Kraton Yogyakarta is Indonesia Small

Kraton or the Palace where Sultan and his family of Yogyakarta live is located in the center of the axis stretching from the north to the south, and in the secondary axis from the east to the west. It is encircled by row of the mountains called the Horizon as the border of the universe.

It lies between Tugu as the north border and Panggung Krapyak as the south border, between Code River in the east and Winongo River in the west; between the Merapi Mountain and the South Sea. In the mind of the Javanese community, kraton is defined as center of the world that is described as center of the universe.
History of the Sultan Palace

After the Giyanti Agreeement, Yogyakarta territory was given to Pangeran Mangkubumi. To run his governance, he built a palace in 1755 in Hutan Beringan area; such a good place flanked by two rivers that protect it from being flooded. The first king of Yogyakarta Palace was Pangeran Mangkubumi with the title Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I (HB I).
Naming and Meaning of the Lay Out

Karaton, Keraton or Kraton, originates from the word ke-ratu-an that means the place where the queen/king lives. Simple explanation of its broader meaning is that all structures and buildings in the Kraton area have significant meaning related to essential Javanese philosophy of life, namely Sangkan Paraning Dumadi that means the origin and the destination of human being.

In general, the Kraton area stretches 5 kilometers southwards to Krapyak village and 2 kilometers northwards until the Tugu monument. In this imaginary line, there is a reversed dualism linear line that tells symbolical philosophy: the direction from south to north symbolizes the birth of human being from the high place to the perishable world, and the opposite direction symbolizes the return of human being to the Dumadi (God in Javanese philosophy). Kraton is physical symbol and the King is the symbol of the real soul that presents into the physical body.

The direction from the Palace to the Tugu monument represents the road of life that is full of temptations. Beringharjo market symbolizes women temptation and temptation of power is symbolized by Kepatihan building. The straight street connecting the Palace to Tugu monument symbolizes close relationship between human being and the Creator (Sangkan Paraning Dumadi).

In short, Tugu monument is a symbol of lingga (male sex organ) and Krapyak symbolizes yoni (female sex organ) and kraton is physical blend of the two.
The Meaning of Yogyakarta Space Arrangement

Hit by the earthquake in 1867, the Sultan Palace was severely damaged. During the reign of HB VII in 1889, the building was renovated. The lay out being retained, the shape of the building was changed to the current look.

Tugu monument and Manguntur Tangkil hall or Bangsal Kencana (where the king is seated), are straight in a line. This means that while sitting on his throne and looking toward the Tugu monument, he will always remember his people.

In general, the space arrangement of the current Sultan Palace is similar to the one of Mataram Dynasty. The center of the Palace is the so called Bangsal Kencana that is adjacent to Bangsal Prabayeksa as the place to keep sacred weapons (in this room, there is an oil lamp called Kyai Wiji that is kept lit by the Palace servants). This hall is surrounded by Kedhaton yard so that people must go through layers of the yard that seem like waves in order to reach the center.

This special arrangement of the Palace looks similar to constellation of mountain and Jambu Dwipa land that is considered to be central archipelago of the universe.

From north part to west part of the Palace area, there are North Square, North Siti Hinggil, North Kemandhungan, Srimanganti, Kedhaton, Kemagangan, South Kemandungan, South Siti Hinggil and South Square (the yard that is protected by high walls).

In order to reach all of the places, there are nine gates (called regol) that must be passed through, namely: gerbang, pangurukan, tarub agung, brajanala, srimanganti, kamagangan, gadhung mlati, kemandhungan and gading.

Brongtodiningrat sees the significance of this number, as the highest number to describe excellence. This is related to nine holes in human beings, commonly called babahan hawa sanga.

The sacredness of each Palace building is indicated by the frequency and intensity of Sultan activities in the location.

Sultan only visits the Square, Pagelaran, and Siti Hinggil three times a year, namely during the events of Pisowan Ageng Grebeg Maulud, Sawal and Besar and other very special, incidental events such as coronation of the Sultan and the crown prince or Pangeran Adipati Anom.

Yogyakarta Sultan Palace is an old building that was once damaged and restored. In general, it looks like other Kingdom buildings. When we understand the philosophy of them deeper, however, we will understand the symbolical meaning of life philosophy, human nature, how the nature works and human beings live their lives and various symbols of life existence in them.

