YOGYAKARTA IN GENERAL
Yogyakarta is one of the supreme cultural centers of Java. Full Gamelan orchestras visions from the past, classical and contemporary Javanese dances exhibit beautiful control and poise, wayang kulit-leather puppet theaters come to life and hundreds of other traditional illustrations of art keep locals and visitors spellbound. It is as if the city itself has an extraordinary life force and charms, which seldom fails to captivate.
Geographic
Geographically, Yogyakarta Special Province is situated in the Southern part of Central Java and lies between 7 degree 33' and 8 degree 12' South altitude and between 110 degree 50' East longitude. The administrative boundaries of this region are surrounded by some regencies of central Java Province:
|
Southern East
|
:
|
Wonogiri Regency
|
|
Eastern
|
:
|
Klaten Regency
|
|
Northwestern
|
:
|
Magelang Regency
|
|
Western
|
:
|
Purworejo Regency
|
The Indonesian Ocean borders the Southern part of Yogyakarta. The borderline of the seashore stretches from West to East of which the length is around 100 km, started from Congot Beach in Kulon Progo Regency and ended at Sadeng Beach in Gunung Kidul Regency. Because of its location, Yogyakarta is strategically positioned for the economic activity network in Java as well as for the tourist destination area. The special region of Yogyakarta lies midway on the axis of several main tourist destination areas, Jakarta and West Java westward. Central Java northward, East Java and Bali eastward. It is linked by regular rail, road and air services to other parts of Indonesian archipelago.
Region
The Province of Yogyakarta Special Region with the total area 3,185.80 square kilometers consists of four regencies and one municipality namely :
Yogya Municipality : 32,50 square kilometers
Sleman Regency : 574,82 square kilometers
Bantul Regency : 506,86 square kilometers
Kulon Progo Regency : 586,27 square kilometers
Gunung Kidul Regency : 1,485.36 square kilometers.
Based on its land area, the Yogyakarta Special Region is the second smallest province in Indonesia after DKI Jakarta Province. Morphologically the condition of each district sand municipality is as follows:
The soil mostly contains of limestone and therefore in unfertile. The northern part has the average height between 200 and 700 meters above the sea level land the weather is not so dry. The water resource is still easy to find because the river is flowing there. The central zone, which consists of the wide plateau lies on the average height between 150 and 300 m above the sea level, gets its water resource only from underground rivers. The Southern part is fallow land it has rivers deep under the ground and it is rocky, dry and bare. There are many limestone caves and stagnant ponds, which can keep rain water but usually become dry before the end of the dry seasons. The Sleman Regency lies on the Northern part Yogyakarta Special Region, on the foot of Merapi Volcano.
The average height is from 140m to 600m above the sea level and it goes higher to the North. Even there are villages seated 1,200 above the sea level. The territory of the Sleman Regency is mostly fertile and gets enough water because of the conservation forest on the slope of Mount Merapi and the irrigation canal called Selokan Mataram with its water flows from Ponorogo to Opak River across this territory. The area of district is given over the farming and the main food crops are rice, soybean and peanut on the black volcanic soils of the lowlands, cassava and maize are grown in the limestone hills.
Climate
The average daily temperature range between 26 degree and 28 degree Celsius with its minimum 18 degree C and maximum 35 degree C respectively. Average humidity is 74% with its minimum of 65% and maximum of 84% respectively.
The Yogyakarta Special Region lies approximately 7 South of the equator line and is bathed in tropical; sunshine along the year. Having a tropic climate the daily atmosphere feels a little bit hot and humid. These are only two seasons along the year, the wet or rainy seasons and dry monsoon. Usually the wet seasons begin at September and lasts about August. Generally there is no rainfalls from may to August and there fore the atmosphere feels hot and humid on the day and cool in the night and early morning. The monthly rain falling Yogyakarta varies between 3mm and 496mm in which those above 300mm take place during the month of January up to April. The heaviest rainfall usually occurs in February while the lowest commonly happens between May and October Average annually rainfall is about 1,900mm.
People
The number of population of Yogyakarta Province in 1994 (mid year is 3,124,280 people) and the average density is estimated to be 980,69 persons per square kilometer. The most heavily populated district in the region is in.
