INDONESIA February 2004 Issue No. 2 Supplementary Issue CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA, MUMBAI, INDIA Tourist Destination : Yogyakarta Lying in the Shadow of the aptly named Fire Mountain, (2914 meter-high active volcano, Mt. Merapi), is the seat of the once mighty Javanese Empire of Mataram, Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, Yogyakarta *Yogyakarta (Yogya) came into being in 1755, when a land dispute split the power of Mataram into the Sultanese of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo). Prince Mangkubumi built Kraton of Yogyakarta and created one of the most powerful Javanese states ever. The Kraton is still the hub of Yogyakartas traditional life.Yogyakarta is one of the supreme cultural centers of Java. Full gamelan orchestra keep alive the rhythms the past, classical Javanese dances entrrance with visions of beauty and poise, shadows come to life in the stories of the wayang kulit and a myraid of tradi- tional visual art forms keep locals and visitors alike spell-bound. Yogya has an extraordinary life force and charm which seldom fails to captivate. Contempo- rary art has also grown in the fertile soil of Yogyakartas sophisticated cultural society. ASRI, the Academy of Fine Arts, is the centre of arts in the region and Yogyakarta has given its name to an important school of modern painting in Indonesia, best illustrated by the renowned impressionist, the late Affandi. The province is one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia. It stretches from the slopes of mighty Mount Merapi in the north to the wave- swept beaches of the powerful Indian Ocean of the south. NGAYOGYAKARTA HADININGRAT PALACE : The palace court with its grand and elegant Javanese architecture lies in the center of the city between the Winogo and Code Rivers. The palace grounds, court- yards and buildings stretch from north to South, in line with Mount Merapi. One passes through the pal- ace meeting hall, the Pagelaran, where formal meet- ings of palace officials are held, to the Manguntur Tangkil hall where the Sultan holds audience. The palace today remains the atmosphere of a bygone era through the installations of lifesize wedding and palace meeting orchestras, antiques and heirlooms which adorn the royal buildings. PRAMBANAN TEMPLE : This magnificent Hindu temple derives it name from the village where it is located, seventeen kilometers east of Yogyakarta. Locally known as the Loro Jongrang Temple, or the Temple of the Slender Virgin. it is the most magnificent and beautiful Hindu Temple in Indonesia. Prambanan is believed to have been built by King Balitung Maha Sambu in the middle of the ninth century. Its Parapets are adorned with bas-relief depiciting the famous Ramayana story. It has eight shrines, Yogyakarta (Jogja) Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (Jogja) Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (Jogja) Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (Jogja) Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (Jogja) Yogyakarta the three main ones are dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. The main temple of Shiva rises to a height of 130 feet and houses the magnificant statue of Shivas con- sort, Durga. The Ramayana bal- let is performed on a open air stage during the full moon in the months from May to October. KALASAN TEMPLE : This unique Buddhist temple is located some 16 km. east of Yogyakarta, on the south side of the main road between Yogyakarta and Solo. It was built in honor of the marriage between king Pancapana of the Sanjaya Dynasty and a Princess of the Cailendra Dynasty, Dyanh Pramudya Wardhani. It is elaborately ornate, with finely carved reliefs preserved with vajralepa, from the sap of a local tree. Indonesian Tourist Destination - YOGYAKARTA (JOGJA) SARI TEMPLE : 600 m. northeast of the Kalasan Temple sits the slender and beautiful Sari Temple, formerly a Buddhist sanctuary (Vihara) where Buddhist priests used to live, meditate and teach their followers. THE STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE MUSEUM : Located on Jalan Colonel Sugiyono in Yogya, the museum features reliefs depicting the history of the struggle for independence and a collection of historic articles from that time. YOGYA KEMBALI MOUMENT : At Yogyakartas northern ringroad is the Monumen Yogya Kembali, established to commemorate Yogyakarta as the capital of the Republic of Indonesia in 1949. The monument has three floors. The first floor holds a museum, a library, an auditorium and cafeteria. On the second floor are 10 dioramas depiciting the highlights of the struggle to recapture Yogyakarta from the occupation of the Dutch Armed Forces. On the balustrade are 40 reliefs depiciting the history of the Indonesian peoples struggle for independence. MUSEUM SONOBUDOYO : This museum, founded in November 1935 and designed by the Dutch architect Kersten, is built in the traditional Javanese style of architecture. On exhibit are weapons, leather and wooden puppets of