Kalimantan Selatan


Custom House

Kalimantan Selatan - KalSel - is the smallest of the four provinces in Kalimantan. This was different in the past. Until far in the 1950's the nowadays Kalimantan Tengah - Central Kalimantan - belonged to KalSel. With small guerrilla-like actions and support from Jakarta the Dayak managed to break off their own territory from the mostly islamic KalSel.

In geographical way, KalSel is dominated by the Meratus Mountain Range, a long and wide chain which stretches from north to south over the biggest part of the province. The highest peak is Puncak Besar (1892 meter).

Outside the highway between Banjarmasin and Balikpapan, the Barito River and is biggest downstream sideriver , the Martapura, are still very important for trade and communication with the hinterlands. Along the coast the landscape is formed by tidal swamps, which has turned into ricefields by some farmers.

With over 2,5 milion inhabitants on 37.660 sq.km, KalSel is the most densely populated province. The population, for the biggest part Banjarese, is from different origin. Among the ancestors are four Dayak populations - the Ma'anyan, Lawangan, Bukit and Ngaju - and furthermore the Malay from Sumatera, Jawanese, Sundanese, Arabs, Chineze and Buginese. The Banjarese dialect is closely related to Malay.

The hindu-principalty Negara Dipa

The Banjarese think that their roots are to be found in a legendaric old hindu-principalty. The wife of the first raja should have been emerged from a huge cloud of white foam - just like the Greek goddess Aprhodite.

Her birth was seen by a stunned public, among them the ruler Lambung Mangkurat. The ruler survived three generations, while he helped building the new principalty of Negara Dipa. The main street in Banjarmasin and the museum in KalSel are named after him.

The story goed that the ruines od Candi Agung, a hinduist structure in the hinterlands, are the fundaments of the history of KalSel. But there is very little proove of this. There is a second old hinduist temple in the district of Tupin, Candi Laras. Both temples are not worth while visiting.

At the end of the 13th century, the real history of KalSel started. Ampoedjatamaka, son of a trader from India, founded a settlement which would later grow into the city opf Banjarmasin. Three generationa later, the daughter married with the ruler of the Majapahit-prince of Jawa. This made Negara Dipa a supported state of the mighty Majapahit principalty. The name Negara Dipa was changed into Banjar (the later sultanate Banjarmasin) for undisclosed reasons.

The influence of Majapahit could be seen everywhere. Local laws were replaced and Jawanese workers built new palaces. In cultural means the wayang-puppets, gamelan-orchestras, topeng-masks, art- and dance-styles and metal decorations remember of this period. They are still being practiced however Banjar - just like the rest of Indonesia - came under islamic influence not long after.

In 1620 a local battle for power was decided by military support from the Jawanese principalty Demak. In trade the Banjarese converted to islam. De religion had a big influence on every day life and the art. Due to the widespread islamic trade network, contacts emerged between Jawa and the coastal area of Gujarat in India.

To be able to compete with the spice trade, Banjar planted peper bushes. The population spread it's influence over the surrounding areas, wich were forced to pay taxes, or came under political control. In wich is called the Golden Century of Banjar, the people settled rule in the small sultanated along the southern coast, and next in big parts of Kalimantan: Sukadana, Sambas and Ganggau in the west and Pasir, Kutai and Berau in the east.

The Banjarese sultanate was brought down by the Dutch. Weakened by internal problems, the Banjarese had to see that the whites placed a puppet on the throne. In 1860, the Dutch declared the sultanate banned, and Banjarmasin (in special the city of Martapura) became the kolonial headquarters of Dutch Borneo.

Between 1860 and 1864 the Banjarese revolted under Pangeran Antasari (the Banjarmasin War), which lasted until the end of the 19th century in the form of scattered revolts.

A lively capital

With it's many attractions, the capital Banjarmasin is the most interestin urbanized area of Kalimantan. The nearby islands in the Barito River are inhabited by hurds of monkeys. In the hinterlands, buffalo's pull carts over a paved road to the diamond-fields of Cempaka, and to Martapura, where the gemstones are processed.

Banjarmasin has many hotels and good restaurants. Travel agencies offer trips to the Dayak in the Loksa region (especially interesting because of the trip) and the Tanjung Puting Reserve and orang hutan centre.

You can rent free-lance guides, they speak a little English as well.
A paved road connects Banjarmasin with Balikpapan. Over water there are connections with Palangkaraya, capital of Kalteng and with cities along the Barito, from where the hinterlands can be explored. There are also good connections available through the air.

Skilled farmers

Historically, Banjarmasin is known for it's production of black pepper. Nowadays the region lived from the big surplusses of rice and other products wich are grown on the alluvial soils. But besides the fertile soil, the region has not always been used for agriculture.

Banjarese farmers have done a lot of work by drying up the tidal swamps, which were changed into ricefields in a skilled way.

This technology is very handy, becayse Indonesia consists of 25 per cent (43 milion hectares) of mangrove or tidal-swamps (Papua, with the worlds biggest swamp is left out). Almost 50 per cent is located in Kalimantan, and about 20 per cent can in fact be used for agriculture.

But as of now, only a very small part is used. In KalSel, just only over 100,000 hectares of swamps were turned into agricultural area, more than in the other - bigger - provinces of Kalimantan. In 1939, the first subsidised settlement was built in Purwosari. It was meant for transmigrants which wanted to work as a farmer in the fresh agricultural areas.

Most Banjarese are rice farmers, however they also grow grains. Improved spiecies of cattle, developed because of special programs, have improved the financial situation of the farmers. The government helped with the development of different kinds of rice, which have a high yield in the swamps. Due to irrigation programs, there can be two or three harvests every year.

The production has been increased more because of the introduction of two new kinds of rice, which are planted directly in the swamps. Because the waterlevel can sometimes reach two meters, boats are used for the harvest.

With the help of modern methods, new kinds of rice and the irrigation of about 500,000 hectares of soil, the rice production has dramatically increased in the last decade of the 20th century. The surplus is being exported, especially to Central and East-Kalimantan.

A range of export products

As well as elsewhere in Kalimantan, wood is the main export product. In 1987, plywood and lumber wood worth US$332 was exported, especially to the US and Japan. Besides 13 plywood factories there are 43 wood-processing factories, where most of the workers are Jawanese.

The Banjarese mainly choose for agriculture and trade over the hard work in the factory. After wood, rubber is the most important export product (1987: exports worth US$41 milion, mainly to Singapore). It's the most common trade crop in the villages.

Furthermore about US$30 milion in ratten is exported to Japan, and for US$10 milion of frozen river shrimps to Japan and Singapore. Ratten from Central Kalimantan is being processed in KalSel. Amuntai is the ratten-centre, but the big factories, where mostly women and girls work, are located in Banjarmasin.

Other export products are frog-legs, snake- and lizard-skins, treebark for the production of incense and insect repellent, roots for jamu and other traditional medications, and gaharu.

Lumberwood, dried fish and also coal from the region Batu Licin are exported to other parts of Indonesia. Unprocessed oil is pumped from the region Tanjung to the refinery in Balikpapan.
The open waters of KalSel create a job for about 160,000 fishermen, more than elsewhere in Kalimantan.

In contrary there are only 5000 seafishermen, a handfull compared with KalBar (15,000), KalTeng (48,000) and KalTim (19,000). Taiwanese experts have developped commercial fishing ponds in the 1990's.

