Yogyakarta: A Homy Adorable City
Written by Lisa Hardini
Yogyakarta (also often called Yogya, Jogja) is located in the central area of Java Island as the capital city of Yogyakarta Special Region (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta) Province.
In the past time, Yogyakarta became the centre of some kingdoms: Mataram Kindom (Islamic Kingdom), Yogyakarta Sultanate, Paku Alaman. This city also became the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution (an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution) from 1945 to 1949.
In many people’s opinion, this city is relative small but it is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art, culture, and tradition that attract most tourists to visit this city.
No wonder that Yogyakarta is the second most tourist destination in Indonesia after Bali.
That’s why, it’s interesting to enjoy Yogyakarta with its traditional Javanese atmosphere and I suggest some tourist destinations for your first visiting:
- Malioboro, is a major shopping street in Yogyakarta, Indonesia; the name is also used more generally for the neighborhood around the street. It lies north-south axis in the line between Yogyakarta Kraton and Mount Merapi. Sidewalks on both sides of the street are crowded with small stalls selling a variety of goods, the unique traditional crafts, souvenir, clothes, etc and you can bargain the price. In the evening several open-air streetside restaurants, called lesehan, operate along the street. There are also Bering Harjo Traditional Market and Mirota Batik situated in this street that are nice to visit.
Note: it’s better to ask the price of the food and drink in lesehan otherwise they will give you high price and if you have Indonesian friend, it’s even better then he/she can accompany you J
- Archaelogical Sights: Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple, King Boko Palace.
Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the ninth century measuring 123 x 123 meters. It was completed centuries before Angkor Wat in Kamboja.
Well, actually, Borobudur is located in Magelang, a city near Yogyakarta.
Prambanan is the masterpiece of Hindu culture of the tenth century. The slim building soaring up to 47 meters makes its beautiful architecture incomparable.
It’s located in Prambanan, Yogyakarta. This temple becomes a background of a cultural performance called Ramayana Ballet, a dance-drama accompanied by gamelan music as a marvelous visualization of legendary epos in Javanese culture, which performance in an open stage.
King Boko Palace is a luxurious palace complex that was built in the eighth century. The most luxurious building during its time was built by one of the relatives of Borobudur founder. It’s also located at Prambanan, Yogyakarta.
- Parangtritis Beach is the most popular beach in Yogyakarta for enjoying the sunset while having fun conquering sand dune with ATV (All-terrain Vehicle) or walking along the beach with a carriage in the romantic evening.
- Historic and heritage sights: Yogyakarta Palace (Kraton), Taman Sari, Kotagede.
Yogyakarta Palace was built to be a focal point of the Sultan’s entire kingdom. Today, the Keraton is a piece of living history and tradition. It continues to be used, both as a home of the Sultan as well as for other important ceremonial and cultural functions of the Yogya court. At the back part of the Sultan's Palace that you can reach southwards from Wijilan, the central place for purchasing of Gudeg as special food of Yogyakarta., you can find Alun-Alun Kidul, commonly shortened as alkid (The South Square). Here, you can warm your evening and nighttime with friends by enjoying food and drinks. You can try baked corn, baked banana, or baked bread and the traditional beverages: ronde and bajigur. Then you also can try to an attraction called Masangin, namely walking through two banyan trees in the middle of the square with your eyes being closed with black cloth that is available for rent at 3,000 Rupiah. The belief says that those who successfully do it will get unlimited blessing.
Taman Sari was a recreation garden or a resting house for the Sultan and Family and had the other function as hiding place for royal family to defend against the enemy assault. There are the sacred room (the sacred place in the complex showing a separated building, which once functioned as a hermitage place for the Sultan and his family), the bathing pools (Consists of two bathing pools that are separated with a 2-storey building that from this building the Sultan watched all the women swimming in the outer pool then he might ask some of them to accompany him into the inner pool), Kenanga or Cemeti Island. This part compounds of some building such as Kenanga or Cemeti Island (forming Island), Sumur Gemuling and underground tunnels.
Kotagede is a silent witness of the rise of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom that ruled almost the entire Java. We can find Pasargede (Kotagede tradisional market), The cemetery of Islamic Mataram Kingdom forefathers, the fort’s ruins, Masjid Kotagede, Kotagede Javanese traditional house, that is called Rumah Joglo. Kotagede is also well-known as the centre of the Yogya silverwork industry. There are a number of workshops where visitors are welcome to watch silver being transformed into beautiful works of art known as "Yogya Silver".
- Tugu Jogja, is the most popular landmark in Yogyakarta located right in the center of the crossroad between the Mangkubumi, Soedirman, A.M. Sangaji and Diponegoro roads. It’s almost 3 centuries old has a very deep meaning.
- Kaliurang is an area which has nature beauty and coolness in that foot of the Merapi mountain.,In the early of the nineteenth century, some Dutch geologists living in Yogyakarta intended to find a place for their family to spend their vacation. They went along the edge of the north area as the high land and arriving at Kaliurang, the "meneers" finally built bungalows and decided to make the area their place for vacation.
- Prawirotaman and Sosrowijayan are neighborhoods as tourist kampong.
Prawirotaman (it’s predicated 'international kampong') was once an independence struggler post and is a famous batik business area also has many lodgings at affordable prices; most of them are managed by descendents of one clan.
Sosrowijayan as the second famous tourist kampong after Prawirotaman is located in the center of Yogyakarta city, along Malioboro street. It offers lodgings and hotels at affordable prices and other interesting facilities from old hotel building to batik course.
- Gudeg centres are places to taste gudeg, the particular and most popular food of Yogyakarta. You can find gudeg in Wijilan, an area that is not far from the Palace of Yogyakarta (in example: gudeg Bu Slamet) and in Barek, an area on the north side of Yogyakarta, near Gadjah Mada University, along Kaliurang Street (in example: gudeg Bu Ahmad, gudeg Yu Djum, gudeg Yu Narni).
Well that’s all my suggestions. As I had been living in Yogyakarta for five years, I could feel this city as amazing cultural city and of course, a homy adorable one for me. Hope you all will have a wonderful time in Yogyakarta as I did J..
Website links as sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanate_of_Yogyakarta
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakualaman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogyakarta
http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/candi/borobudur/
http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/performance/ramayana-ballet/
http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/candi/ratu-boko/
http://www.yogyes.com/en/yogyakarta-tourism-object/market/malioboro/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalan_Malioboro
http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/yogyakarta/kota-gede.html