wayang theatre, masks, statues, textiles, curios and old Javanese gamelan instruments. The museum is situated on the northern side of the citys main square in front of the Sultans Palace. Open everyday except Mondays. KOTAGEDE : Kotagede, a picturesque town about five kilometres southeast of Yogyakarta, was once the seat of the mighty Mataram empire. Since the 1930s Kotagede has become famous as the center of the Yogya silverwork industry. Kotagede is easily reached by four wheeled horsedrawn cart, taxi, bus, or car. There are a number of workshops where visitors are welcome to watch the famous silversmiths at work. AFFANDI MUSEUM : Set in lush garden off the main road between the airport and the city stands the Affandi Museum. Affandi was Indonesias foremost impres- sionist painter who built a private museum for his own paintings and of those of his daughter Kartika. BATIK RESEARCH CENTER : Situated on the eastern outskirts of the city, the Batik Research Center has an interesting permanent exhibition of batiks in classic and modern designs. Both the hand-drawn and hand stamped processes can be seen here. PARANG TRITIS BEACH : A popular seaside resort 27kms south of Yogyakarta on the Indian ocean, Parang Tritis is famous in Javanese mythology as the home of the Goddess of the South Seas, who was married to Panembahan Senopati, founder of the Mataram Kingdom. Every year the sultans of Yogyakarta make special offerings to her in a beachside ceremony called Labuhan. KRAKAL BEACH : The sloping beach of Krakal is very nice. It is wide, white sanded beach interrupted by some coral ridege. The beach is very suitable for sunbathing because the sunshine from morning until late after- noon. Many tropical fish can be found here. Krakal is only 9 km from Baron Beach. BARON BEACH : This beach froms a bay that protrudes between two green coral ridges. The beach is located about 60 km from Yogyakarta. One goes down a winding road through the mountains with lovely panoramas over the green valleys besides views of terraced of limestone hills. The beach features the mouth of an underground river. GLAGAL BEACH : Glagal beach is situated in Kulonprogo Regency, at 40 km. south-west of Yogyakarta. The Serang River, which runs to the South Sea, ended here. Alongside the river green field with shady coconut trees which is a convenient place to camp, or just relax. PANDANSIMO BEACH : The tourist resort is situated in Poncosari Village, Srandakan Subdistrict - some 30 km south of Yogyakarta. A deeply sanctified coastal area near the delta of River Progo, the beach has huge and wild seawaves and also beautiful view. Fish lovers may buy fresh fish right on the spot from local fisherman. TRISIK BEACH : In Trisik, visitors can enjoy its beautiful panorama of open sea, sunset-sunrise, and the ruins of Sri Paduka Paku Alam V resthouse. More than all, we can easily find various kinds of fresh fish as well as fried and baked fishes sold in the Fish Market Center available. Trisik Beach is situated in the south east part of Kulonprogo Regency, precisely in Banaran, sub district of Galur, an hour by a car from Yogyakarta and 30 minutes from Wates. MERAPI MOUNT : Merapi Volcano, 2,968 m above sea level is one of the most active volcano in the world. During the bright sunny days, it invites even chal- lenges the adventurous people to climb it. There are two tracks to climb it. The first is through Kinarejo, about 2 km. from the moutain resort Kaliurang. Kinarejo is about 9 km to the peak of Merapi. It takes 10 hours to reach the top. Supplemantary Issue (February 2004) 2 Indonesian Tourist Destination - YOGYAKARTA (JOGJA) TAMAN SARI (WATER CASTLE) : The term Taman Sari roughly translated means fragrant garden. In reality Taman Sari served as garden of delights for the Sultans and was originally constructed around 1758. In all too typical Feudal fashion the architect (a Portuguese fellow) was executed so that the secret rooms and passage ways built for the Sultan would remain secret... Originally Taman Sari had a number of facilities including a man made lake, underground escape routes which could be flooded and even a floating Mosque! The focal point of the complex now is the remnants of a large elaborate bathing pool where the Sultan's harem would while away the sultry afternoons each hoping to be chosen by the Sultan for the remainder of the evening. Wars and earthquakes in the 19th century have destroyed much of what was the original Taman Sari however the bathing pools have been recon- structed specifically to interest tourists to visit the site. KALIURANG : Visiting Kaliurang, a popular mountain resort of 24 km at the northern side of Yogyakarta, may provide great escape from the heat and humidity of Yogyakarta city either early in the morning or at the afternoon. The sleepy green valleys and the lazy hills provide a nice setting for the youth to go camping or do mountain climbing. Sometimes at certain time, especially at night, visitors can see a spectacular sight of lava coming down the mountain.