The pepper harvest, no more than 500 tonnes a year, is not important anymore. Expensife trade crops like cacao are increasingly important and take more soil. Coconuts, grown on small regional plantations, are mainly for local consumption.

Big deposits of iron ore, porcelain soil and limestone are ready to be mined in the Meratus Mountain Range. The diamond fields of Cempaka give labour to a few hundred people, and a few more are looking for gold in the small streams.


River Market


Traditional Dance



Custom Clothing

Kalimantan Tengah


Custom House

The huge province Kalimantan Tengah is the least visited province of Borneo. The Dayak who live there belong to the most traditional of the island. The officially recognized kaharingan-religion, in which dozens of religious themes are kept, spread to other provinces from KalTeng.

A visit to Central Kalimantan demands courage and the readiness to travel like an inhabitant of Borneo yourselve: with small planes, speedboats, slow boats and canoos.

Kalteng has about 1,5 milion inhabitants and concludes about 153,800 sq.km. swamp and jungle. The province is cut up by a number or almost parallel rivers, flowing from the Schwaner- and Müller Ranges in the north to the Jawa Sea in the south.

Most kabupaten (districts) are located around the bigger rivers and reach from the coastal areas until the first rapids, which mark the change from the lowlands into the highlands. The vast and barely populated northern part of the province is made up from two districts.

The coastal area around the rivermouths is barely populated and consists of swamps, which can reach inland upto 100 km. They are overgrown with nipah-palms and mangrove forests. Exceptions are the towns of Kumai, Pangkalanbun and Sampit.

History

For centuries, big parts of KalTeng were ruled by Banjarmasin. When the Banjarese elite converted to the islam in the early 17th century, soon the principalties along the coast followed, and the Dayak in the region also followed. Around 1830, the colonial rule and the first protestant missionaries slowed down the islamization among the Dayak.

The Dutch geologist and explorer Schwaner mapped KalTeng for the first time. Between 1841 and 1848 he travelled over the big cities (Barito, Kahayan, Kapuas and Katingan), and mapped the villages on the riverbanks.

The mountain range between KalTeng and KalBar was later named after him. Between 1880 and 1890, the Dutch dewatered the southeastern part of KalTeng by digging five canals between the Kaupas, Barito and Kahayan.

After the proclamation of the Indonesian independence in 1949, the area still was under control of Banjarmasin. Conflicts rose between the traditional Dayak and the islamic Banjarese and at the end of the 1950 the Dayak demanded autonomy. A combination of small guerrilla warfare and political support from Jakarta lead to the formation of a separate province, KalTeng was born.

A treasure in resources

The economy of KalTeng is still heavily dependable of Banjarmasin. Im- and export go through the seaport of this city and for transport of products, the rivera and canals between Palangkaraya and Banjarmasin are very important.

But the political couse of the province is now being decided in Jakarta, while air traffic helps making it more independent from Banjarmasin.

The vast tropicsl forests of the area supply wood which is processed in Sampit, Pangkalanbun and Kuala Kapuas. Over a hundred companies are involved in the woodprocessing industry. After wood, ratten is the most important recourse; KalSel is the main supplier of ratten.

Rubber, introduced from the Amazon area at the end of the 19th century, is in third place, fish and schrimp (processed in Kumai) are fourth. The forests also produce a number of other products which bring in money like damar-raisin and kulit gumur a tree bark which is used for cosmetics and insect repellent.

The oil fropm the illipe-nut is also used for cosmetics and as replacement for cacao-butter. While the wood-processing industry was already brought big in the 1970's, gold mining has just started. Geological surveys have disclosed vast amounts of porcelain-soil, quarts, iron, uranium and petroleum, but before they can start mining it will cost a lot of money to improve the infrastructure.

The Dayak of Central Kalimantan

Just as somewhere else in Bornei, separating the Dayak of Central Kalimantan is hard. Most Dayak in KalTeng - the Ngaju, the Lawangan, the Ma'anyan and the Ot Danum - have much in common for what language and culture concerned.

The biggest population (living in South- as well as Central Kalimantan) are called Barito, to the biggest river in the area. The named ethnical groups are the Barito Dayak, as well as the Benuaq and the Tunjung, which live partially along the Middle-Makaham in KalTim. Several Ot Danum, the less known Tebidah and a number of Limbai live in the catchment area of the Melawi, a side-river of the Kapuas, north of the Schwaner Range. Most Barito live in the inland along the rivers which flow to the Jawa Sea.

All Barito Dayak speak closely related languages. They know extended funerals, which are branded by a ritual re-burial. As well as in politics as in number, the Ngaju are the most important Barito Dayak. The vast territory of the less numerous Ot Danum (of which some branches are named Dohoi) is located north of the area of the Ngaju, above the rapids.

However they have a lingual similarity, the Ngaju and Ot Danum cannot understand eachother. The last named mainly produce for their own, while the Ngaju have started commercial agriculture a long time ago. Due to their strong isolation the Ot Danum are more traditional than the Ngaju.

The Ngaju

The Ngaju, the most known Barito Bayak, managed the creation of the province of KalTeng. They speak different dialects of which the Kahayan has become the local dialect. Most Ngaju practice Kaharingan, or are converted to protestantism; only the Bakumpai Ngaju converted to islam over a century ago.

The branding longhouses of the Dayak are hard to find among the Ngaju. Their place is taken by communal rooms, in which meeting and rytes are held. The Ngaju belong to the best artists of Borneo. This reputation is shown in the ceremonial objects for the dead, like the wooden coffins, tombes, and sailboats and big statues.

The Ma'anyan

The Ma'anyan speak a language which is almost the same with that on Madagascar. There is a lot of speculation that their ancestors crossed the sea to Madagascar in the 3rd or 4th century. This would mean that the Ma'anyan lived more close to the coast than they do today.

The different Ma'anyan communities hold contact with eachother and with the cities along the Barito by periodical markets. Their most important product for trade - nice canoos made out of one piece - are loved among the Banjarese.

During wars the Ma'anyan lived in family houses in pillars, which could be as high as seven meters. Many Ma'anyan practiced the Kaharingan religion. They know complicated rytes in combination with agriculture and funerals, bring sacrifices for spirits and ask a sjaman when someone has fallen ill. On their graveyard, you can see that the Ma'anyan used to be very layered: the bone-houses of the nobility are placed more upstream, followed to the ones of the warriors, the normal population and the slaves, most downstream.

Before a traditional marriage, the comming husband needs to work and live with the family for five years. This period can be shortened by payments to the coming mother-in-law. This is an extra on the bridal treasure, which consists of bronze drums, beads and money.

The Ot Danum

The Ot Danum (the name means upstream area) live in the area around the rivers north of the Ngaju and south of the Schwaner- and Müller Range, as well as the Melawi-beaken of West Kalimantan, which is located north of the Schwaner Range. Their area is a threehundred km wide stretch of land just south of the equator.

The Ngaju see the Ot Danum as their cultural ancestors, but there are remarkable differences between the two groups. The Ot Danum live in longhouses in pillars, two to five meters above the ground. This habit is probably taken from the Kenyah or Kayan.

