Candi in Yogyakarta

There are several Candi (Ancient Temples) located in Yogyakarta and it's proximity. Borobudur Temple, one of famous candim is located in Magelang, not far from Yogyakarta. Prambanan, also a well-known candi is located in Yogyakarta-Central Java border, Candi Sambisari, Candi Kalasan, Candi Kalasan, Candi Sari.

Candi Kalasan is located not far from Prambanan, around 2 km to the west from Prambanan or 14 km to the east from Yogyakarta. This candi is located in south side of Prambanan-Yogyakarta main road. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Yogyakarta. Constructed in late 7th century (778 AD) by Rakai Panangkaran from Sanjaya Dinasty. He was Hindu but he built a Buddhist temple, thus it reflects peacefully religion life during that time. The relief carved in this candi are known to be the most beautiful. The wall is covered by ancient white cement called bajralepa. Candi Kalasan was built to adore Dewi Tara (Tara Godess). A Boddhisatva bronze statue used to be placed inside the candi, but this statue is not there anymore.

Candi Sambisari is very unique. Unlike other candi, it sits at estimated 6m below the ground line. It is easy to reach because it is located close to Adisucipto International Airport. You can go there by taxi. Candi Sambisari consists of one main candi and three supporting candis (perwara). You can see lingga and yoni, symbol of male and female sex, inside the main candi. In the main candi's wall, there are three statue, Agastya in south side, Ganesha in east side, and Dewi Durga in north side. From the lingga, yoni, and the statues, it has been concluded that the Sambisari was built to adore Siva Gods. There is no fixed reference about when and who built this candi. But from the Wanua III inscriptions, Candi Sambisari is predicted to be cunstructed in 9th century (812-838 AD).

Candi Sari is located not far from Candi Kalasan, estimated 600 m to north-east from Candi Kalasan. This candi was built as an ancient Buddhist monk dormitory. Inside the candi, there are two floors with three rooms on each floor. The reliefs is similar with Candi Kalasan's and the wall is also covered with bajralepa. There are Boddhisatva and Tara Godess carved beside the windows that show us the relation between Candi Kalasan and Candi Sari. The unique rooftop consists of 9 stupas in grid. The holes in some areas shows that woods was used to complete the construction. This candi is predicted to be build in the same era with Candi Kalasan.

Kraton Yogyakarta (Sultan's palace)

The Sultan's palace or Kraton encompasses the main palace, Sultan's residential, two Sultan's grounds, and large residential area where sultan servants used to reside. Notable attraction in Kraton complex are:

Kraton complex :
Kraton Yogyakarta, A calm yet elegant Javanese heritage that consists of two separate entrances: the Main Court (Pagilaran & Siti Hinggil), and the Residence. The Main Court showcases the grandeur of Sultan's monarchy, while the Residence is more homey while still exhibiting the royal family's luxurious lifestyle. Open 8.30 AM to 1 PM daily, on Friday the attraction is closed at 11 AM.

Sultan's Carriage Museum (Museum Kereta: This museum houses Sultan's horse-drawn carriages, including two beautiful carriages imported from the Netherlands and known as Golden Carts (kereta kencana).
Taman Sari, Also known by the Dutch name waterkasteel (water castle), this is a partly ruined complex built as a pleasure garden by the first Sultan in 1765. One of the bathing pools was dedicated to the sultan's harem, and he had a tower overlooking the area so he could take his pick.
Siti Hinggil Selatan: This somehow-muted palace is rarely used for formal occasion. You can catch a shadow puppet performance during weekend night.

Alun-alun or the Sultan's ground: There are two Sultan's grounds: Alun-alun Utara and Alun-alun Selatan or the northern and southern Sultan's ground, consecutively. If you are lucky, you can see the Gerebeg Maulud parade during Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

Masjid Gede Kauman: one of the oldest and largest mosque in Yogyakarta. Located on the west of Alun-alun Utara, this mosque was where the Sultan performs his religious rites and ceremonies. Non-muslim visitors should wear decent clothing. It may be a good idea to ask the mosque authorities prior to entering the mosque due to some rules that must be abide.

in Yogyakarta

Landmarks and attractions In Yogyakarta (yogya/jogja/Jogjakarta):

Kotagede The capital of ancient Islamic Mataram kingdom. The tomb of Mataram Kingdom's first king, Panembahan Senopati, is also located in this place. 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 (yogyakarta silver).

