Palembang

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PALEMBANG

Province : Sumatera Selatan

Official blazon

Origin/meaning

I have no information on the origin or meaning of these arms. Any information is welcome.

Colonial arms
During the colonial times, Palembang used several arms.

The first arms were adopted on December 29, 1925. The arms showed the Dutch National arms on the right side, and a divided left half, with a staff of Mercury and a local river boat. The Dutch arms indicated that the city was an important city in the Dutch East Indies and symbolised the ties with the Netherlands. The staff of mercury was the symbol of trade. The small boat a symbol for the local economy. The arms above are shown with the normal crown for cities at the time, but the city also used a mural crown.

When these arms were send to the government for official registration, the Dutch Court of Arms (Hooge Raad van Adel) rejected the proposal. The use of the national arms was strongly discouraged and a mural crown not acceptable. A mural crown was only allowed for towns that used to have city walls and have been under siege. The court came with a new design, showing a divided shield with the staff of mercury and the boat. An as supporters two lions.

The full colonial arms	The arms in the Koffie Hag albums +/- 1930
The arms on a tile, 1930s

On July 20, 1931 the city adopted the design, but at the same time launched a contest for (better) supporters. Finally two bears were chosen as supporters and the motto Semper renascor ( I am continuously reborn) was added.
These arms are shown below.

In 1932 a new proposal was discussed by the local council. It showed a quartered shield, with in the first quarter an imperial crown; in the second the staff; in the third a local warship and in the fourth a three-topped mountain. The supporters and motoo remained, but again a mural crown was used.The imperial crown stood for the medieval Sriwijaya (Cri Wijaya) kingdom, of which Palembang was the capital. The warship indicated that the kingdom was the strongest naval power at the time (6^th-11^th century AD). The staff remained as a symbol of trade. The golden mountain in the fourth quarter is a canting symbol for the Sailendra dynasty (the name means Mountain Lords), originating from Java, but intermarried with the rulers of Palembang. The local council again wanted the mural crown, as the city has had walls and was under siege in 1596 when the Sultan of Banten sieged the city. These arms were never approved and thus never used.

(I have no image of these arms)