Details of Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta Special Region (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, DIY) is officially one of Indonesia's 32 provinces. It is located in the center of the island of Java, bordered on the south by the Indian Ocean, and to the north by a chain of volcanoes of which meeting Merapi, some 27 kms away, can be seen as a dramatic background to the city skyline.

Yogyakarta Special Region is geographically located almost equidistant from Indonesia's two most important international gateways, about 600 kms from Jakarta and 1000 kms from Bali. Yogyakarta also has excellent transport connections by bus, train or plane to the rest of Java, Sumatera, Bali & Lombok.

Yogyakarta's Adisucipto Airport is in the process of changing its status in order to receive not only domestics flights from Bali and Jakarta, but also direct charter and scheduled flights from other countries.

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Yogyakarta festivals and events

The Yogyakarta Arts Festival is held annually for one whole month. During this time, you can see various traditional arts and cultural performances such as gamelan, wayang orang, wayang kulit, wayang golek, handicraft and painting exhibitions, classical dance, ketoprak, jatilan, reog and other forms of arts and performances.

There is also a huge celebration to commemorate Indonesia ’s Independence Day which falls on 17 August.

he people of Yogyakarta also organise a major celebration to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammad, usually about a week before the actual day. The week begins with traditional ceremonies, carnivals and festival (Sekaten). The people believe that by celebrating the Prophet Muhammed’s birthday, they will be blessed with good life and youthfulness.

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Mount Merapi or Gunung Merapi Yogyakarta

Mount Merapi or Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language (bahasa), is a conical volcano in Central Java, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. Its name means Mountain of Fire. It is very close to the city of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1700 m above sea level.
Several of its eruptions have caused fatalities. It was erupting from 1992 to 2002, and a particularly large explosion killed 43 people in 1994. It began erupting again in 2006, and scientists believe a large eruption is imminent. In light of the hazards it poses to populated areas, it has been designated a Decade Volcano.
Merapi is the youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java. It is situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate. It is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - a section of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia

Stratigraphic analysis reveals that eruptions in the Merapi area began about 400,000 years ago, and from then until about 10,000 years ago, eruptions were typically effusive, and the outflowing lava emitted was basaltic. Since then, eruptions have become more explosive, with viscous andesitic lavas often generating lava domes. Dome collapse has often generated pyroclastic flows, and larger explosions, which have resulted in eruption columns, have also generated pyroclastic flows through column collapse.

Typically, small eruptions occur every two to three years, and larger ones every 10-15 years or so. Notable eruptions, often causing many deaths, have occurred in 1006, 1786, 1822, 1872 (the most violent eruption in recent history), and 1930—when thirteen villages were destroyed and 1400 people killed by pyroclastic flows.
A very large eruption in 1006 is claimed to have covered all of central Java with ash. The volcanic devastation is claimed to have led to the collapse of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram, however there is insufficient evidence from that era for this to be substantiated.

Merapi continues hold particular significance for the Javanese: it is one of four places where officials from the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Solo make annual offerings to placate the ancient Javanese spirits.

More like hers brother, Mount Merbabu is a favorite mountain for local and foreign mountaineers. The average temperature in its top is around 15 grade Celsius during the day, of course in the night, it’s biting cold. The magnificent Merbabu is in the middle of Central Java Province, comes from the word "Meru" means mountain and "Babu" means female or lady. For years it has been known as a sleeping mountain, but in fact it has 5 calderas, namely: Condrodimuko, Kombang, Kendang, Rebab & Sambernyowo. Mt. Merbabu last eruption was in 1968 which caused a lot of erosion. Usually it gives a tranquile atmosphere to its green beautiful environment.

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Yogyakarta-Prambanan Temple

This magnificent Shivaite temple derives it name from the village where it is located. Locally known as the Loro Jonggrang Temple, or the Temple of the "Slender Virgin", it is the biggest and most beautiful Hindu temple in Indonesia.

Seventeen kilometers east of Yogyakarta, it is believed to have been built by King Balitung Maha Sambu in the middle of the ninth century. Its parapets are adorned with a bas-reliefs depicting the famous Ramayana story.

The first open-air theater on the southern side of the temple was built in 1960 and the new theater on the western side of the temple in 1988. During full moon evenings in the month from May to October, the Ramayana ballet is performed right here. The temple complex of Prambanan lies among green fields and villages. It has eight shrines, of which 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 magnificent statue of Shiva's consort, Durga.

