Keraton Yogyakarta

After Sultan Agung, the Sultanate of Mataram was declining due to power struggle within the sultanate. To make things worse, VOC (Dutch East India Company) exploited the power struggle to increase its control. At the peak of the conflict, the Mataram Sultanate was split in two based on the Treaty of Giyanti of February 13, 1755: Yogyakarta Sultanate and Surakarta Sultanate.
The Giyanti Treaty mentioned Pangeran Mangkubumi as Sultan of Yogyakarta with the title of Sampeyan Dalem Ingkang Sinuwun Kanjeng Sultan Hamengkubuwono Senopati Ingalaga Abdul Rakhman Sayidin Khalifatullah Panatagama (His Majesty, The Sultan-Carrier of the Universe, Chief Warrior, Servant of the Most Gracious, Cleric and Caliph that Safeguards the Religion).
During the era of Dutch occupation there were two principalities, the Yogyakarta Sultanate (Kasultanan Yogyakarta) and the smaller Pakualaman Duchy / Principality (Kadipaten Pakualaman).
The Dutch Colonial Government arranged for the carrying out autonomous self government, arranged under a political contract. When the Indonesian independence was proclaimed, the rulers, the Sultan of Yogyakarta and Prince of Pakualaman made a declaration they would become part of the Republic of Indonesia. Those two regions were unified to form the Yogyakarta Special Region and the sultan became the Governor of Yogyakarta and the Prince of Pakualaman as the vice-governor; both were responsible to the President of Indonesia. The Special Region of Yogyakarta was created after the independence war ended and legalized on August 3, 1950.
In carrying out the local government administration it considers three principles: decentralization, deconcentration and assistance. The provincial government carries out the responsibilities and authorities of the central government, while on other hand carrying out its autonomous responsibilities and authorities. The Regional Government consists of the Head of the Region and the Legislative Assembly of the Region. Such construction guarantees good cooperation between the Head of Region and the Legislative Assembly of Region in order to achieve a sound regional government administration. The Head of the Special Region of Yogyakarta has got responsibility as the Head of the Territory and titled as a Governor.
The first Governor was the late Hamengkubuwono IX, Sultan of Yogyakarta and continued by HRH. Paku Alam VIII as acting governor until Hamengkubuwono X ascended in 1998. Unlike the other heads of regions in Indonesia, the governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta has the privilege or special status of not being bound to the period of position nor the requirements and way of appointment. However, in carrying out their duties, they have the same authorizations and responsibilities.

sumber: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogyakarta_Sultanate

Borobudur Temple

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near 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.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-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, then the 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.

Approximately 40 kilometers (25 mi) northwest of Yogyakarta, Borobudur is located in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. According to local myth, the area known as Kedu Plain is a Javanese 'sacred' place and has been dubbed 'the garden of Java' due to its high agricultural fertility.Besides Borobudur, there are other Buddhist and Hindu temples in the area, including the Prambanan temples compound. During the restoration in the early 20th century, it was discovered that three Buddhist temples in the region, Borobudur, Pawon and Mendut, are lined in one straight line position.It might be accidental, but the temples' alignment is in conjunction with a native folk tale that a long time ago, there was a brick-paved road from Borobudur to Mendut with walls on both sides. The three temples (Borobudur–Pawon–Mendut) have similar architecture and ornamentation derived from the same time period, which suggests that ritual relationship between the three temples, in order to have formed a sacred unity, must have existed, although exact ritual process is yet unknown

sumber: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borobudur

'Jalan Malioboro'

 

Jalan Malioboro is centrally located in downtown Yogyakarta. The street stretches from Tugu Railway Station to the Sultan's Keraton, spanning across some 2 1/2 kilometres in length. Major roads in the city such as Jl Jenderal Sudirman, Jl Mangkubumi, Jl P. Senopati, Jl Sultan Agung, Jl KH A Dahlan and Jl Pasar Kembang will converge at this street. There are a number of large shopping outlets here, apart from the regular and personalised moms-and-pops traditional shops. The expansive Malioboro Mall is located almost midway towards the Sultan's Keraton. A store named Dagadu located on lower ground is the main highlight of the mall, selling funky and contemporary T-shirts that make good souvenirs. There is also a traditional market called Pasar Beringharjo selling all kinds of local goods. Opposite Pasar Beringharjo is a fancy handicraft store called Mirota Batik.

During your stroll, you will also ran across traditional modes of transportation that you may be tempted to try. The most ubiquitous one is the trishaw, a three-wheel pedal-powered bicycle cart, locally known as becak or beca. For the hopeful romantics, there is also an exquisite horse carriage, which is locally known as andong or dokar. Normally, you don't have to look for these carts. The operators will definitely offer you a ride. Some get to the point of chasing you. If you are not interested, do politely decline. If you fancy a ride, a short tour along Jl Malioboro on becak should start from Rp10.000 ($1.20) upwards, depending where you want to go. I was toying with the idea of hiring a becak, but during the haggling discussion, I found out that the becak operator was ready to dupe me (he quoted something like Rp50.000 for a trip to the Sultan's Keraton after knowing I was from Malaysia). Walking away, mortified, he chased me and said, "Rp30.000", and then "Rp20.000". I ended up flagging a reliable and honest taxi driver to my destination for a mere Rp10.000.