The same with the headhunting, the mild form of social hierarchy and the images on shields and mandau lemmets. However the religion of the Ot Danum looks like that of the Ngaju (most of them still practice kaharingan), their ritual re-burials are more simple and their woodcarvings are less detailed.

Commercial agriculture

Most Dayak groy rice for own use following the rules of ladang-cultures. The Ngaju of KalTeng started the culture of tradeable crops, which has been followed in other regions. On the ladang, ratten is first grown, and harvested eight to ten years later. After that the ladang is re-used for growing rice again.

Many travelers to Kalimantan agree that Banjarmasin, with its busy waterways, floating market and traditional gem mining, is far and away the most interesting city on the island. For those looking to immerse themselves in the local culture, Banjarmasin also has an interesting riverbank settlement, though at first glance it appears ugly and dirty.

In the morning, riverbank people bathe, wash, excrete and brush their teeth in the wide Barito River. Middle class city folk might flinch at the sight, but the Barito and Martapura rivers play a vital role in the local way of life -- rather than providing a setting for tourists to sit around lamenting unrequited love or their bankrupt businesses.

Eradicate your prejudices and enjoy the sight. Be sympathetic to the cultural rather than embarrassed by it as you are not the ones forced to live without access to clean water. Unlike lonely Kapuas in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Barito River in Banjarmasin is still an important source of life for Banjarmasin people.

The famous floating market is one indication. Kuin market in Barito is a group of boats, to which farmers and villagers paddle every night to sell fruits, vegetables and other produce to small-scale traders, mostly women, in the capital of South Kalimantan.

When the sun rises, the small-scale traders, women with friendly yet tough faces, paddle toward the crowded city to sell their wares to the housewives who live on the riverbanks.



Traditional dance



Tradional Ceremony



Custom Clothing

Kalimantan Barat


Custom House

The vast province of West-Kalimantan is mainly shaped by the catchment area of the Kapuas, the longest river of Indonesia. Kalimantan Barat - KalBar - has a surface of 146.807 sq.km and counts only a few milion inhabitants.

Travelling in this area is demanding, and elemental knowledge of the Indonesian language and adaption to local problems and delays. Tourism in this province, almost unknown to the main public, is not encouraged as well.

This was different in the 19th century. Back then the western part of former Dutch Borneo was even more visited than the most popular East-Kalimantan nowadays. The English James Brooke, which was given the current Sarawak by the sultan of Brunei, was seen as a threat of their sovereignty by the Dutch. They reinforced their presence around Pontianak to keep the White Raja at a safe distance.

Diamonds and Gold

Shortly after their arrival in the archipelago the Dutch focussed on the diamond fields in Western Borneo. They created warehouses ('factorijen') in Sambas and Sukadana, but they were soon abandoned when the stream of diamonds decreased and the Dutch refocussed on Jawa and the Moluccan spice islands.

In 1698, the Dutch forces the Malay ruler of Borneo to recognise the rule of the sultan of Batam on Jawa, which was under Dutch control. To settle their position even better, they supported the Arab explorer Abdul Rahman, which founded a trade post in Pontianak and killed the local rulers.

However trade with the regio (and the demand of taxes) went through Pontianak, but profits were not high enough for the Dutch to support troops and offices. In 1917, they retreated, but economical and political developments would return them very soon.

At the end of the 18th century, a true gold rush emerged along Borneo's western coast. Thousands of poor Hakka-farmers from China were attracted by the rich alluvial gold deposits, which eventually produced upto one seventh of the yearly yield in gold, The Dutch, always looking for more opportunities for trade, returned right away.

But against the time that they beat the Chinese - which ruled over the gold - the fields were almost depleted.

Next the Dutch settled in Sintang, far upstream along the Kapuas, which shortly became one of the two most important governmental locations of Dutch Borneo. The governmental jump in the inlands, covered by the army, offered the opportunity for exploration of the vast, still unknown inlands.

Chinese in West-Kalimantan

The province of West Kalimantan has one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in Indonesia. The estimated half a milion Chinese-Indonesians form more than 10 per cent of the population, descendants from marriages between Chinese and Dayak counted in.

From 1720 the Chinese came to the archipelago in big numbers to work in the tin mines on the island of Bangka. Inspired by this, the Malay ruler of Sambas asked Chinese people to take a job in the goldmines.

Migration started on a small scale in 1750, but got larger around 1790. The envitation was everything accept a deed of humanity. Chinese were prohibited from trading and doing agriculture, so they were forced to buy everything against high prices from the sultan. As soon as they were strong enough, the Chinese got rid of all demands, and they formed unities (kongsi), based on the clans they had in China. Betwen 1790 and 1820, in the good times of gold mining, the kongsi flourished. In 1810 the Chinese community already counted 40,000 people.

Most Chinese settled around the neighboring goldfields of Mandor and Montrado, between Pontianak and Sambas. The kongsi formed two federations; the one controlled the fields of Mandor, the other the fields of Montrado.

Both had a specific task-devision: farmers grew rice and other food for the miners, while other groups took care of the construction of canals. These were used for bringing water to the sluices in which the clay was washed. The fields in Western Kalimantan were rich and the gold was very pure (18 to 21 carat), but the success of the gold mining was mainly due to hard labour and a good usefull exploitation of water.

When the revenues dropped, violence and arguments broke out in the Chinese community. Big fights between the federations separated and devided the Chinese, and faced with a strong Dutch army, Mandor soon capitulated. The Montrado-Chinese were able to defend themselves because of their unity. They kept on trading through Singkawang. The big revolt in Jawa (1825-1830), forced the Dutch to retreat from Borneo. Borneo and the Chinese were left alone until the empire of raja Brooke in Sarawak drew attention.

Renewed Dutch force lead to a governmental reorganisation of Western Borneo and a big military expedition, which broke Chinese stronghold in Montrado. The arguing kongsi were dissolved, but by that time the big gold mining activities were already finished. Most Chinese could not afford a return to China, so they settled in Western Borneo.

West Kalimantan Quickly

Attractions in the provincial capital Pontianak are the provincial museum, the Mesjid Jami or Great Mosque, the old palace of the sultan and the crowded seaport with Buginese schooners. North of the city are several nice beaches.

In the neighborhood of Singkawang are pottery-factories, in which copies of the old Chinese porcelain are produced. In Sambas, weavers produce nice fabrics. Here is also the mosque of the sultan. Between Sambas and Pontianak are several Chinese temples.

The landscape of West-Kalimantan is scattered with high, steep rock formations, which form a true challenge for the mountaineer. They offer a very nice view over the jungle. The most impressive mountain, Gunung Kelam, is located in the forests near Sintang.

The Kapuas River

The Kapuas forms the most important connection with the inlands of KalBar. From four locations along the river, you can visit more remote areas. Sintang, 450 km from Pontianak, is the starting point of journeys by boat on the Kapuas and next the Kayan or Pinoh. Semitau and Selimbau, more upstream along the Kapuas, serve as starting point for a journey to the vast lake district in the north, which is connected to the Kapuas through a sider-river. This unusual ecological zone is the living area of the Iban and other scattered living Dayak-populations.

Putussibau, the last important city along the Kapuas, is located just a little short of 900 km from Pontianak. Here live the Kayan, Maloh and Taman Dayak in traditional longhouses. From Putussibau, you can cross Borneo to the east by following the Kapuas as far as you can and crossing mountainous areas through the Mahakam River.

