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Yogyakarta, Indonesia —
In the frenetic, action-packed metropolis of Jakarta, a democratically elected president oversees Indonesia’s government. But just a few hours east, the sultan still holds court.
Yogyakarta is unusual in that it is a sultan’s kingdom in a country that was originally a republic. In the local Javanese language, the letter Y is pronounced like a hard J, and the city’s name is shortened to “Jogja”.
Here in Jogja, a city whose backbone is built along ancient cosmological axes, the present has always existed door-to-door with the past.
Modern cities are full of noise and color. A red cooler offers bottles of Indonesia’s ubiquitous Bintang beer. Roadside cafes are shaded by striped curtains. Street art draws inspiration from ancient batik prints. Local language pop ballads and American rap music blare from the speakers.
Jogja’s car traffic is comparable to Jakarta’s during peak hours, but the city center has a different feel. The narrow streets around the Sultan’s Palace are filled with backpackers, street vendors, tour guides hawking their services, and office workers popping out for coffee amid the madness.
Java is Indonesia’s economic and political center and the world’s most populous island, home to more than 150 million people. It’s also packed with treasures. There are three UNESCO World Heritage Sites within a 40-mile radius. The first of which is Yogyakarta itself. Its ancient center was built in the mid-1700s in a privileged location chosen for its proximity to earthly and heavenly points.
Its most important building, the kraton or sultan’s palace, was located equidistant between the Indian Ocean to the south and the still active Mount Merapi to the north. The country that is now Indonesia once had several sultans, but the King of Yogyakarta rose to support the republican opposition to Dutch colonial rule after World War II and was allowed to keep his territory when an independent federal government took power.
Kratong is an ideal place to start your journey to Central Java and a starting point for understanding Yogyakarta. It is still the residence of Sultan Hamengkubwono X and his family, but much of the space is open to the public. Admission includes a guide and is well worth it. From the glass pavilions decorated with paintings of musical instruments to the carvings of mythical animals on either side of the entrance, every structure has a deep symbolic meaning that many visitors might miss.
Also nearby is Tamansari. Sometimes written as two words, Taman Sari, the name means “fragrant garden” or “beautiful garden” and is usually referred to as the Water Castle. It’s easy to see why. The impressive water feature at the heart of the palace turns greenish or blue depending on the sunlight. Designed with a combination of traditional Dutch and Indonesian styles, it perfectly encapsulates the contradictions that make Jogja so appealing.
If you follow the footpath past the exit, you can explore the area now known as Tamansari Tourist Village. Here, more contemporary Indonesian artists paint murals, sell traditional crafts like batik cloth and finely crafted silver jewelry, and make lattes with Java’s world-famous civet coffee.
Take a quick trip back in time hundreds of years by visiting two World Heritage-listed temples on the outskirts of Yogyakarta.
Java’s most famous historical site is Borobudur, one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world. Today, Indonesia’s most practiced religion is Islam, but both Hindu and Buddhist dynasties flourished here in the 8th and 9th centuries. Borobudur is a huge lotus-shaped temple complex with dramatic stone facades that stands majestically on a sun-drenched plain.
Borobudur’s spirituality still influences the atmosphere around it. Much of Java’s population converted to Islam and Borobudur was abandoned, but not destroyed.
Borobudur remains “sacred” today, said Panga Ardiyanshah, a Jogja native and lecturer at London’s SOAS University. The locals respected this place enough to leave it alone, believing that interfering with it would bring bad luck.
Ardiyanshah advises visitors to Borobudur to take a closer look at the reliefs along the temple walls depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha.
“Ancient people tried to tell stories by painting on walls and statues, and by using reliefs. It’s fascinating. You can try to understand it yourself, refer to manuscripts, or ‘read’ it.”
You’ll want to climb to the top of Borobudur right away and take photos of the impressive landscape around you. A more spiritual approach is to perform pradakshina, the traditional act of circumambulating a sacred place several times clockwise. Guides recommend doing this three or more times to settle into a more meditative state of mind. Because of the spiritual importance of this number in Buddhism, a truly religious person will complete 108 laps.
