Travelling In Yogyakarta, City of Culture in Indonesia

Yogyakarta is located about 500 km east side from capital city of Indonesia. Yogyakarta is famous for its lively culture and surrounded by talented artistic people. It is also well known for traditional Javanese culture and fine arts; puppet shows, songs, poetry, drama, batik etc. Many of Indonesia well known artistic is born in Yogyakarta. Not only Yogyakarta famous for its culture and art, it is also known as student city since it have many university and also know as 2nd Indonesia tourism city after Bali. Average temperature is tropical temperature, so it will be good if we visit to Yogyakarta at dry season from February until September.

Yogyakarta have many interesting place to be visit. As the centre of Kraton (Sultan Palace), when visiting Yogyakarta, don't forget to pay visit to The Sultan's Square. For you who like past inheritance, there are many Buddhist temples; Candi Sambisari, Candi Kalasan, Candi Sari, Candi Prambanan and the biggest temple is Borobudur temple. For you who like to go to beach, there are many good beach and lots of art gallery can be visited in Yogyakarta.

Other than the festival, there are a lot to be seen in Yogyakarta:

-         Tugu Monument

-         Benteng Vredenburg

-         Kotagede

-         Imogiri

-         Kotabaru

It would be called visiting Yogyakarta without seeing the Wayang Kulit show (Javanese shadow play, which will be accompanied by Indonesian traditional music).

To travel, you can travel with “Becak “, which allows having natural sight seeing of the city itself while riding in it.

There is various food can be found in Yogyakarta with various delicious taste; ranging from spicy to sweet, and its not expensive! So eat all you can. Some of the famous dish:

-         Ayam Goreng

-         Gudeg

-         Rujak Ice cream

-         Nasi Langgi

There is also a famous festival held in Yogyakarta. It is art and cultural festival that is organized every 2 years is call “ Jogja Biennale”.  It aims to enhance the world's recognition of the city Jogja and its arts. Jogja Biennale has turned into the festival that local people and tourist keenly waiting for. The festival allows the artists to expose their artistic talent to the world, and bring the talented artists together.

You see, there are so many interesting places to visit in Yogyakarta. For a moment let we explore about temple in Yogyakarta.

Candi Borobudur (Borobudur Temple)

A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It's located about 50 km north west of Yogyakarta and one of remarkable monument in Indonesia, a splendid work of art and the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.
The monument is both a shrine to the Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.
Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction

Prambanan / Candi Sewu (Sewu Temple)

The Prambanan temple is the biggest and a most beautiful Hindu temple about 20 minutes from Yogyakarta city. This magnificent Shivaite temple derives its name from the village where it is located. Locally known as the Loro Jongrang temple, or the temple of the "Slender Virgin" it is reputed to be the biggest and most beautiful Hindu Temple in Indonesia. 17 kilometers east of Yogyakarta, the temple is believed to have been built by King Balitung Maha Sambu in the middle of the ninth century. It has about one thousand of temple located in one place. Based on people story, it was made by man who would engage beautiful lady, but the lady asked the man to build one thousand temples before morning. So the man builds these one thousand temples in one night. Well whether you believe or not, this place is interesting place to visit

Candi Sari (Sari Temple)

Also named Candi Bendah is a Buddhist temple located at Dusun (hamlet) Bendan, Tirtomartani village, Kalasan, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta was build on around 8^th century . It is located about 130 meters north east from Kalasan temple or about 13 km from Yogyakarta. This temple was a two story building with wooden beams, floors, stairs completed with windows and doors; all from organic materials which now are decayed and gone. It is strongly suggested that the original function of this building was a vihara (Buddhist monastery), a dwelling place for monks. The temple's name Sari or Saré translated as "to sleep" in Javanese also confirmed the habitation nature of the building. It have Nine stupas at the top with two rooms beneath, each believed to be places for priests to meditate.

Well, actually at least there are five famous temple located around Yogyakarta. Those temple is place that we should be visit when we go to Yogyakarta. For next, we will take a look another interesting place in Yogyakarta for vacation.