In short, do exercise caution when dealing with the street vendors - be it gift sellers or becak operators.

sumber: http://java.uluwatu.org/html/yogyakarta/jl-malioboro.shtml

'Monumen Jogja Kembali'

The sound of serene signaling break time sounded from the Dutch defense post. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Suharto, Commander of Brigade 10 of Wehrkreise III area, an attack to the Dutch defense was started after getting an agreement from Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX as initiator of the attack. The Dutch troop that since the Dutch Military Aggression II in December 1948 was distributed to small posts was separated and weakened. During six hours, Indonesian National Army succeeded in occupying Yogyakarta, after hitting the Dutch troop. Right at 12.00 in the afternoon, as it was planned, all Indonesian army drew back from the city center when the Dutch support came; total loose at the Dutch side.
This battle known as Serangan Umum 1 Maret was initial authentication to the international world that Indonesian National Army still had power to fight and to state that the Republic of Indonesia still existed. This was triggered by the capture and the exile of Bung Karno and Bung Hatta to Sumatera setting propaganda that the Republic of Indonesia had not existed.
This news about the six-hour attack was then sent to Wonosari, continued to Bukit Tinggi, then Burma, New Delhi (India), and finally in the main office of the UN in New York. With this news, the United Nations that considered Indonesia to have been independent compelled the execution of KTN (Komisi Tiga Negara / Commission of Three Nations). The meeting held in Des Indes Hotel Jakarta on 14 April 1949, where Indonesia was represented by Moh. Roem and representatives of Netherlands led by Van Royen, resulted in an agreement signed on 7 May 1949. This agreement was later called Roem Royen Statement. In this agreement Netherlands was compelled to withdraw its troop from Indonesia, and to return President and the Vice President, Soekarno-Hatta to Jogja. Finally on 27 December 1949 Netherlands officially handed over the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia.

sumber: www.yogyes.com

'Taman Sari'

Taman Sari also known as Taman Sari Water Castle is a site of a former royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. It is located about 2 km south within the grounds of the Kraton, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Built in mid 18th century, the Taman Sari had multiple functions, such as a resting area, a workshop, a meditation area, a defense area, and a hiding place.

Taman Sari consisted of four distinct areas: a large artificial lake with islands and pavilions located in the west, a bathing complex in the centre, a complex of pavilions and pools in the south, and a smaller lake in the east. Today only the central bathing complex is well preserved, while the other areas have been largely occupied by the Kampung Taman settlement.

Taman Sari can be divided into four areas. The first area is the artificial lake Segaran located in the west. The second area is a bathing complex in the south of the Segaran lake, called the Umbul Binangun bathing complex. The third area, now completely gone, is the Pasarean Ledok Sari and Garjitawati Pool, located in the south of the bathing complex. The fourth area is the east side of the first and second area, which extend far to the east and to the southeast complex of Magangan.


sumber : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taman_Sari_%28Yogyakarta%29

'Gunung Merapi'

Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian/Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is located approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of Yogyakarta city, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) above sea level.
The name Merapi could be loosely translated as 'Mountain of Fire'. The etymology of the name came from Meru-Api; from the Javanese combined words; Meru means "mountain" refer to mythical mountain of Gods in Hinduism, and api means "fire". Smoke can be seen emerging from the mountaintop at least 300 days a year, and several eruptions have caused fatalities. Hot gas from a large explosion killed 27 people on 22 November in 1994, mostly in the town of Muntilan, west of the volcano. Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta earthquake. In light of the hazards that Merapi poses to populated areas, it has been designated as one of the Decade Volcanoes.
On 25 October 2010 the Indonesian government raised the alert for Mount Merapi to its highest level and warned villagers in threatened areas to move to safer ground. People living within a 20 km (12.5 mile) zone were told to evacuate. Officials said about 500 volcanic earthquakes had been recorded on the mountain over the weekend of 23–24 October, and that the magma had risen to about 1 kilometre (3,300 ft) below the surface due to the seismic activity.On the afternoon of 25 October 2010 Mount Merapi erupted lava from its southern and southeastern slopes.
The mountain was still erupting on 30 November 2010 however due to lowered eruptive activity on 3 December 2010 the official alert status was reduced to level 3.

sumber: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunung_Merapi

'Monumen Serangan Umum 1 Maret 1949'

General attack March 1, 1949 is the attack that took place on March 1, 1949 against the city of Yogyakarta is a large scale planned and prepared by the highest ranks of the military in the Division III / GM III by including several top leaders of local civil government based on the instructions of the Commander in Chief Sudirman, to prove to the international world that the military - also means the Republic of Indonesia - are still there and quite strong, and thus to strengthen Indonesia's position in ongoing negotiations on the UN Security Council with the primary objective to break the Dutch troop morale and prove to the international world that the Indonesian military (TNI) still has the power to organize resistance.
Soeharto at that time as a brigade commander X / Wehrkreis III participate as field operators in the region of Yogyakarta.

sumber: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjetjep/5054164930/