Tugu Guru Patimpus

Guru Patimpus was the founder of the city of Medan, going back to over four centuries ago. He was born of Karo ethnicity in Ajijahe, Karo Regency. He opened a small area and built a village along the body of the Deli River away from his birthplace and stayed there. This small village was named ‘Kuta Madan’ from the Karo language in which Kuta means village and Madan widely means healthy, healing, pleasant, safe, and peaceful. As time went by, articulations changed and Kuta Madan was later pronounced as Kota Medan, with kota meaning ‘city’. The history of guru Patimpus was discovered and described officially only in the 20th century, when Medan City’s government decided to create a research team to investigate the real history of the city. Before this research, the anniversary of the city was celebrated on the day of the Dutch’s first occupation of the land.

The monument consists of three parts: a fountain, reliefs, and the statue of Guru Patimpus himself. The relief panels were set on the surface of a polygonal-shaped base where the figure sculpture stood. It depicts the landscape scenery of the old Medan city. The reliefs were small and simple, colored entirely in light yellow gold. The figure of Guru Patimpus was sculpted with concrete and iron, showing him in traditional clothing while holding a staff in his right hand. His left hand was straightly pointed to his left with palm facing upwards. The monument was painted in color as a reservation program 2016.

Guru Patimpus adalah pendiri Kota Medan 430 tahun yang lalu, tepatnya tahun 1590. Dikisahkan, Guru Patimpus adalah laki-laki keturunan Karo yang lahir di Ajijahe, Kabupaten Karo. Ia menyusuri Sungai Deli dan pada satu titik membuka sebuah kampung dan bermukim di sana. Kampung ini dalam bahasa Karo disebut ‘Kuta Madan’, Kuta artinya kampung dan Madan dapat diartikan secara luas adalah sehat, sembuh, nyaman, aman dan damai. Lalu karena perubahan artikulasi Kuta Madan diucapkan menjadi ‘Kota Medan’. Awalnya, Kota Medan sempat dua kali berganti tanggal Hari Jadi. Pada tahun 1973, pemerintah kota membentuk sebuah tim peneliti Penyusun Sejarah Kota Medan. Berlandaskan pada hasil penelusuran tersebut, pemerintah mengeluarkan pernyataan resmi pada tahun 1975 bahwa hari jadi Kota Medan jatuh pada 1 Juli 1590.

Monumen Guru Patimpus terdiri atas 3 bagian. Pertama air mancur pada bagian dasar yang masih berfungsi namun tidak hidup setiap hari, kemudian naik ke atas adalah bagian bawah tugu yang berbentuk segi lima dan terdapat relief di empat sisinya. Lalu di bagian atas adalah patung figur Guru Patimpus, terbuat dari semen dan besi dan diwarnai hitam. Pewarnaan dilakukan tahun 2016 dalam agenda revitalisasi oleh Pemerintah Kota Medan. Relief pada tugu menggambarkan lanskap Kota Medan ketika baru terbentuk. Keempat relief diwarnai dengan warna light yellow gold.

Sumber tambahan:

• Sembiring, Abdul Asani (2012): ‘Guru Patimpus Sang Legendaris’
• Biaya Perawatan Tugu Rp 1,2 Miliar’ (2016)

Notes:
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