Java Jamboree: A Palace in Yogyag

There is a kraton or palace in Yogyakarta, the city; and I specify here, city - becauseYogyakarta is also the name of a province. Yogyakarta, the province is a Daerah Istimewa or Special Region, special, not in the sense that it is the smallest in Indonesia but rather because it is the only one in Indonesia that is still governed by a precolonial monarchy -The Yogyakarta Sultanate otherwise known as the Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat which came into being after the Dutch East India Company (VOC) had in 1755 through the Treaty of Giyanti split the Sultanate of Mataram into two. Its first Sultan, Hamengkubuwono I had spent the next 37 years building Yogyakarta the city and with the Kraton as the centerpiece. After arriving in Yogyakarta the city in the morning and spending a night at Monica hotel, the next day was spent visiting this kraton. One would have to pay an entrance fee and buy another ticket to bring a camera in and get an English speaking guide too who would take you to several single storey buildings exhibiting batiks etc and probably you'd be bored stiff if not for the elderly men in traditional costumes playing the gamelan in the royal compound.Batik refers to the wax-resist dyeing technique used on textile while Gamelan is a musical ensemble featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings and especially drums and gongs. The Yogyakarta batik is special in that the traditional colours used such a sindigo, dark brown,and white, represent the three major Hindu Gods,Brahmā, Vishnu and Śiva.It is always a wonder how some religions promote art and some do not...


The photos here are taken in the streets, outside and in the Kraton's vicinity...

Traveling Tip: Visit a Palace!