The Dayak of KalBar

In the 19th century, the name of 'Land-Dayak' was introduced from Sarawak, to distinguish the Dayak living in the inlands from the Dayak which are called 'Sea-Dayak', or Iban, which mainly live in Sarawak.

Populations which are counted in as 'Land-Dayak' are those which live along the middle-stream Kapuas: the Selako, Singgi, Jagoi, Sadung and populations which live along the upperstream Sanggau and Sekayan. Just like th Iban, of which 7,000 of them live in KalBar, these populations speak languages which are related with Malay.


With it's several hundred-thousand inhabitants, governmental buildings and Chinese shops, Sintang dominates most of the Kapuas. The city used to be, and still is the entrance to the inlands of Western Kalimantan, in special the rivers of Melawi, Kayan and Pinoh, which can be reached by longbot from the city.

The Pinoh springs in the Schwaner Range, the natural border between the provinces KalBar and KalTeng. Near Nanga, the Poinoh merges with the Melawi. A little north, the Kayan does the same. Seventy km northwest the Malawi merges with the Sintang, which eventually merges with the biggest river in KalBar, the Kapuas.

Sintang stretches over both banks of the Kapuas river, on the location where the Melawi merges with the river. It's location on the merge of both rivers made the city into a center of the Chinese trade with the hinterland. At the end of the 19th century, Sintang consisted of three separate, but dependant parts.

The Malay kampung was located on the left short, along both sides of the small palace of the sultan. On the other shore was a big Chinese compound. Upstream, just past the Melawai river was a small, Dutch fortress, surrounded by a heavy wooden passilade. The Europeans lived behind the fortress, where nowadays are still the offices and houses of the civil servants.

The main center of the city is the former Chinese quarter; the most important piers, bus stations, cinermas, stoers and trade are managed by Chinese Indonesians. The Dara Juanti Museum, built in 1937 on the location of the former palace, contains heirlooms, state objects and things from the hinduist period. Sintang also has a military museul, the Alambhana.

The Dayak of Sintang

In the district Sintang live some of West-Kalimantans most traditional Dayak-populations. Along the upper stream of the Melawai, Kayan and Pinoh still live animist Dayak. Longhouses are still in use and sometimes a big burial ceremony is held, in which the bones of the deceased are placed in a decorated grave. Several populations know seeding- and planting festivals or gawai (around July), in which many participants wear traditional dressing.

American protestant missionaries have entered as far as several of the most isolated areas. These fundamentalist preachers almost demand abolishment of all traditional habits. The catholics, which have been here longer in the more accessible areas, were more open against their original culture. In the most remote areas many Dayak still practive kaharingan religion, which sometimes frustrates the protestant missionaries.


Traditional


Tatoo


Custom Clothing


Nusa Tenggara


West Nusa Tenggara Custom House

The chain of islands east of Bali is named Nusa Tenggara in modern Indonesia: the Southeastern Islands. Among geographers the archipelago is known as the Lesser Sunda Islands, as a separation from the Big Sunda Islands; Sumatera, Jawa and Borneo.

For what tourist places concerned, there is nothing 'small' about Nusa Tenggara. In contrary: a region of this size with a rich cultural and natural diversity can't be found elsewhere in the world.
From Lombok in the west to Timor in the east the group of islands is blessed with white sand beaches, clear water and beautifull coral reefs. The three crater lakes of Keli Mutu on Flores, which have different colors because of vulcanic minerals, offer an almost surreal view. On the small island of Komodo, you can find the rarest spiecies of reptile.

In cultural way the islands are about as important. In the eastern part of the archipelago, women produce the most beautiful ikats of Indonesia. On Sumba, jockeys endanger themselves in the very old and dangerous Pasola-ritual. The fishermen on Lembata catch sperm whales by jumping on them from their small boats.

Far from mass tourism

The Lesser Sunda Islands are located between 8 and 11 degrees Southern lattitude. They stretch over a distance of 1300 km and form a central chain in the 5600 km long Indonesian archipelago. Nusa Tenggara has no less than 566 islands; 320 of them are so small, they even don't have a name.

On the map, five of the 42 inhabited islands are clear: Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores and Timor. Besides these 'giants' there are a number of smaller islands, which are worth while visiting as well.

With exeption of Flores, the bigger islands are good to travel on the entire year. The best time for a visit is the dry season: from April until the end of October or November. In the period April until June, the islands are very green; towards September they are dull and brown.

Mass tourism hasn't yet reached Nusa Tenggara. The provisions on the islands are decent. The travelling, especially to the more remote islands, demands initiative, an open travel scheme and a common sense of humor to compete with the unavoidable problems.

But there are also other reasons to keep your travel scheme flexible; you never know what you will see: a whip-fight on Flores, a boat to the hardly known Ndao, a circumstantion on Bima.

On several places you can rent English speaking guides, but little knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia is very handy. Concervative dressing also makes the journey more enjoyable. Don't forget that tourism is something new and that the islanders are not all used to almost naked foreigners.

The traveller should be prepared to be in the center of attention. Every time you should answer the same questions: Where areyou from? How old are you? Are you married? Where are you going? Which religion do you have?

You also have to take into account that eating, bathing ans sleaping outside the big cities takes place under the most elemental conditions and that the beaches - when there are no toilets - also serve as public restroom. Who can live with this is rewarded with a meeting with one of the richest areas in the world for what culture concerned.

Travellers which visit Nusa Tenggara should not expect that they will find an exotic world of animals like in Borneo, Sulawesi and Papua. The relatively dry and rocky Lesser Sunda's are not home to impressive rainforests or a big diversity in strange local animals. In fact these islands are kind of low populated with big animals.

Areas which are covered in shrubs are the habitat of deer, wild pigs, bats, snakes, dragons and other lizards. There are only a few local mammals: one kind op wild pig, one kind of mice and the couscous. Heer, monkeys, rats and several pets have recently been introduced by man. The small cacatoo, singing birds, and other birds can also be found on the islands. Statistics report 56 local spiecies, but their numbers are always small.

Underwater Wonderland

It's a totally different view in the underwater world. The coral reefs belong to the richest ecosystems in the world. Nowhere else you can find a more diverse variety of aquatic spiecies. One single big reef in Nusa Tenggara can contain about 1000 spiecies of fish, more than in all seas in Europe combined.

The underwater world is very colorfull. Brave anemone-fish defend their living house against the teasing hand of the diver. Groups of coral butterflies float between the reef walls, and other fish cross the reef in couples. The area houses big sea mammals like the sperm whale and the Indian seacow, which looks like a walrus without teeth. Along the border of the reefs you can find big pelagic fish: giant sharks, reef sharks and mantha's, relatives of the shark and the ray.

The Komodo Dragon



The most impressive animal of Nusa Tenggara is the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the biggest living lizard in the world, which belongs on Komodo, Rinca and in Western Flores. This robust animal can reach 3 meters in length, and weights upto 150 kg.

The heavyweight was only known in the Western world by the start of the 20th century, mainly because Komodo was inhabited. After the island had become the place for the banned, stories about dangerous, seven meter long crocodiles started to emerge. The stories were somewhat exaggerated, however these lizards can scare people. The giant lizard has a fisique which looks like a snake: his jaws can move independently from eachother, so it can swallow an entire prey which can even be larger than it's mouth; it's forked tongue is used for smelling as well as tasting.