Writer: R. Syah
Photo & Artistic: Sutrisno
Copyright © 2006 YogYES.COM

Tamansari (Water Castle)

Formerly Tamansari was a recreation garden or a resting house for the Sultan and Family. The other resting houses including Warungboto, Manukberi, Ambarbingun, and Ambarrukmo functioned for the vacation and meditation for the royal family. The other function is used as hiding place for royal family to defend against the enemy assault.



Tamansari is located about 2 km south of Yogyakarta Palace. Built by Portuguese architect in European aquatic construction adorned with Javanese Symbolize ornaments. Tamansari was built in the Sultan Hamengku Buwono I period in the end of XVII Century. Tamansari not only just a recreation, but it's also a compound of bathing pool, canals, rooms and extremerly large swimming pool (if the canals opened).




1. The Sacred Room
There is the sacred place in the complex showing a separated building, which once functioned as a hermitage place for the Sultan and his family
2. The Bathing Pool
This part was formerly a pleasure place for the royal family. Consists of two bathing pool that are separated with a 2-storey building. 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. The water sprouts from a forming animal statue into the pool. The pool is also adorned with some big flowerpot.
3.Kenanga or Cemeti Island
This part compounds of some building such as Kenanga or Cemeti Island (forming Island), Sumur Gemuling and underground tunnels.

This artificial island is a high building used as resting room and reconnoitering place. This will be the only building surfaced when the canals opened and the water over flew this area. From the higher place it like lotus floating in the middle of big pool.

Sumur Gemuling is building constructed in circle such a well (Javanese: sumur) where some rooms formerly used as praying room.

The tunnels in this area were underground passageways to the Sultan palace. The legend says about secret tunnel connecting to the south sea (Indian Ocean) where Nyai Roro Kidul or the Queen of the South has her palace. The supernatural Queen becomes the wife of Yogyakarta Sultan for many generations. This secret tunnels is gateway to the world where the Sultan meeting is supernatural wife. However the building also functioned as a hiding place for the royal family against the enemy attack.

Tamansari is an interesting place to visit. Besides the location is very closed to the Sultan palace, Tamansari has it owned speciality in attraction reflecting in some unimpaired ancient building and its atmosphere as the main tourist object of Yogyakarta.

There is Masjid Sokotunggal, a unique mosque with a single pillar that is different from Javanese traditional architecture. Although built in the early of XX century, the mosque gives another attraction of this area. Kampung Taman that lies in the Tamansari complex nearby known for the batik craft. Visitor can buy or watch handmade process for both batik painting and batik clothes. Therefore people from all over Indonesia and abroad have visited this village. Not for from Tamansari is Ngasem traditional market, the biggest bird market in Yogyakarta. All of those attractions have made Tamansari become one of main tourist object in Yogyakarta besides Yogyakarta palace. More info visit to www.yogyes.com.

Borobudur is the world's largest stupa

The Borobudur Buddhist sanctuary, more than a thousand years old, is recognized as one of the greatest stupa and World's wonder of its kind in the world. Today, it is the center of tourist attraction in Central Java. The name Borobudur is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words, Vihara Buddha Uhr, meaning the Buddhist Monastery on the hill. Borobudur temple is located in Muntilan, Magelang and is about 42 kilometers from Yogyakarta city. It is the greatest Buddhist work of art existing in the world.

Borobudur temple

Borobudur's architects and sculptors designed it to serve the purpose of veneration, worship and meditation, though Borobudur is not a temple as such. Borobudur Temple using untold number of labourers, the early architects designed the structure built around a natural mound of earth resting upon a stone foundation of two layers, square in plan with regular shaped projections making 36 corners in all. The top has a great stupa, standing 40 meters above the ground.

Stupa

Buddhist statue

The walls of the Borobudur are sculptured in bas-reliefs, extending over a total length of 6 kilometers. It has been hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world, unsurpassed in artistic merit, each scene an individual masterpiece. Built around the turn of the 9th century A.D. It is said that if you put your arm through one of the bell-shaped stupa and can touch the stone within, you will have your wish come true.