Ardiyanshah points out that many of Borobudur’s treasures have been removed and taken abroad in the past. In recent decades, the Dutch government, which colonized Indonesia from the 1600s to the 1900s, has been in the process of returning sculptures, reliefs and other objects to Java’s arts and culture administration.
However, many of Borobudur’s other artifacts (including the disembodied Buddha’s head) remain in museums in the United States and Europe, and possibly in private collections.
Visitors wishing to climb Borobudur must book a timed slot online before arriving, as the number is limited to 1,200 per day. On-site, you will need to change your shoes to traditional woven sandals called upanat. Upanat is an eco-friendly footwear designed to protect ancient volcanic stones, which can be kept as keepsakes. Visitors board a shuttle vehicle with a mandatory guide and head to the base of the temple. The earliest time slot open to foreign tourists is 8:30am, but some hotels, such as the nearby ultra-luxury Hotel Amanjiwo, can arrange sunrise tours for an additional fee.
Borobudur’s breathtaking scale and intricate stonework have attracted numerous world celebrities over the years. Some dignitaries, including Prince Charles, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and Barack Obama, have walked through the stone gallery and sampled Kunt Bimo. Kunt Bimo is a popular ritual in which visitors reach inside the latticed stupa and touch the stone Buddha, promising that their wishes will be granted.
Because the custom has no roots in traditional Buddhist beliefs, historians and locals suspect it was invented long ago as a tourist gimmick, but it has since become something of a tradition.
Prambanan’s Hindu temple complex is less crowded than the nearby Buddhist temples, which is a boon for travelers with limited time. Advance reservations are not required and both temples can be visited on the same day relatively easily. Tour companies such as Jogja Driver Team recommend visiting Borobudur in the morning and Prambanan after lunch to avoid the worst of the heat.
At the entrance and exit of Prambanan, there are many shops selling souvenirs and cold drinks, and it is a good opportunity to buy water. The grounds are large and fully exposed to Java’s scorching sun, so it’s important to stay hydrated. A hat, comfortable walking shoes, and sunscreen are also recommended.
Asian travelers may feel a sense of déjà vu when they catch a glimpse of Prambanan, Indonesia’s largest Hindu temple ruins. That’s because it resembles Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, one of the most famous tourist attractions in the region.
The tall temples feature square bases and conical towers decorated with intricate stone carvings of gods and mythical animals, with the three largest structures dedicated to the gods Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.
There are over 200 shrines and temples scattered across the 40 hectare site.
Borobudur and Prambanan look and feel very different, but it’s almost impossible not to compare them. Many visitors are surprised that such huge monuments representing two completely different world religions were built just a short distance apart.
“A lot of people want to see it as a rival culture or a rival religion, but it wasn’t seen that way at the time,” says William Chapman, who has worked on restoration projects in Indonesia for many years.
“Borobudur started attracting attention as early as the early 19th century. It had a lot of carvings and reliefs, good access, and good views.” Prambanan, on the other hand, was abandoned and largely neglected until the early 20th century, with the first restorations taking place in the 1930s, Chapman added.
Prambanan currently has smaller crowds than its Buddhist neighbors, but Chapman believes the balance is shifting. India’s rapidly growing middle class is increasingly keen to travel abroad, and Chapman says destinations with deep Hindu traditions have a strong appeal. Visiting Indonesia is relatively easy as it offers visa on arrival for Indian passport holders.
Even in the crowds of tourists, the scorching midday sun, and tired legs from walking miles, the sense of spirituality of Yogyakarta and its surrounding historical treasures is undeniable.
It’s hard not to be awed by their magnificence when visiting these ruins, and it’s hard not to think of the many craftsmen and builders who built such impressive ruins without the aid of technology.
Even Ardiyanshah, who is originally from Jogja, says he still feels strange when he visits Borobudur after a long time. Climbing to the top and looking out over the countryside is just as impressive as observing the intricate stone carvings.
“It gives you a worldview.”
