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The area of the city of Yogyakarta is 32.5 km². While the city sprawls in all directions from the kraton, the core
of the modern city is to the north, centering around the site of a few buildings with distinctive Dutch colonial
-era architecture and the contemporary commercial district. Jalan Malioboro, with rows of sidewalk vendors and nearby market and malls, is the primary shopping street for tourists in the city, while Jalan Solo, further north, is a shopping district more frequented by locals. At the southern end of Malioboro, on the east side is the large local market of Beringharjo, not far from Fort Vredeburg a restored Dutch fort.
At Yogyakarta's center is the kraton, or Sultan's palace. Surrounding the kraton is a densely-populated resi-
dential neighborhood that occupies land that was formerly the Sultan's sole domain. Evidence of this former use remains in the form of old walls and the ruined "Water Castle" (Tamansari), built in 1758 as a pleasure garden. No longer used by the sultan, the garden had been largely abandoned. For a time, it was used for housing by palace employees and descendants. Reconstruction efforts began in 2004, and an effort to renew the neighborhood around the kraton has begun. The site is a developing tourist attraction.
Arts and culture
Yogyakarta is known for its silver work, leather puppets used for shadow plays (wayang kulit), and a unique
style of making batik dyed fabric. It is also known for its vivid contemporary art scene. Yogyakarta is also
known for its gamelan music, including the unique style Gamelan Yogyakarta, which developed in the courts.
Yogyakarta is also a haven for underground art. It is home to many indie filmmaking communities, indie
musicians, performance artists, and visual artists. One underground community that is internationally reputable
among art collectors but barely heard of within the country is the Taring Padi community in Bantul, which
produces posters using a technique called cukil. daren kidul Dono Kerto Turi.
Demography and language
Most population is Javanese, but being a student city, there are also significant population of people from other
ethnics in Indonesia. This status makes Yogyakarta as one of the most heterogenous city in terms of ethnicity
in Indonesia. Indonesian as the official national language, and Javanese are widely used as daily spoken
languages, especially by the Javanese.
History
It was used as a capital for Indonesian republicans during the National Revolution. |
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In addition to being the most popular beach in Yogyakarta, Parangtritis is worth visiting since it is closely
related to such tourism objects as the Sultan Palace in Yogyakarta city, Parangkusumo Beach to the west of it,
and the Merapi area at the north part of Yogyakarta. Located around 27 kilometers from the city center,
Parangtritis Beach is also part of the Queen of South’s authority.
The naming of the beach has its own history. Hundreds years ago, someone named Dipokusumo, who was
a fugitive of Majapahit Kingdom, came to this area to meditate. When he saw water dripping from the crack of
the coral reef, he named this area ‘parangtritis’, originating from the word parang (stone) and tumaritis
(water drops). The beach close to the area was then named the same.
Parangtritis is a beach full of myths, which is believed to be the manifestation of the unity among
Merapi Mountain, Yogyakarta Kingdom, and Parangtritis Beach. The legend tells that Panembahan Senopati
and Sunan Kalijaga once met in this place after completing their meditation. Panembahan Senopati was
reminded of being a humble ruler despite his supernatural powers.
The primary attraction of this beach is its natural view. The enchantment of the coastal scenery can be seen
from different angles to give you different experiences. When you are standing at the seashore, you will see
the wide ocean with the high waves and steeply mountainside on the east side. |
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The Guardian of Mount Merapi
by Sunarja, activist in Lereng Merapi, Jogjakarta (Java)
Sipar is a girl from Kinahrejo, a village in Jogjakarta which borders the Mount Merapi’s forest. The people in
the villages around the active volcano Merapi still live a very traditional way of life: They mutually help each
other and practice many rituals which they hope will give them a peaceful life.
Villagers in this area believe that Mount Merapi is guarded by the spirit Eyang Merapi who protects his realm
from harmful invaders. He is the guardian of the mountain, its forests, streams, water sources and lakes. If
the villagers want to use the water, they must have the permission of the water keeper. They ask for it by
performing rituals and traditional celebrations.
There are many stories about Eyang Merapi. If people mistreat the laws of the spirit, something terrible
happens. The villagers therefore hold ceremonies on every day connected to a natural catastrophe. These
are intended to calm down Eyang Merapi and to keep people aware of the disasters.
One of the ceremonies is hold in memory of the eruption of Mount Merapi in 1994. One day, when Sipar was
playing with her friends, her mother told them the following story about this event:
There is a belief among the people of Mount Merapi that there is a sacred day called »Kliwon Tuesday«.
In 1994 it coincided with November 22nd. No one is allowed to have a party or hold big ceremonies on
Kliwon Tuesday. Still, a family from Turgo village wanted to celebrate their children’s wedding. When they
were about to begin with the ceremony, they suddenly heard tremendous thundering sounds. The villagers
looked up to Mount Merapi, where they saw big clouds rising from its peak. The clouds mixed with lava
which ran down to the village and burned down everything that came across its way.
Fast as lighting, the lava approached Turgo village. The people who saw it tried to run away in horror.
Screams filled the air. People tried to save themselves without any chance to bring along their belongings.
Mothers carrying their small children ran away from the lava in a hurry.
But the lava was faster – more than 200 km/h. Many of the villagers could not make it. All of a sudden,
half of Turgo village was burnt. Some houses were badly destroyed. Cattle and trees were burnt down to
the ground. There was smoke everywhere. Turgo village seemed like a dead place – quiet and terrifying.
The villagers who had managed to survive gathered in the village hall. The injured were brought to hospital.
For a long time after that, the sirens of police cars and ambulances howled along the road between
Turgo village and the temporary shelters and hospitals. All in all, it was stated that more than 64 people
had died and many were hurt, suffering from terrible burns. Some of them have to deal
with permanent physical injuries.
Sipar learned that nature has its own causes and effects. Traditions and myths – the wisdom of the locals
– help to keep up the natural balance. Even if it might not be the existence of Eyang Merapi, but
the Mount Merapi villagers’ faith in his power: They bring them to protect the ecological diversity in this area.
In: Aditya Dipta Anindita (Ed.), Inter-related: Nature, the world und us, Indonesia 2006
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Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km
east of Yogyakarta.
The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia.
It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m
high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.
It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha
Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to
deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953.
Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be
rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of
the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.
The temple was damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest that although the
complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant. Large pieces of debris, including carvings, were scattered over the ground. The temple has been closed to the public until damage can be fully assessed. The head of Yogyakarta Archaeological Conservation Agency stated that: "it will take months to identify the precise damage". However, some weeks later in 2006 the site re-opened for visitors. The immediate surroundings of the Hindu temples remain off-limits for safety reasons. |
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Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The
monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for
pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while
ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu
kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked
in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the then British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by
native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction. |
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