Jogjakarta - Part I

Pulang ke kotamu, ada setangkup haru dalam rindu
Masih seperti dulu tiap sudut menyapaku bersahabat
Penuh selaksa makna
Terhanyut aku akan nostalgia saat kita sering luangkan waktu
Nikmati bersama suasana Jogja

I think I’ve fallen in love with this city. I’ve been here at least four times, and each time I went with a different person or group, and these have also given me different impressions. The last two times I visited Jogja were, however, the most impressive ones.

Jogjakarta, or Jogja, often spelled Yogyakarta, is a city and the capital of the Yogyakarta Special Region in Java, Indonesia. Instead of being led by a governor, Jogja is ruled by a sultan and this position is passed down from one generation to the next. 

Historically, Jogja was once the centre of the ancient Mataram Kingdom, one of Indonesia’s wealthiest and most advanced Kingdoms, existing over 1000 years ago—around the 7th or 8th century. During this era, the famous Candi Borobudur, one of the world’s biggest Buddhist temples, was constructed. There are also other temples such as Candi Prambanan, Candi Ratu Boko and Candi Ijo, which have their own history. These temples are still well maintained and, therefore, have become popular tourist attractions. However, for some still mysterious reasons, the Mataram Kingdom was relocated to the East Java Province. Nonetheless, around 600 years later, the Islamic Mataram Kingdom was in power on Java and once more built its palaces in Jogja, in Kotagede to be exact. Now, Kotagede is not only famous for its silver handcrafts, but it also offers other touristic destinations such as Jogja’s oldest mosque, called Mesjid Gedhe (also known as Mesjid Agung Mataram), the kings’ cemetery - in the same complex as the mosque, and the sultans’ cemetery.  Mesjid Gedhe was first built in 1640, and then in 1856 and 1926 it was renovated.

Di persimpangan langkahku terhenti
Ramai kaki lima menjajakan sajian khas berselera
Orang duduk bersila
Musisi jalanan mulai beraksi, seiring laraku kehilanganmu
Merintih sendiri di telan deru kotamu

Geographically, Jogja is located in the southern part of the Central Java Province. To the north of Jogja lies Mount Merapi, an active volcano on the border of Jogja and Central Java. In the central part of Jogja is the Keraton (Sultan’s Palace) and to the south of Jogja are a number of beautiful beaches and stunning views of Mount Kidul. Interestingly, Mount Merapi, the Keraton and the beaches form one straight line. Mount Merapi represents the relationship between God and His creations, in this case humans; the beaches represent the relationships between God’s creations (humans); and the straight line symbolises the integration between God and His creations, whereas the Keraton, which is situated in the center of this line, symbolizes that a leader has to be just. This philosophy can easily be felt when you visit Jogja, where you experience its laid-back and distinctive atmosphere.

Jogjakarta is a unique place where traditions are still kept inline with modern development. It is also special since it gives pleasures to every different type of tourists; To those who love nature there are mountains, caves and beaches and to others who are more interested in its history, there are the Keraton, temples, mosques, historical architecture such as Between Two Gates, Rumah Pesik, and Taman Sari, historical monuments and the ruins of the Mataram Kingdom. Shopping and culinary tourism are also easy to find.

In the next chapters, I’d like to share what I’ve experienced in Jogja, at least from my last couple journeys, and it’ll be easy to see why I became attracted to this city and why I’ll for sure return in the future. Maybe even in the near future.

Walau kini kau t'lah tiada tak kembali
Namun kotamu hadirkan senyummu abadi
Izinkanlah aku untuk s'lalu pulang lagi
Bila hati mulai sepi tanpa terobati

Credits :

Kla Project - Yogyakarta (The acoustic version) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt-RtceXRqo 

https://www.yogyes.com/id/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogyakarta

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daerah_Istimewa_Yogyakarta

-----Edited by : Ica Meinanda and Jim Holmboe-----

       Pictures by : Jim Holmboe