Benteng Vredeburg (Fort Vredeburg), located on Jalan Jenderal Ahmad Yani 6, Yogyakarta . This A Dutch fort located in front of Gedung Agung (President's Palace). A great example of the Dutch colonial architecture. A few warfare items are still preserved, including a twin cannon.

Tugu Monument A well known landmark located in the center of downtown Yogyakarta. Built by Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono VI, the top spire was originally a round sphere which represents the universe. During the colonial era, the spire was replaced with a golden cylinder.

Imogiri, southwest of town. Graveyard of the Yogyakarta and Surakarta royal families.

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

Yogyakarta heritage buildings

At Yogyakarta city has many heritage buildings and monuments. The number one must-see attraction is Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono's palace, better known as Kraton Ngayogyakarta. Other heritage buildings from Dutch colonial architecture era like a: BNI '46 building, Kantor Pos Besar (Central Post Office) building, Stasiun Tugu and Bank Indonesia building, all of them are located near Sultan's palace.

Yogyakarta city

Yogyakarta (Jogja/Yogya/Jogjakarta ), It is renowned as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, silver work, leather puppets, poetry and puppet shows (wayang kulit). It is also famous as a center for Indonesian higher education.

At Yogyakarta's center is the kraton, or Sultan's palace. Surrounding the kraton is a densely-populated residential 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, and 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.

While the city sprawls in all directions from the kraton, the core of the modern city is to the north, 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.

Yogyakarta is known for its silver work ( Kotagede ), 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.Due to the importance of Yogyakarta during the war of independence from the Dutch, there are numerous memorials and museums. Yogya Kembali, and Fort Vredeburg are two major museums of about 11 named in the city.

Yogyakarta city has an extensive system of public city buses, and is a major destination for inter-city buses to elsewhere on Java or Bali, as well as taxis, andong, and becak. Motorbikes are by far the most commonly-used personal transportation, but an increasing number of residents own automobiles.

by Trains to Yogyakarta

Trains to/from Jakarta city take between 7 to 12 hours from the main Yogyakarta station, commonly called Tugu Station. The Argo-class trains (Argo Lawu and Argo Dwipangga) are the best of the lot: most comfortable and fastest. Taksaka is almost as good. These expresses connect Yogyakarta and Jakarta in 7-8 hours, either at daytime or overnight. The line between Kroya and Prupuk, where the railway crosses the main backbone mountains of Java, is scenic.
Passengers to/from Bandung city should take the Argo Wilis or Lodaya expresses which traverse a scenic part of Java during daylight hours, with rice fields and mountains..
Passengers to Surabaya are served by the twice-daily Sancaka service departing in the morning and afternoon.
Yogyakarta and Solo is connected by the five Prambanan Ekspres trains. Despite the name, the train does not stop at Prambanan, and even if it does make an unscheduled stop, the station is rather far from the temple complex of Prambanan.
Stasiun Tugu (Tugu Central Railway Station), Jalan Mangkubumi 1, Yogyakarta 55232, +62 274 589685. The main central station, serves big city destinations such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Solo. Stasiun Lempuyangan (Lempuyangan Railway Station), Jalan Lempuyangan, Yogyakarta 552224. Serves economy class trains and small city destinations.

Brief History of Yogyakarta

The Yogyakarta Sultanate, formally the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, was formed in 1755 when the existing Sultanate of Mataram was divided by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in two under the Treaty of Giyanti. This treaty states that the Sultanate of Mataram was to be divided into the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat with Yogyakarta as the capital and Mangkubumi who became Sultan Hamengkubuwono I as its Sultan and the Sultanate of Surakarta Hadiningrat with Surakarta as the capital and Pakubuwono III who was the ruler of the Sultanate of Mataram as its Sultan. The Sultan Hamengkubuwono I spent the next 37 years building the new capital, with the Kraton as the centerpiece and the court at Surakarta as the blueprint model. By the time he died in 1792, his territory exceeded Surakarta's.