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Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace

The palace court with its grand and elegant Javanese architecture lies in the center of the city. It was founded by Prince Mangkubumi in 1755. The Prince was then called Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono

I. He chose the right location of the compound between the Winongo River and the Code River. The palace stretches out from north to south.

The front yard is called alun-alun Utara (the North Square), and the back yard is called Alun-alun Selatan (the South Square).

The layout of the buildings shows that the Palace, the commemorative column and Mount Merapi lie in one line.

The palace meeting hall is called the Pagelaran, where formal meetings of palace officials are held, while the "Manguntur Tingkil" hall is the place where the Sultan is seated.

The palace visitors can enjoy the atmosphere of the kraton in former times by visiting the life-size diorama of wedding ceremonies on the palace meeting hall, performed by puppets which are intentionally arranged to create such an atmosphere. Sets of Javanese musical instruments, antiques and heirlooms have made the palace of Yogyakarta worth to visit.

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Yogyakarta Information and Guide

Yogyakarta is one of the biggest cities and is one of the special regions in Indonesia, called Yogyakarta Special Region. It lies on the central Java covering 32.80 square kilometers with the total population around 511.744 people. It is famous for classical Javanese fine art and culture including handmade batik, traditional ballet, drama, music, and puppet shows. During the revolution period, Yogyakarta was the national capital of Indonesia, from 1945 to 1949.
Yogyakarta is divided into 14 districts :
* Danurejan
* Gedongtengen
* Gondomanan
* Gondokusuman
* Jetis
* Kraton
* Kotagede
* Mergangsan
* Mantrijeron
* Ngampilan
* Pakualaman
* Tegalrejo
* Umbulharjo
* Wirobrajan
Besides the cultural heritage, Yogyakarta has beautiful panoramic views with hectares of rice fields on the outskirt of the main city. It offers wide range of tourist attractions and the remnants from the old centuries including Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temples, Mendut and Pawon Temples. Art and cultural tourisms are also attracted domestic and foreign travelers. Shopping is another option while holiday in Yogyakarta. The best shopping spots and entertainment complex is on Malioboro Street.

Yogyakarta is the second most popular Indonesia travel destination after Bali. Selection of accommodations and hotels are located on the main city. There are some international chain hotels in Yogyakarta such as Sheraton Mustika Resort, Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, Melia Purosani, Ibis Malioboro, Novotel Yogyakarta, Quality Hotel Yogyakarta and Grand Mercure Yogyakarta. Small and budget hotels are also available with simple facilities.

Getting to Yogyakarta can be by flights from major cities in Indonesia, by train from Jakarta, Bandung, Solo, Semarang, and Surabaya, by bus from all cities in Java. Flights to Yogyakarta are served daily from Denpasar, Jakarta, Surabaya and other big cities in Indonesia, regular flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Places of interest :
Borobudur Buddhist Temple, Gebang Temple, Ijo Temple, Mendut Temple, Pawon Temple, Plaosan Temple, Prambanan Temple, Tara Temple, Musems, Malioboro Shopping Street and Parangtritis Beach.

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Borobudur A Mahayana Buddhist stupa

A Mahayana Buddhist stupa, Borobudur holds the honour of being the largest Buddhist monument found anywhere on this earth. It is located 41 km north west of Jogjakarta (Yogyakarta) in Central Java, a province of Indonesia. Though, there are no written historical records available to prove who actually constructed Borobudur and for what purpose, still the estimation of construction time suggests that it was built during the rule of Sailendra dynasty between 750-800 AD.

Later, in its history, Borobudur was deserted, the reason is again uncertain. Some earlier scholars believe that a famine caused by eruption in Mount Merapi was the reason while more recent scholars attribute the desertion to the shift of Javanese power from the area of Borobudur to the valley of the Brantas. After its abandonment, Borobudur was rediscovered by Lieutenant-Governor Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814. He sent a group of men to make further investigations and from 1835 onwards work began to clear off the dense tropical vegetation that engulfed it. Drawings of reliefs were made and appeared in the first Borobudur monograph of 1873. Photographs were also taken which further helped in instilling a sense of appreciation for the Borobudur monument.

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Yogyakarta a central city of the Java culture

Located in the center of Java Island, bordered in the south by the Indian Ocean, which according to the Javanese belief is where the spirits of Queen of South dwells; and in the north by Mt Merapi, an active volcano which still believed as a home of sacred spirits. Just about 600 kms from Jakarta, the capital city and about 1000 kms from Bali, Yogyakarta city is easily reached by various transport connections, either by airlines or trains and buses.

