Places of Interest - Indonesia

Kraton, the water palace and the bird market

In Yogyakarta is the Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, built in the period 1756 to 1790 by Sultan Hamengkubuwono I. The walled kraton (place where the king / queen lives) is until now the residence of the Sultans of the Kasultanan branch of the former Mataram Kingdom. In 1989 Hamengku Buwono X came on the throne and he also lives in this palace. The power of the Sultan is now purely symbolic and therefore limited to his own palace with his servants. With that, the Kraton is no longer the seat of power, but it houses the royal heirlooms, weapons, carriages and gifts of royal guests. There is also a museum dedicated to the deceased Hamengku Buwono the 9e. The spiritual center of the kraton is the Pelataran Kedaton, the "royal courtyard". On the large "royal courtyard" is the Bangsal Kencono, the "golden throne room". Behind the Bangsal Kencono lies the Bangsal Proboyekso, where the holy pusaka or crown jewels are kept. On the north side of the kraton is the “Pagelaran”, the audience hall with 64 pillars. 

The Kraton not only consists of the palace, but actually a whole complex with schools, mosques, houses and other buildings. More than 25,000 people live here. Within the complex you can also find the bird market and the Water Palace ("Taman Sari"). Taman Sari was built in the 18th century as an amusement park for the royal family, a comfortable and luxurious flight from the daily grind. The Taman Sari complex contained several swimming pools, fountains, an underground mosque and a large lake. There was also a tower built from which the Sultan Mangkubumi could observe his harem while swimming. Today it is largely occupied by the kampung and it is a maze of houses and alleyways.  Also on the former Taman Sari complex is the Pasar Ngasem, the bird market of Yogyakarta. It is largely on the site where the former Taman Sari used to be. On the bird market you can buy other small animals (such as monkeys, rabbits, iguanas, bats, salamanders) in addition to birds.

Fort Vredenburg:

The shape of this fort, built in 1765 by the VOC, is square with watchtowers on every corner just a traditional for. It lies in front of one of the seven palaces of the Javanese sultan. It was primarily intended to protect the Dutch governor who was stationed here. Around there lays an earthen wall. The fort has been completely restored, which, because of it, unfortunately lost much of the authenticity, although the architecture remains worthwhile. Today the fort is a museum where the independence of Indonesia is a central issue because Yogyakarta played an important role in this.

Borobodur:

The Borobudur is a Buddhist shrine and perhaps the biggest tourist attraction of Java. The Borobudur is built up like a big stupa; the base is 123 by 123 meters. The stupa has nine floors; the bottom six are square, the top three round. The floors represent the Buddhist cosmos. On the upper floors there are 72 small stupas, which are built around one large central stupa. The large stupa is a symbol of Nirvana. The small stupas represent from bottom to top the way a Buddhist has to travel to eventually be admitted to Nirvana. The construction must have lasted about 80 years. In the morning, the Borobudur still serves as a place of worship. A pilgrim walks around every floor seven times in a clockwise direction. In the stupas there are statues of Buddha; anyone who can touch these images through the holes in the stupas receives, according to local superstition (not according to Buddhism), eternal happiness. 

The Borobudur was rediscovered in 1814. With more than 200 men, Cornelius had already released the monument for more than a month and a half. The first major restoration was carried out from 1907-1911 by the then captain/major of Genius Theodoor van Erp. Total dismantling and strengthening of the hill and reconstruction afterwards turned out to be the only remedy. In the period 1973-1984 this massive restoration was carried out, partly financed with money from UNESCO. The monument has been on the World Heritage List since 1991. Scientists have long and intensively occupied themselves with the fundamental question of the way in which the pre-Indian cultural elements have invaded Indonesia, as well as the origin of the architecture of the Borubudur and the significance of the Sanskrit texts and the symbolism used.

ENTRANCE: 80,000 R (for tourists).

Prambanan:

Prambanan (literally: many priests) is the largest Hindu-Javanese temple complex in Indonesia. The temples are about 850 AD. built by Rakai Pikatan, a Shivaite king from the second Mataram dynasty. The complex has three main temples (Trisakti, "three holy places"), the largest of which is 47 meters high and is dedicated to Shiva. South of this temple is the temple dedicated to Brahma, the north dedicated to God Vishnu. Opposite these three main temples are three smaller ones, the middle one is dedicated to Shiva's bull Nandi, the other two for Brahma's mount, the goose Angsa and Vishnu's eagle Garuda, Indonesia's national symbol. Together with two smaller temples on both sides, these six temple buildings (candi, "temple") are a central square square with sides of about 110 meters.  

On a slightly lower surrounding square are the ruins of another 224 sanctuaries (pewara), each of which must have been about 14 meters high. Around it is an even bigger square, slightly lower, with sides of 390 meters. Because of these small differences in height, the Prambanan complex forms a kind of "pyramid". The main building (the "Shiva Temple") in the center is surrounded by a railing with four entrance gates. On the outside of this railing you will find reliefs with rabbits, deer, rams, peacocks, monkeys and geese, each time grouped on both sides of the Tree of Life (this is called the "Prambanan motif"). The inside of the railing has reliefs with scenes from the Ramayana epic. Here is told how Sita, Rama's beloved wife, is kidnapped and how Hanuman, lord of the apes, liberates her with the help of his monkey army. This story is also (in a short form) also performed for tourists, with the illuminated temples in the background. 

Shortly after the complex was completed, it was abandoned and it began to expire. Only from the year 1893 the plateau of the middle complex was excavated again. The renovation of the main building was not completed until 1953, because it is almost impossible to find the original stones again: often they were stolen and reused in far-off places. A temple will only be rebuilt if 75% of the original stone work is available. Partly because of this, most of the smaller temples still can not be seen more than the walls of the foundation. During the earthquake on Central Java in 2006, the rebuilt Prambanan complex was again severely damaged. Meanwhile, the largest part of the temple complex has been restored and opened to the public. The complex is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

ENTRANCE: 80,000 R (for tourists).

Yoghakarta was actually founded by prince "Mangkubumi" in 1755 when he returned to the former seat of "Surakarta" after a quarrel over land holdings with his brother and had the city's kraton (palace) built. He named himself "sultan" and adopted the name "Hamengkubuwono" (literally: the universe in the lap of the king) that up to now all his successors adapted. The sultan would build the most powerful Javanese state since the 17th century. His son and direct successor was not so competent and during the period of British rule the kraton was taken, the sultan exiled and the much smaller "Paku Alam" created. 

For the Javanese, Yogha has always been a symbol of rebellion in general and rebellion against the colonizers. The main battles during the Java wars between 1835 and 1830 were fought here. After WWII, the city was once again the center of the rebellion, and even after 1946 the recognition of independence in 1949 became the capital of the Republic. When the Dutch took control in Yogha and other Javanese cities in 1948, the patriotic sultan closed himself in in his walled palace. From here he would provide the vital link between the city on the one hand and the rebels who had fled to the countryside on the other hand. The Dutch left the kraton for what it was, afraid of an uprising of millions of Javanese who saw the sultan as semi-God. With this service record, the city would gain an independent status in the yet to be established Republic. Under Suharto's reign the popular sultan "Hamengkubuwono IX" was even vice-president until he retired in 1978. In 2006, an earthquake destroyed many buildings and some 6,000 residents lost their lives in Yoghakarta.