Gusti Raden Ayu Siti Nurul Kamaril Ngasarati Kusumawardhani

Gusti Raden Ayu Siti Nurul Kamaril Ngasarati Kusumowardhani (17 September 1921 – 10 November 2015) was an Indonesian dancer and the only daughter of Mangkunegara VII and his consort, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Timoer. She was known for her performance at the Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld marriage in 1937, and for rejecting the marriage proposal from Hamengkubuwono IX, Sutan Sjahrir, and Sukarno due to not wanting to be in a polygamy.

Early life

Nurul was born on 17 September 1921 in Surakarta, Dutch East Indies, as the only daughter of Mangkunegara VII and Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Timoer. She trained in dancing, making poetry, horseback riding, tennis, and swimming at a young age. However, she refused the proposal because did not want to be in polygamy. They later moved away from Mangkunegaran Palace and lived at Surjosurarso official residence in Jakarta. Her younger daughter and third child, Rasika Wiyarti, was born in 1957, followed by her fourth child, Heruma Wiyarti.

Career In 1936, Nurul was invited to Netherlands as a dancer at the marriage of Princess Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She traveled with a dance troupe using a Marnix ship from Surakarta in August 1936 and arrived in Den Haag on 1 December. GKR Timur, who was sitting near the stage, accompanied Nurul on the dances process. After Nurul finished the dance, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands approached Mangkunegara VII and GKR Timur saying that she had never seen a dance so beautiful, and later praised Nurul's performance. Nurul's performance became a headline at the Netherlands newspaper reported as a gift from Mangkunegara VII to the wedding, and several of the guests were reported to be interested in learning Eastern culture after seeing Nurul's dance. She was featured in Life magazine on 25 January 1937.

In 1998, Nurul was awarded Citra Wanita Pembangunan Indonesia from the Indonesian Minister of State for the role of women, Mien Sugandhi. She later said that she give the award to her family as a Javanese woman who prioritized service to her family.

Ancestry