Flora Live

Besides several small areas in the west, the vegetation is kind of scarce; it consists of flora which can stand drought very well, like several eucalypus-spiecies. The wide sandel-wood once was the main export product of Timor.

Now, the Santalum alba only grows in a few remote areas, however the government has tried to replant the trees. The fire- and drought-resistant lontar-palm (Borassus sundaicus), one of the most important usefull plants in the area is an important source of food.

The official statistics show an easy view of the religious landscape of Indonesia: 88 per cent of the population is islamic, 5.8 per cent protestant, 2.9 per cent catholic, 2 per cent hinduist and 0.9 per cent buddhist. A very small group is indicated as 'those which don't have yet a religion'. These categories are separated into unequal parts over the islands of the archipelagio, but there is a clear tendency: the further you go to the east, the more christians and 'others' are found.

Lombok and Sumbawa, in the west of Nusa Tenggara are mainly islamic. On Flores, Roti and Timor, there is a christian majority. Sumba, which was the last island of the Lesser Sunda's to get a colonial rule, as well as the island Savu know a bright traditional religious culture.
When you travel through the area, you will see a totally different religious reality, which looks totally different than the official numbers. Under the layer of big universal religions you can find the traditional religious culture wich are rich and varied. This is probably the most clear in christian areas, however you can also find islamic sects, like the Wetu Telu on Lombok.
In the first place, people are impressed with the colorfull diversity of characteristic local cultures. But there is a foundation of a similar pattern, which offers a key for a better understanding of the religious culture of the region.

Guided by a Dream

Imagine a group of colonists which enter a new area in Nusa Tenggara. The migrants do certainly have several holy objects with them: a sword, a holy drum, or maybe soil and water from the place of origin. It's these objects which form the foundation of a yet to create village and the place of origin.

After the migrants, guided by a dream, the call of a bird or something else, have found their place to settle down and then they have to reach an agreement with the other population and spiritual owners of the island: the gods of the mountain, forest and water. These powers are seen as wild and dangerous. They make the area 'hot' and unusable for humans to live in. But by founding an althat from 'rock and tree', a treaty is granted.

The still untamed forces of the local landscape are envited or even forced to 'take a seat' in the stone of the althar; on which was they become the protectors of the new community. The leader of the group, in his turn, promises in name of the human part of the participants, to do all obliged rites. By this procedure, which is repeated in a smaller scale when the fields are first used, the area is 'cooled down' so it can be used by humans.

The religious ties between the humans and the landscape is enlargened when the founders of the village and the first agriculturers have died and are honoured like ancestors. Their remains rest in the megalith gravetombes around the village square with the 'rock and tree' altar, while their godlike spirits are honoured like ancestors in the highest point of the adat houses. From this place they negotiate between the living descendants and the powers of nature and they watch the strict fullfillment of the foundation-rulers. In the first place they are mainly negotiators, but after a while their cult starts to merge with that of the gods of the village.

The oldest living male descendant of the founder is called Tuan Tanah in Indonesian, 'Lord of the Land'. He devides the communal fields, starts the agricultural activities and lead big fertility-ceremonies. In his house, the holy heirlooms of the village are kept and near his veranda you can find the most important altars of the village. He is the heir of the 'first agreement' with the powers of nature and functions as the spiritual leader of the village.

Duality

The higher gods and ancestors can't be spoken to in a direct way. Some kind of negotiation is demanded. Ritual readers, which act as representatives for a relational group or village, can only get in contact with the highest gods through a long chaing of spiritual messengers, village gods and ancestors.

A ceremonial styled language is uses, the 'language of the ancestors', which consists of couplets of grouped centences. The used things are directly related from the real workd, like for example 'mountain' or 'river', but they are meant to call a more abstract reality, which is not named at all: in this case the 'landscape' or the 'domain'.

The principal of complementary duality can be found in all aspects of thinking and doing: the relations of marriage and agricultural activies and even the political structure. It forms the most important method to organise the visible and non-visible reality.

The most important of these compementary opposites are those between 'inside' and 'outside' and between 'female' and 'male'. Besides that the contrast between 'mountain' and 'sea' as well as 'up' and 'down' important for the orientation, while 'cool' and 'hot' has a function in the ritual context and 'older' and 'younger' is used in social contacts.

All these opposites are located in the vision on reality: the cyclic movements of cosmic dimensions, in which things are created from and return to another unity, their ;source' or 'origin'. The human has a special responsibility to maintain this circular flow of life. Some are more responsible than others.

The Tuan Tanah is seen as the first born, the 'oldest brother', which has as task to stay home to guard the rock and the tree of their cosmic parents. His younger brother, with which he shares power and which often belongs to a different familygroups, has to face towards the outside to guard the borders of the holy domain.


Traditional Dance



Custom Clothing

Bali


Bali Custom House

The island of Bali is part of the Republic of Indonesia and is located 8 to 9 degrees south of the equator between Java in the West and Lombok and the rest of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba and Timor) in the East. Flying time to Jakarta is about 1.5 hours, to Singapore and Perth (Australia) 2.5 and 3 hours, and to Hong Kong about 4 hours.

Geography

The island of Bali has an area of only 5,632 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) and measures just 55 miles (90 kilometers) along the north-south axis and less than about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from East to West. Because of this it's no problem to explore the island on day tours. You can go wherever you want on the island and return to your hotel or villa in the evening.

Located only two kilometers east of Jawa, Bali's climate, flora and fauna are quite similar to its much larger neighbor. The island is famous for its beautiful landscape. A chain of six volcanoes, between 1,350 meters and 3,014 meters high, stretches from west to east. There are lush tropical forests, pristine crater lakes, fast flowing rivers and deep ravines, picturesque rice terraces, and fertile vegetable and fruit gardens. The beaches in the South consist of white sand, beaches in other parts of the island are covered with grey or black volcanic sand.

Flora

The wide variety of tropical plants is surprising. You'll see huge banyan trees in villages and temple grounds, tamarind trees in the North, clove trees in the highlands, acacia trees, flame trees, and mangroves in the South. In Bali grow a dozen species of coconut palms, and even more varieties of bamboo.

And there are flowers, flowers everywhere. You'll see (and smell the fragrance of) hibiscus, bougainvilleas, jasmine, and water lilies. Magnolia, frangipani, and a variety of orchids are found in many front yards and gardens, along roads, and in temple grounds. Flowers are also used as decorations in temples, on statues, as offerings for the gods, and during prayers. Dancers wear blossoms in their crowns, and even the flower behind the ear of your waitress seems natural in Bali.

Fauna

Elephants and tigers don't exist any more in Bali since early this century. Wildlife, however, includes various species of monkeys, civets, barking deer and mouse deer, and 300 species of birds including wild fowl, dollar birds, blue kingfishers, sea eagles, sandpipers, white herons and egrets, cuckoos, wood swallows, sparrows, and starlings. You can watch schools of dolphins near Lovina, Candi Dasa, and Padangbai. Divers will see many colorful coral fish and small reef fish, moray eels, and plankton eating whale sharks as well as crustaceans, sponges, and colorful coral along the east coast and around Menjangan island near Gilimanuk.