The ruler Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (April 12, 1912 - 1988) held a degree from the Dutch Leiden University, and held for a time the largely ceremonial position of Vice-President of Indonesia, in recognition of his status, as well as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense.

In support of Indonesia declaring independence from the Dutch and Japanese occupation, in September 5, 1945, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX of Yogya and Sri Paku Alam VIII in Yogya declared their sultanates to be part of the Republic of Indonesia. In return for this unfailing support, a law was passed in 1950, in which Yogyakarta was granted the status of province Daerah Istimewa (Special Region Province), with special status that recognizes the power of the Sultan in his own region's domestic affairs. Hence Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX was appointed as the governor for life. During the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch after World War II (1945-1950), the capital of the newly-declared Indonesian republic was temporarily moved to Yogyakarta when the Dutch reoccupied Jakarta from January 1946 until August 1950...

Yogyakarta Sultanate Residences :

The principal residence of the sultan is the kraton (palace), sometimes called the Yogyakarta Kraton but more properly known as Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat.

Yogyakarta Airport

Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport is the principal airport serving the Yogyakarta area on the island of Java, Indonesia. Adisucipto Airport is the third busiest airport in Java, after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta and Juanda International Airport (SUB) in Surabaya.

The airport became an international airport on 21 February 2004 with the first flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia operated by the Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. This was the realisation of Yogyakarta's wish to have its own international airport after struggling for over 30 years. One month later, Garuda Indonesia operated its second international flight to Singapore. Before Adisucipto became an international airport, Yogyakarta depended on Bali and Jakarta as the gateway for its international trade and tourism. Unfortunately, due to low demand, Garuda Indonesia ceased international flights from this airport on November 2006.

This airport was heavily damaged by the 27th May 2006 earthquake and had to be closed for 2 days. Some parts of the runway were cracked and the departure lounge collapsed. During those 2 days, most flights to and from this airport were canceled or rerouted to Adisumarmo International Airport, Solo. After it returned to service on May 30, 2006, all passengers used the international lounge until the new domestic departure lounge was ready.International flights resumed on 30 January 2008 when AirAsia began to fly the Yogyakarta - Kuala Lumpur route using Airbus 320 aircraft. From 1 February 2008, Malaysia Airlines also started to serve the Yogyakarta - Kuala Lumpur route operating Boeing 737-400.

Airlines fly from Yogyakarta (as of April 2008):

(Domestic Routes)

Batavia Air (Balikpapan, Jakarta, Pontianak, Surabaya)

Garuda Indonesia (Denpasar-Bali, Jakarta)

Mandala Airlines (Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Denpasar-Bali, Jakarta)

Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Makassar)

Lion Air (Jakarta)

Wings Air (Denpasar-Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya)

International Routes
AirAsia (Kuala Lumpur)

Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur).

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earthquake " At 6:30am on Saturday morning, May 27th 2006, a Richter 5.9 earthquake struck the province of Yogyakarta and the adjoining district of Klaten in Central Java....The massive response by the people of Java, the Indonesian government and the national and international aid community has resulted in one of the most rapid and effective disaster recovery operations ever.

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Yogyakarta

The city of Yogyakarta ( Jogjakarta / Jogja) is the capital of the province, and It is located on the island of Java. It is the only province in Indonesia that is still formally governed by a precolonial Sultanate, ( The Special Region of Yogyakarta (Indonesian: Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, "DIY"), the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. Yogyakarta is located in south-central Java. It is surrounded by the province of Central Java (Jawa Tengah) and the Indian Ocean in the south. Yogyakarta province is subdivided into four regencies (kabupaten) and one city (kota):

- Bantul Regency

- Gunung Kidul Regency

- Kulon Progo Regency,

- Sleman Regency ,

- Yogyakarta City.

Yogyakarta city is known as a center of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry and puppet shows. It is also famous as a center for Indonesian higher education. At Yogyakarta's center is the kraton, or Sultan's palace. While the city sprawls in all directions from the kraton, the core of the modern city is to the north.

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.