used as a center for the administration of the three kingdoms, because it was located directly in front of the ancient port in Tangka River. Along with the times, this fortress was transformed functions as a terrifying time of war between the Kingdom of Gowa that led by Sultan Hasanuddin and Dutch Colonial with a number of small kingdoms which were under the auspices of the Kingdom of Gowa. This fort was also felt the blast of Dutch Colonial until finally it was subdued in 1859-1961. This fort was re-built by the Dutch with European architecture, which until now the building has been remained. In the past, there were ports in the front, so in addition to administrative and commercial center, this fort was also a transit center for magnifying the Kingdom of Gowa and the latter being a bastion of the siege invaders.
Balangnipa Fort has been stood firmly with a number of European-style building. This fort has a number of buildings that used to be the administrative center for the Dutch colonial administration. When travelers are in this fortress, the visitors will feel the coolness of the indang trees as well as a solid building relics of the past. At first glance, this fort also has a wide variety of mystery with a groaning sound of crying, drum beat of war and the sound of a horse whinny. It is said that the voice was heard on a particular night.
Although the mystic atmosphere is very visible in this fortress, but the number of visitors are admitted to still love Balangnipa Fort. Travelers generally come to visit just to unwind with family and rest come to witness a number of ancient buildings that are thick-walled and solid.
Article Source: travel.kompas.com