Climate

You can expect pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the west monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually days are sunny and the rains start during the night and pass quickly.

From June to September the humidity is low, and it is pleasantly cool in the evenings. During this time of the year, you'll have hardly any rain in the coastal areas. However, in Ubud and the mountains you must expect cloudy skies and showers throughout the year (this is why the international weather reports for Bali mention showers and rain storms year-round). In higher regions such as in Bedugul or Kintamani you'll also need either a sweater or jacket after the sun sets.

Population

Bali's population has grown to over 3 million people the overwhelming majority of which are Hindus. However, the number of Muslims is steadily increasing through immigration of people from Java, Lombok and other areas of Indonesia who seek work in Bali.

Most people live in the coastal areas in the South, and the island's largest town and administrative center is fast growing Denpasar with a population of now over 370,000. The villages between the town of Ubud and Denpasar, Kuta (including Jimbaran, Tuban, and Legian, Seminyak, Basangkasa, etc), Sanur, and Nusa Dua are spreading rapidly in all directions, and before long the whole area from Ubud in the North to Sanur in the East, Berawa and Canggu in the West, and Nusa Dua in the South will be urbanized.

Economy

This southern part of Bali is where most jobs are to be found, either in the hotel and tourist industry, the textile and garment industry, and in many small scale and home industries producing handicrafts and souvenirs. Textiles, garments, and handicrafts have become the backbone of Bali's economy providing 300,000 jobs, and exports have been increasing by around 15% per year to US$400 million in 1998. Textiles and garments contribute about 45%, and wood products including statues, furniture and other handicrafts 22% to the province's total income from exports. Silver work is ranked third (4.65%) with 5,000 workers employed. Main buyers are the US and Europe with 38% each, and Japan with 9%.

Important agricultural products besides rice are tea, coffee, tobacco, cacao, copra, vanilla, soy beans, chilies, fruit, and vegetable (there are now even vineyards near the northwest coast). Bali's fishing industry and seaweed farming provide other products which are important exports.

The new free-trade regulations will create some problems for Bali's exporters as they do not allow to employ children. Most children here work for their parents, and this is part of the process of acquiring professional skills and kind of an informal education which has been very important in the Balinese society for centuries.


As a pearl of Bali, Kuta is one of the best beaches in Asia, with the only waves, which breaks over sand instead of a coral. This most popular tourist destination has succeeded in combining the need of local people and visitors. The original Kuta villagers have involved in the tourism industry for years.Kuta and surrounding offers various kind of accommodation, from simple and cheap accommodation provided by the locals to luxurious accommodation managed by international hotel chain.Kuta’s seas are ideally best for surfing.

Everyday both Balinese and foreigners are found along the golden sands of Kuta beach. Kuta area is also completed with various tourist facilities such as restaurants, pubs, bars, souvenir shops, tattoo parlors and travel offices.Along the north of Kuta, Legian street offers a number of high quality boutiques, excellent restaurants, cafes and bars influenced by western style. Exclusive hotels can be easily found in Seminyak, further north of Kuta, while antiques wooden furniture shops in Jalan Raya Kerobokan.

Jimbaran

Jimbaran is another resort near Kuta, which the tourist are quite fond of. It’s a drowsy bay where flotillas of fishing boats blush the panorama.Jogging is widely practiced sport in Jimbaran beach and is especially tempting in the covered glow of sunset. It’s also an admired spot for windsurfing and sailing small craft, which are obtainable for rent.The quietness of Jimbaran is a perfect attraction to spend sometime while feeling the sensation of sea breeze and facing the sunset.
If you are interested in bali's beaches and temples, we have a special tour for you to visit the beaches of Bali and do all the things you want in these beaches, such as water sports, diving, surfing or if you have other ideas we can design the tour activity specially for you.

Tuban

Located between Kuta and the airport, Tuban is a nice place to stay. Around Tuban is completed with various type of hotels and many supporting tourist facilities. Tuban beaches are safe for swimming and it is such a perfect place to unwind.

Uluwatu, Padang Padang & Bingin

These beaches are popular among surfers. Lack of supporting facilities is not an obstacle for tourist with adventure spirit to conquer the waves.Now, a number of infrastructure developments have been started to establish in these area. This means as an effort to provide a good accessibility for anyone who come there.

Sanur

The main attraction of Sanur beach are the beaches with their very white sand and the beauty of constantly calm water. Sanur area has all level of accommodation and solid network of infrastructure.Sanur is also the place where the few remaining of Brahman Kuasa villages found. Some of the charming ritual procession such as Bali’s only all-female keris dance is held in this area.The Prasasti Blanjong, an emblazoned pillar here dated AD 913, is Bali’s earliest behind the times relic and is now kept in a temple in Blanjong village, southern part of Sanur.

Nusa Dua

Nusa Dua is a lovely commune devoted to tourism. The objective of the establishment was to meet all demands of tourism. The most exclusive and well-known remedy in Bali offers the best in terms of tourists structures and services, well-built and efficient hotel complexes with inclusive facilities, golf course with international standards where worldwide competition are also held, luxurious shops and exclusive beaches for tourists only.The village of Bualu, in Nusa Dua area has a picturesque site as well as for its relative isolation from densely populated areas. Most of hotel in Nusa Dua is landmark of the new Balinese architecture.

Nusa Lembongan

Located in the eastern part of Bali, Nusa Lembongan is a popular place for diving and snorkeling. It has a professional dive centers and is an ideal relaxation stop for sailing trips from the mainland. Many small crafts offers day trip to the island.With the backdrop of Mount Agung, the immaculate island has spectacular scenery and offers unforgettable adventure. Nusa Lembongan’s neighboring island, Nusa Penida is less popular and tourism does not play an important role there.

Amed & Tulamben

Eastern part of Bali offers alternative destinations, which are Amed and Tulamben. Amed is a resort town that will bring back the old memory of Kuta. Completed with simple tourist supporting facilities such as Losmen, small hotels and amateur entertainment, Amed is a popular site for snorkeling.With the panorama changing drastically to dry hills covered with scrub, Tulamben is quieter and even more popular for diving. As one of the most renowned diving site in Indonesia, Tulamben offers diverse marine life and magnificent under water world.

Padang Bai

A flawlessly shaped bay cradled by the hills, Padang Bai is a perfect escape in the east of Bali. As a transit harbor to Bali neighboring islands such as Nusa Penida and Lombok, passenger and cargo vessel departing everyday.There are a few losmen provided in Padang Bai. An intimate white sandy beach and lovely harbor scenery will make the holiday in Bali even more romantic.

Candi Dasa

As a recognized resort area for over topical decades, Candi Dasa is an entryway to East Bali. Compared to the resorts in southern part of Bali, Candi Dasa is much simpler.Offering low budget accommodation and few upscale hotels, the main attraction of Candi Dasa is a dazzling landscape of the beach. Blighted by jetties protruding into the water, intended to stop the erosion caused by coral blasting for years.

Lovina Beach

In the western part of Singaraja, long stretch of black sand beach encompasses Anturan, Tukad Mungga, Kalibukbuk, Kaliasem and Temukus villages collectively called Lovina. Lining up of busy losmen and hotels with the depleted shady sea makes Lovina one of the most stirring beaches in Bali.Tranquility, incredible under water world and dolphins are the magnetism of Lovina. From Lovina, visiting Pulau Menjangan, which is a part of West Bali National Park will be interesting for diving lover.