As the former capitals and the centre of several kingdoms in the past, Yogyakarta and its people are very rich in cultural heritages. Civilization, traditional arts and culture had developed respectively in the times of the ancient Mataram Kingdom (8th - 10th century), the second Mataram Kingdom (17th - 18th century), and the Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Kingdom from the mid of 18th century until nowadays. You will see many heritages here, not only ancient monuments like temples, but also the living culture in the form of various kind of traditional ceremonies, cultural events, traditional dances, performances, and batik painting, and much more.

As a tourism destination, Yogyakarta comes with three main point of interest:

* as the heart of Java culture, Yogyakarta is heavy colored by daily java culture lifestyle and customs, performing arts in certain occasions, under the governance of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, the King of Yogyakarta Kingdom and the governor of Yogyakarta Province, who lives in the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta nowadays.
* the most famous monuments from ancient cultures: the Borobudur Temple, the Prambanan Temple, and tens of smaller temples in and around of Yogyakarta.
* its natural beauties, the beaches and the magnificent mountain that can be reach within 30 minutes from the downtown, beautiful limestone caves and wild rivers to raft

Yogyakarta has attracted many people from all over the world to enjoy its beauty and amazing cultures from day to day. Supported by several luxury star hotels, well connected transportation, and a good travel plan, you can also explore the countryside of Yogyakarta while you stay in Indonesia with ease and comfortless.

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Yogyakarta heritage buildings and monuments

Being one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, Yogyakarta has many heritage buildings and monuments. The number one must-see attraction is Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono’s palace, better known as Kraton Ngayogyakarto. Other heritage buildings from colonial era are: BNI ‘46 building, Kantor Pos Besar (Central Post Office) building, and Bank Indonesia building, all of them are located north of the Sultan’s ground. Other notable landmarks and attractions are:
- Tugu Monument. A well known landmark located in the center of downtown Yogyakarta. Originally built by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VI, the top spire is a round sphere which represents the universe. During the colonial era, the spire was replaced with a golden cylinder.
- Benteng Vredeburg. A Dutch fort located in front of Gedung Agung (President’s Palace). A great example of the Dutch colonial architecture. Few warfare items is still preserved, including a twin cannons.
- Kotagede. The capital of ancient Islamic Mataram kingdom. Before independence, Kotagede was the central economic district of Yogyakarta, as it held the largest marketplace and was home to many wealthy batik merchants. Although some ancient buildings have been modernized or replaced with newer buildings, Kotagede remains a prime example of ancient Javanese architecture and city structure. Be sure to check out the local silver handicrafts.
- Imogiri, southwest of town. Graveyard of the Yogyakarta and Surakarta royal families. Currently closed due to damage sustained in the May 2006 earthquake.

Kotabaru, which used to be Dutch officials residential area, has few heritage homes as well as a colonial style church & monastery (Gereja Kotabaru) and a stadium (Stadion Kridosono).

Yogyakarta city was built with deep philosophy: the city was designed so that the main elements of the city forms a imaginary line. This straight line starts from Parangtritis on the coast, to Kraton Yogyakarta, to Tugu Monument, and finally to Mount Merapi. This represents Sultan’s strong relationship with the guardian spirits of Mt. Merapi and the beach of Parangtritis.

Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi, Central Java Other popular destinations in the Yogyakarta region are:
North
- The massive Buddhist temple of Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world, is 40 minutes away by car and one of the main drawcards for visitors to Yogyakarta.
- Kaliurang is a small town on the southern slope of Mount Merapi.
- Ketep offers a great vantage point for a spectacular view of Mount Merapi and Mount Merbabu. This site has a small cinema which regularly shows an interesting documentary of Mount Merapi. Located in Muntilan, east of Borobudur, 40 minutes from Yogyakarta by car.
East
- The Hindu temples of Prambanan, just 20 minutes away, are a close second. The smaller temples of Kalasan and others are on the way to Prambanan.
- Ratu Boko palace, only 2 kms north of Prambanan. An ancient royal palace complex, similar in architectural layout with other Kratons or palaces in Java. Magnificently located on top of a hill, Ratu Boko has been recently restored.
South
- Parangtritis on the south coast is one of the better known beaches. Local folklore suggests that this beach is the palace of the legendary Nyai Loro Kidul or ‘Queen of the South’. It is common knowledge among locals not to wear anything green in color, or the Queen will entice the wearer into the ocean to drown. Warning: Never swim at Parangtritis beach. The wild waves is known to be extremely deadly: it has killed many people who ignored this precautions.

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