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Central Java - Central Java - Yokyakarta, Borobudur, Prambanan Yogyakarta Borobudur Prambanan Edited by W Y Liang Edited by W Y Liang
Beautiful Indonesia and its People In addition to feasting our eyes with the beauty of tropical paradise, we had a glimpse of the life of its people away from the bustling city. Indonesian people live precari- ously alongside dangerous volcanos through centuries and through the passage of their changing religions. These fac- tors, perhaps more than anything else, shape their attitude to life and social/ family customs. The people are highly spiritual, one may also say superstitious. Every day’s life must abide by the principle of keeping in harmony with nature and Gods who watch over them, certainly never give reason to offend. Every tree, every mountain, every river, rice field, … has its own God, and on whom their very survival depends. Immersed in such a beautiful tropi- cal paradise, it is not surprising that they are also highly artistic, in visual and performing arts and music. This deep respect to nature and their artistic gifts bear a strik- ing similarity with another volcanic island state, Japan. In 2003, Choo, Chia and I made our first visit to Central Java and Bali. Central Java offers a journey through the history of religions in Indonesia and forms the first part of this album. The highlights in Central Java are the ancient capitol Yogya- karta, the Buddhist Temple Borobudur and the Hindu Temple Compounds Prambanan. The journey was repeated in 2005 and this time we were accompanied by Hwei. Bali, in the second part of the album, provides totally different aspects: the lush- ness of the island’s natural beauty, laced with the colourful and peace-loving people and their unique blend of piety to Gods and ancestors. I was born in Indonesia and grew up in Jakarta. However, I missed the opportunity to visit these enchanting places before I left to study and eventually settled in England. Our first visit was so captivating that I longed for a return, hence the second visit. In Indonesia, one is never far from the beautiful, stepped rice-fields, volcanic mountains, alive or dormant, and a vari- ety of floral display. Of course, the beach with its warm air, blue sky and the swaying, practically dancing palm trees, offer another feeling. W Y Liang (22 November 2024) 1
i. Yogyakarta and Parangtritis, Pages 3 - 38 Together with its twin city Solo (orig. Surakarta), are the cradle of civilization of Java. The magnificent temples of Borobudur and Prambanan are just outside the city. The region has the highest literacy in the whole of Indonesia. The people are gentle and civil. Yogyakarta is also a city of museums. They can be found almost in every street, each has a fine collection of artistic sculptures and historical objects, reflecting the rich culture of the Javanese people. The Sultan’s Palace (The Keraton) is one such museum. Batik textiles have been the traditional produce of Yogyakarta. They are based on cottage industry. The family-scale factories are eager to show visitors the fascinating process of making the fabrics, from hand drawing, waxing to washing. In addition to the batik printing tradition, the city is also famous for drama and Javanese dance such as ‘Ramayana ballet’ we saw in Prambanan, as well as literature, music, poetry, pewtersmithing and leather shadow puppetry (wayang kulit). This city was the seat of the powerful Mataram kingdom of the 16th and 17th century. Today it is the only Indonesian city still ruled by monarchy, the Yogyakarta Sultanate. During the Anti-colonial (Dutch) war from 1945 to 1949, Yogyakarta served as the capital of the newly founded Republic of Indonesian, thus was significant in ensuring the survival of the young Republic. In the southeastern district of Yogyakarta is the old city Kotagede (meaning Grand City). It was established as the capital of the Mataram Sultanate from 1587 to 1613. During the reign of Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusumo (1613–1645), the Mataram Sul- tanate reached its zenith as the greatest kingdom in Java, and expanded its influence throughout most of Java, east to west. At Mendut Parangtritis beach, we were immersed amongst the joyous and free spirited young Indonesian people playing into the sunset. Sadly, the entire beach disappeared a few months after our visit following a major earthquake. So the view and the photo- graphs of the beautiful sunset with children playing will be the only memory that remains. The photographs are arranged as follows: Kota Gede (Grand City), Kebon Sari and Museums Pages 3 - 13 Kraton (the Palace) and Shadow puppet 14 - 25 Batik production and Java dances 26 - 33 Solo River to which the folk song“Bengawan Solo” is dedicated, Mendut Parangtritis beach 34 - 38 2