Tanah Lot

Located in Tabanan, just across the boundary of Badung regency, Tanah Lot is the most well-known and photographed temple.A truly remarkable and feature temple, Tanah Lot is built on a stony narrow piece of terrain, which the high tides transform into an island, making right of entry from the land impossible.It is particularly reminiscent at sunset when the illumination, at times a slender thread and others, a dazzling spark, springs back the waves. The beach around Tanah Lot is less comfortable for swimming but great for horse riding and watching spectacular sunset. Although surfing can be done in this area but it’s recommended not for beginner.



Bali Traditional Ceremony


Custom Clothing

East Java


The main point of East Jawa is located at the northern coast, in Surabaya: a rising industrial and commercial centre, and the second largest city in Indonesia. With it's three milion residents this factory-, and seaport city has developed into the economical capital of entire Eastern Indonesia.

The seaport ( Tanjung Perak'e.g. Cape Silver ) is a crossing of trade between the eastern islands of the archipelago and the seaports in the west, a role which Surabaya filled for centuries already.

Partly as a result of softening rules the industry as well as the service sector grew tremendously. The famous poor sight of the city is disappearing more rapidly, and is being replaced by that of a metropolis. It even looks like if it will get back it's important status of most important centre of trade and industry in the entire archipelago; a position it lost to Jakarta after the Second World War.

In contrary to Jakarta, with it's mixture of cultures, Surabaya is an real Jawanese city. Other than In Solo and Yogyakarta, the Jawanese in Surabaya mainly originate from the pasisir ( the coast, the bordr area ) and they belong on the whole to the santri, a more orthodox stream in the Islam.

Original inhabitants are called Arèk Suroboyo in Jawanese. They are free, proud and sometimes a little simpleminded. The city has a faster pace and a more cosmopolitan look on life than the hinterland, cultivated by centuries of contacts with traders from overseas.

People have little interest in the fuss and etiquette of the royal cities; Surabays is a commecial centere and it's society reasonable egalitarian. Surabaya has little to offer to tourists, but lovers of the sparkling and busy nightlife can enjoyt this city, especially when they look beneath the surface.

Who really wants to enjoy the city has just to copy the middle class; a small walk to the evening market of the shopping mall. Public happenins are an extremely good moment to meet, at watch, other people.

The story of the shark and the crocodile

The name Surabaya originates from a stoey about a fight between sura ( a shark ) and a baya ( a crocodile ). In that fight they united and formed the character S, which can be found at the back of the Monument of the Heroes, on the city arms.

Another explaination is saya ing baya, a Jawanese proverb; 'brave in the face of fear'. With this the ajèk Suroboyo are meant, which offered strong resistance against the fierce attack of sultan Agung. But just as well this proverb can be used fo the people who fought in the later revolution.
It's not exactly known when Surabaya was founded, but in the seventies the city council declared 31 May 1293 as the big dag.

Historically this was the dat at which the Chinese-Mongolian troops were conquerred by Raden Wijaya and he founded the empire of Majapahit. The harbour developped from a small village at the banks of a brackish side-rivers of the Brantas. Maybe this is a declaration of it's Chinese name, Sishui, which means 'muddy water'. Chinese sources report that the city was 'the gate to the mighty Brantas, the main route which leads to the inlands of Jawa'.

During the good period of Majapahid in the 14th century Surabaya had a lower position compared with the near seaports of Tuban and Gresik. Until the first half of the 19th century, the seaport of Pasuran even was bigger.

The city got more fame when it held strong against the aggresion of Mataram, Madura and the VOC threathened to invade Surabaya, in the 17th and 18th century. Leaders of resistance like Trunojoyo ( a disloyal prince from Madura ), Sawunggaling ( a local hero ) and Untung Surapati ( a rebelling Baltic slave ) brought huge losses to the Dutch and Mataram.

Eventually the city was lost to the VOC, except of the quarters near the harbour where European, Chinese and other Asian traders lived, it was no more than a Jawanese kampung until the turn of the century, houses of wood and bamboo.

As many other cities on Jawa Surabaya got it’s colonial looks only after 1900; big stone buildings besides green and wide lanes, most of the times close to the kampungs, when they didn’t have to dissappear. Even now people speak about ‘the people from the wide lanes’ and from ‘the people from the small alleys’.

City centre

Just like Jakarta, Surabaya developed around the harbour, and gradulately grew southwards. A visit to the city normally starts in the new commercial and governmental centre around Jalan Tunjungan and Jalan Pemuda, a fast developing, smaller version of Jalan Thamrin - Sudirman - Gatot Subroto, the main archer in Jakarta.

Point of recognition dfor Jalan Tunjungan is Hotel Majapahit, the former ‘Oranje Hotel’. At this place the flag-incident took place in September 1945, the spark in the revolutionair barrel of gunpowder of the city. With just across Hotel Sarkies, at Jalan Embong Malang, the corner forms the lost colonial history, with at the eastern side the former private club Deutsche Verein at Jalan Gentengkali, now known as Balai Sahabat.

This place offers a good Chinese restaurant, also accessible for non-members. At this street is also the cultural centre, Taman Budaya for expositions and shows. In the morning students practice classical dances. The complex was used for the bupati ( regent ) until the seventies.

At Jalan Dolog is a statue of king Kertanagara in his incarnation of the Bhuddha Asokbhya. The from Malang originating statue was taken to Surabaya earlier. The feet carried the date 1289. Jawanese still honour the statue, that is locally know as ‘Joko Dolog’ ( fat boy ).

More to the east, at Jalan Pemuda, is Grahadi, the official residence of the governor of East Jawa, once the stately residence house. From the road the back of the building can just be seen; at the front if a small canal. In this quarter transport over water was very common. The statue of Soerju, the first governot of East Jawa, dresses up the park across Grahadi.


Reog Ponorogo



Custom Clothing


Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta


Keraton Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta, or short Yogya is one of the two still excisting traditional royal cities of Central Jawa; the other is Solo. The city is in the centre of a wide belt of fertile ricefields, which are dominated in the north by the smouldering Gunung Merapi, and in the south is limited because of the rough Indian Ocean.

The 3,169 sq.km. province of Yogyakarta counts 3,2 milion residents, on average more than one thousand per square kilometre. Yogya is among the most densely populated and most productive traditional agricultural areas in the world. The fact that low housing dominates, and most people still live in relatively small, selfsufficient village communities, this is even more remarkable. In the city itself live less than 500,000 people.

Old principality

The area around Yogya, earlier known as Mataram, is being inhabited for at least 2000 years. The oldest kingdom is reported on a stone linga dating from the year 732, found near Canggal, north of the current city. On this king Sanjaya is named, probably an honest, friendly royal Siwaitic royal ruler, which descendants rules into the 10th century.

At the same time in the area ruled the Sailendra-dynasty ( 'mountain lords' ), which supported the Mahayana-bhuddhism. Both families left important stone monuments, under which the world famous Borobudur and Prambanan.

At the end of the 16th century the empire of Mataram was blown alive politically by the arrival of a mighty Islamic empire. Panembahan Senopati, son of the Majapahit prince from East Jawa founded a simple village near Kota Gede in 1575, which attracted traders and artists and became a centre of trade. Senopati founded the bathing place of Umbul pecetokan near a big source southwest of the village of Beringan, the place we now know as Yogyakarta.