Almost forget the accommodation. There is a lot hotel can be found in Yogyakarta. If you are looking at 5 star hotel, it’s available from International brand such as Hyatt Regency Hotel Yogyakarta, Sheraton Mustika Resort & Spa Yogyakarta to 4 star Novotel Hotel Yogyakarta and 3 star Ibis Malioboro Hotel Yogyakarta. There is also local hotel rating from 5 star Melia Purosani Hotel Yogyakarta to 2 star Istana Batik Ratna Hotel Yogyakarta. Compare the price of the above hotel and search for many more hotels in Yogyakarta.

Great Places to Visit on Your Holidays in Indonesia

Indonesia is a very interesting country to visit and makes for an ideal holiday. Its diverse range of culture and beautiful scenery draw back holiday makers year after year. There are some fabulous holiday homes to rent in Indonesia with some stunning holiday villas by the beach. You can also rent self catering holiday apartments and use them as a base to explore this wonderful country. 

Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world and comprises five main islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Irian Jaya and a group of thirty small archipelagoes. It has more than 17,508 islands. Indonesia is a multi-ethnic country with over 300 ethnic groups inclusive of Malay and Polynesian people. The diverse culture of the country has resulted in an opulent and wealthy culture and heritage, which makes it a tourist's delight.

 

One among the must see places in Indonesia is the Borobudur temple. It is believed that the temple's name originated from Sanskrit - Vihara Buddha Uhr. It was built in the eighth century and is located in Magelang. It is situated on a hill, overlooking distant hills and sprawling green fields. The temple is built with grey andesine stone and has seven terraces. The great Stupa of the temple is 40 meters tall and the walls are extensively sculpted.

Lake Toba is a beautiful centerpiece of the north Sumatra Lake. The exquisite scenery and the pleasant climate, in the surrounding areas make it a popular tourist attraction in Indonesia. It is the largest lake in South East Asia and it measures 100 km in length. Resultant of a volcanic explosion, the lake's surrounding landscape is fertile. The island of Samosir is located on the centre of the lake and the culture and tradition of the amiable tribe, Toba Batak attracts tourists from all over the world.

 

Tana Toraja is yet another attraction. Rantapeo, a major attraction of the place, is located in the north eastern part of Ujung Pandang. Rantepeo is located 700 meters above sea level and offers a pleasant climate. The entry point of Tana Taroja is a traditional boat-shaped gate. Tana Toraja has cliff graves and two villages, named Lemo and Londa. Londa is considered as one among the oldest sites of hanging graves of local nobility. Toraja has many excellent craft shops for the shopping buffs.

Krakatau volcano is another major tourist spot in Indonesia. The volcano erupted in the year 1883 and is one of the most catastrophic natural events, which is etched in history. The entire region surrounding the volcano was engulfed in darkness. The volcano disappeared, soon after eruption and resulted in the formation of small islands in the area. One of the volcanoes in the area is called Anak Krakatau or the child of Krakatau, which is a young and active volcano. Boat trips to the volcano, allows tourists to get a closer look at the young volcano.

Mt. Tangkuban Perahu is a must see sight in Indonesia. The volcano is filled with many places for sight seeing and exploring. It is an interesting spot and the mount is famous for its distinct upturned boat shape. The panoramic view of the mount and the forests is a delightful experience. The peaceful mountain erupted in 1969 and Kawah Ratu is the main crater or the Queen's crater, as its name suggests.

Indonesia is a culturally rich country with a picturesque setting. The predominantly Muslim country is a place where people from different religions co-exist. The diversity of the cultures makes it traditionally and culturally rich. The friendly people of the country, year long festivities and innumerable tourist spots make Indonesia a great tourist destination.

It is no wonder that holiday makers love Indonesia so much and many choose to rent holiday villas and self catering apartments. By renting holiday home accommodation in Indonesia you are able to use them as a base to explore this amazing country. There are some great holiday villas with swimming pools that can be rented direct from their owners.

Author : Andrew Gibson is MD of Direct Holiday Bookings. (With additional pictures from Blog owner)