History of the Bukittinggi Gadang Clock

For those of you who have visited the city of Bukittinggi, you must know the Clock Tower. Yes, Jam Gadang
is the name of a clock tower located in downtown Bukittinggi, West Sumatra province. The location is
surrounded by the Lower Market, Upper Market, Bukittinggi Plaza and Bung Hatta Palace. The name Gadang
comes from the Minangkabau language which means "big", this name was taken because the clocks on the
four sides of the tower are quite large in diameter, which is 80 cm.
Apart from being a monument to the city of Bukittingi, Jam Gadang is also a destination object for both
domestic and foreign tourists. From the top of the tower, tourists can enjoy views of the city of Bukittinggi
which consists of hills, valleys and buildings that line the center of the city. Currently, with the expansion of
the park around the Jam Gadang tower, this place has become an open space for local people who wish to hold
certain types of events, such as bazaars, festivals and others.
Development History
According to stories from historical figures, the construction of the Jam Gadang tower began around 1826
during the Dutch colonial period in Indonesia. The Clock Tower was built as a gift for the secretary of the city
of Bukittingi, Rook Maker.
The design was designed by Yazid Rajo Mangkuto, an indigenous architect, and the laying of the first stone
was done by Rook Maker's son who was then 6 years old. Construction is predicted to spend 3000 Gulden. At
that time, the value of this figure was quite fantastic. It is not surprising that in the history of its construction
which took quite a long time, the Gadang Clock has become the center of attention so that it is widely known
among the public.
Since its establishment until now, the gadang clock ornament has undergone several changes, especially on
the roof. When it was first built, the roof of the tower was made in a round shape with a statue of a rooster on
it facing east. During the Japanese colonial period, the roof was renovated into a shape like a pagoda or
pagoda. Then after Indonesia's independence, the roof of the tower was changed to a shape like the
Minangkabau house custom as well as a symbol of the Minangkabau tribe.
The most recent renovation of the Clock Tower was carried out in 2010 by the Indonesian Heritage
Preservation Agency (BPPI) in collaboration with the Bukittinggi city government and the Dutch Embassy in
Jakarta. The renovation was inaugurated on December 22, 2010, the 262nd anniversary of the city of
Bukittinggi. Until now, the Jam Gadang has been preserved.
From a building standpoint, the Jam Gadang was built without supporting iron and cement mortar. The
mixture is only white sand, lime and egg white as the glue. Well, this egg white, apart from being a cooking
and beauty ingredient, is also believed to contain a very strong adhesive substance. This has also been
supported by several studies on the content of eggs. In history, other buildings such as the Colosseum in
Rome, Sultan Grand Mosque in Riau, Borobudur Temple in Jogja and other historical buildings were built
using egg whites.
Back at the Clock Tower, the basic building has an area of 13 x 4 meters and has a height of 26 meters. The
inside consists of several levels with the top level being a pendulum storage area. In 2007, the pendulum was
broken by an earthquake, but was immediately replaced by the Bukittinggi government.
On all four sides of the tower there are 4 clocks with a diameter of 80 cm each. The clock was imported from
the Netherlands directly through Teluk Bayur port. Please note, the machine on the Clock Tower is made
exclusively, that is, only two units in the world. One is used for the Clock Tower, the other is used for the Big
Ben clock in London, England. The clock movement, named Brixlion, was made by a German company
called Vortmann Relinghausen.
The uniqueness of the Gadang Clock
Behind its construction, it turns out that the Gadang Clock has its own uniqueness, namely the Roman
numerals found on the clock. The number four written on the clock deviates from the standard, because it is
written IIII, not IV. Therein lies its uniqueness. The four Roman numerals that should be written IV are
instead written with the number one in a row of four (IIII). The uniqueness of writing the numbers on the
clock leaves a big question mark for everyone who sees it. Is the writing of the numbers a manufacturing
error, or is it an ancient patron for roman numerals?
There are various versions of the story related to the writing of these Roman numerals circulating among the
public, including:
1. The opinion says that the number IIII on the Gadang Clock refers to the Dutch's anxiety about the symbol
IV which stands for "I Victory" which means "I won". The Dutch were afraid that number IV would trigger
the spirit of the Indonesian people's struggle for independence.
2. Opinions that believe that the number IIII refers to the number of victims killed as sacrifices in the
construction of the clock tower.
3. Opinion explaining that the reason for using number IIII is solely due to technical problems. If the number
IV is used, then the blacksmith must make 4 sticks of X, 16 sticks of I and 5 sticks of V. The problem was, in
those days blacksmiths could only be economical if they made iron in multiples of four. If the number four is
written with the symbol IV, then one 3 stems of the letter V will be wasted. Due to these economical reasons,
finally the blacksmith made the number four with the symbol IIII instead of IV.
4. Opinions from other versions say that at first, Roman numbering did vary. In the early days, the number
four was indeed written IIII with four I letters. This is evidenced in sundials made before the 19th century,
almost all of which used IIII for the number four. Including the Clock Tower, because it was made in the early
1990's, the writing of number four still uses the symbol IIII.