In 1614 Senopati's grandson - sultan Agung - replaced the capital to Kerta in the south. Sultan Agung became Matarams most important leader. During his long reign ( appr. 1613 until 1646 ) he added big parts of Eastern-, and Central Jawa to his kingdom. After his death, the capital was placed to the east several times, first to Plered and next to Kartasura.

The grandson of sultan Agung, Amangkurat II, started the construction of a fortification near Beringan, but died during construction. His brother, the later Paku Buwono I, completed the structure and named it Ngayogya, a 'Jawanisation' of Ayodya, the idylic kingdom of Prince Rama from Ramayana. The current name Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat connects this Indian poem of heroes with the wanted peace ( yogya ) and prosperity ( karta ).

A long, unrecognisable number of revolts and wars after eachother lead to a truce - forced by the Dutch - between Paku Buwono III and his uncle Mangkubumi in the mid 18th century. The nine-year-long conflict got an totally unexpected end. The kingdom was devided into two seperate royal houses. Mangkubumi got half and seated as sultan Hamengku Buwono I in the new capital of Yogyakarta.

A new city

Hamengku Buwono I was a dynamic and creative rules. With care he choose the location for his new palace: at the southern side of the Merapi, close to the monuments of the old Mataram and the former places of Senopato and sultan Agung. The klaton which he built in Yogya, became the symbol of his new empire.

Along the southen entrance fruit trees were planted as a feature of the growth of the humen embryo from the fertilisation until birth. The road of procession, which lead to the north from the kraton ( the current Jalan A. yani - Malioboro - Mangkubumi ), was compared to a ritual path, which every person had to walk in it's mind to clear the thoughts. Only after that you could unite with the creator, symbolised by a stone needle or Tugu, at the northern end of the road.


Hemengku Buwono I was not only a successfull constructor, he also was an successfull military leader and a professional ruler. After his death in 1792 a restless time dawned. Conflicts between his sons and grandsons became arguments in which the Dutch and English colonial powers also got strangled. In an effort to stabilise the region, the English gave prince Notokusomo, a half-brother of Hamengku Buwono I, an independend principality and the title Sri Paduka Paku Alam I in 1813.

Intrigues and revolt followed eachother in fast pace. Arguments about rights on land became more fierce and reached their highs in the dramatic Jawa War ( 1825-1830 ). The religious accented on economy based revold spread all over central Jawa under command of the charismatic Yogyan prince Diponegoro. Besides the approximately 15,000 deaths, famine and epidemics also caused 200,000 deaths, about 10 per cent of the total population of the island at that time.

In 1830 Diponegoro was trapped, enprisoned and banned from the island. After that the royal family lead an quiet existance. People worked on arts and ritual appearance of status, and helped the Dutch sugar companies. The rural population multipied by eight, causing the living conditions to change dramatically.

In the beginning of the 20th century a few important social movements were formed in Yogya. In 1908 a group of young idealists with Dutch education founded the Boedi Oetomo , followed up four years later by the Muhammadiyah-movement of K.H.A. Dahlan.

This movement propagated modern islamic education and healthcare. In 1922 Ki Hadjar Dewantoro founded the Taman Siswa schools in Yogya, and in 1928 the first Indonesian congress for women was held, in which representatives of 30 departments participated.

Revolutionary mind

In 1940 the 27-year-old prince became sultan Hamengku Buwono IX. This happening would have big influences all over Indonesia. The young sultan studied at the Univesity in Leiden, and had an western education, but he was also aware about his Jawanese roots. He developed himself into a reformed, which gave real support to the independence movement in the dark days of the revolution.

Directly after the declaration of independence at 17 August 1945 sultan Hameng Buwono IX as well as Paku Alam VIII decided to support the newly formed Indonesian republic. Early 1946m, the capital was quietly replaced to Yogyakarta, in that time the sultan gave the new government some funds.

The Dutch didn't dare to overthrow the sultan. During the six month long occupation in 1949 they tried, with no success, to get the leadership of a new pan-Jawanese state. During this entire period the sultan had personal contact with the republican guerrilla troops, which operated from the surrounding villages.

Because he openly supported the revolution, his empire got the status of special province, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, with the sultan as governor and Paku Alam VIII as vice-governor, named for life and directly responsible for the central government, and not to the governor of Central Jawa.

City of education and culture

Yogya is a city with many faces. Proud at it's century-old Jawanese heir it attracts numerous painters, dancers and writers from all over the planet. The city where the Taman Siswa-schools and the Islamic Muhammadiyah-schools were founded, nowadays is a real student city.

Besides the Gajad Mada University, which originates from the time of the revolution and is one of the most important Universities of the country, Yogya counts over fourty academies and institutes for higher education.

Besides a traditional Jawanese city, Yogya is also a place of refreshing ideas. On just a few paces from the serene kraton is the market where batik painters show their designs, influenced by foreigners. In the main streets computer stores pop up everywhere while satellite dishes and trendy residencial quarters dominate the city.

During a celebration of Independence day, no one look if after a traditional golek-dance a group of trendy pop-dancers appear on the stage. In the tolerant cultural climate in Yogya traditions and modern things go hand in hand.

The over two kilometre long main road which runs from the kraton to the north, was part of the original design of the palace and was the lifely archery at which Yogyakarta grew.
Too bad, the nowadays Jalan Malioboro has little similarity with the mystical lane which Hamengku Buwono I had in mind for his royal procession. His 'ritual path' became an overcrowded, densely populated race circuit, and the spiritual symbolics were changed for exhaustion gasses.
The special meaning which the street had ever since the early times, brought successive city councils to the idea to give it a face-lift. Remarkable is the fact that the street is made into a one-way street, just against the way of the original kraton processions, from the north to the south.

Marlborough or Mergelberg

About the origin of the name 'Malioboro', very different explainations are to be found. For sure is that the name only got there after 1945, is from abroad, because Jawanese tradition only names quarters. Naming streets in Indonesia is just a very recent appearance.

The long time that the most populair explaination that the street was named after the duke of Marlborough (after the English occupation of Jawa), is nowadays considdered the least probable one. The explaination that tells the name originates from Sanscrite, malaya bhara (decorated with strings of flowers), is hard to proove, since this term is not found in old Jawanese texts.

The third explaination is that Malioboro is a degeneration from Mergelberg (the equivalent of Marlborough), which meand as much as 'fortress of limestone', and points to the walls of the benteng.

Jalan Ahmad Yani

The most southern part of Jalan Malioboro, between the post office and the first big crossing, officially is named Jalan Ahman Yani, to one of the torturers from the revolution. It is dominated by gold shops, batikshops and snackbars.

Arriving from the alun-alun you first pass a gate (pangurakan), which marks the border of the kraton area. Next is a crossing with some colonial buildings: the main post office (built in 1910), the Bank Negara Indonesia 1946 (built in 1923 at the Javasche Bank/Nillmij) and the former society (built in 1912, but partially bombarded in 1946), which nowadays serves as a theathre and gallery (Gedung Senisono); on Saturdays open-air concerts are given here.



Benteng Vredeburg



Yogya Custom Clothing
 
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