City guide · Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta

The heart of Javanese culture: the Sultan's Palace, Borobudur and Prambanan

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0

Yogyakarta is a special region still headed by its sultan, and the centre of traditional Javanese culture — batik, shadow puppetry and gamelan music. Outside the city, Borobudur and the temples of Prambanan are Indonesia's two most important monuments.

History

How the city came to be

According to the Canggal inscription of 732, this area was anciently called 'Mataram', the seat of the old Mataram kingdom. For about three hundred years it was the centre of Hindu and Buddhist culture in Java, when Borobudur and Prambanan were built. Around 929 the centre of Mataram moved to East Java, possibly because of an eruption of Mount Merapi. From 1587 to 1613 Kotagede, south-east of Yogyakarta, was capital of the Islamic Mataram Sultanate. During the Indonesian War of Independence, Yogyakarta was Indonesia's capital from 1946 to 1948.

732The Canggal inscription recorded the Mataram kingdom
9th centuryBorobudur and Prambanan were built
c. 929The centre of Mataram moved to East Java
1587–1613Kotagede was capital of the Mataram Sultanate
1946–1948Capital during the Indonesian War of Independence

Stories

Stories of the city

History · Borobudur

Raffles and the 'rediscovery' of Borobudur

Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddhist stupa built by the Sailendra dynasty in the 9th century, decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally 504 Buddha statues. After the Hindu kingdoms of Java declined in the 14th century and the population converted to Islam, the monument was gradually abandoned. In 1814 Stamford Raffles, then Lieutenant-Governor of British Java, learned its location from local people, and described 'Bóro Bódo' in his 'History of Java' published in 1817, bringing it back to the world's attention.

History · Prambanan temples

Red writing on the balustrade

On a pinnacle of the balustrade of the Shiva temple, the word 'pikatan' was found written in red paint, showing that King Pikatan initiated the building of Prambanan. The Shivagrha inscription of 856, issued by King Lokapala, records that a Shiva temple like Prambanan was inaugurated on 12 November that year, and mentions that a nearby river was diverted to build the temple.

People