Yogyakarta Municipality that has 461,800 inhabitants spread over 32,50 kilometers or the average population density is thus over 14,200 persons per square kilometer. The least densely populated districts is in Gunung Kidul regency which has 720.643 inhabitants and cover 1,485 square kilometers or the density rate is 485 persons per square kilometer. Since a very long time ago the Provincial territory of Yogyakarta Special Region and its surrounding has been decently populated. The Merapi Volcano in the northern part has always erupted its volcanic materials and therefore its surrounding area has been fertile land and thus densely populated. It has been widely known that some realms have ever.
Government
The government of the Republic of Indonesia consists of 27 provinces. Some of them have a status as the Special Region. Those are the Capital Special Region of Jakarta as a capital of the country, the Special Region of Aceh and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. What is now called Special Region of Yogyakarta has come into being continuing the administrations existing far back before the Republic of Indonesia was born as an independent country. During the era of Dutch occupation there are two principalities in this region namely the Kasultanan Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Sultanate) and the Kadipaten Pakualaman (Pakualaman Regency).
The Dutch Colonial Government in the past respected and referred to the authorities of those two principalities in carrying out their autonomous self government, arranged under a political contract. When the Indonesian independence was proclaimed the ruler of both principalities, the Sultan of Yogyakarta and Prince of Regent of Pakualaman declared a statement that Yogyakarta Sultanate and Pakualaman Regency became part of the Republic of Indonesia. Those two regions were unified to form the Special Region of Yogyakarta and the Sultan of Yogyakarta to be the Governor and the Prince of Regent of Pakualaman as the vice-governor, both were responsible for the president of the Republic of Indonesia. The special Region of Yogyakarta was formally formed after the independence war ended and legalized with the Aug 3, 1950.
In carrying out the local government administration it considers three principles those are decentralization, deconcentration and the assistance task. The provincial Government carries out the responsibilities and authorities of the Central Government, on other hand carries out its autonomous responsibilities and authorities. The Regional Government consists of the Head of the Region and the Legislative Assembly of the Region. Such construction guarantees good cooperation between the Head of Region and the Legislative Assembly of Region in order to achieve a sound regional government administration. The Head of the Special Region of Yogyakarta has got responsibility as the Head of the Territory and titled as a Governor.
The first Governor was the late HRH. Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, Sultan of Yogyakarta and continued by HRH. Paku Alam VIII as the Acting Governor up to at present. Unlike the other Heads of the Region Level in Indonesia the Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta have got privilege or special status of not being bound to the period of position nor the requirements and way of appointment. However in carrying out their duties they have got the same authorities and responsibilities.
The remains of Shivaite Hinduism civilization is the ruins of an eldest Shivaite Hinduism Temple in Dieng Plateau with its height more than 2000 meters above of the sea level and lies about 125 kilometers northwest of Yogyakarta. The Cailendra Dynasty continued to rule over Mataram Kingdom for more than a Century with the religion that were adhered is Mahayana Buddhism. Towards the middle of the 8th Century the Buddhist Ceilendra Dynasty brought the Central Java under their influence but without completely subjugating the Shivaite Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty. In the era of Cailendra Dynasty the civilization was in a good progress. The amazing fact is that more than one religion as well as religious sects could get along well with each other and a variety of societies live side by side in harmony.
Shiva and Buddha seem indeed to have been regarded by their adherents as manifestations of one and the same spiritual being. Both Shivaite Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism were practiced but there were essentially court religions and only very slowly did their influence seep down into village life. The period of intensive Hindu-Buddhist influences in Central and East Java extended from 8th - 15th Century. The massive Borobudur monument (40 kilometers northwest Yogyakarta) and the magnificent Prambanan Temple Complex (18 kilometers east of Yogyakarta) was constructed during the period of 8th - 9th Century AD by both dynasties.
It is interesting to note that those temple surroundings of Prambanan Temple complex belongs to the sacred place of two religious Hinduism and Buddhism. During the 10th Century the capital of Mataram Kingdom shifted from Central Java to East Java. Late in the 13th Century the Majapahit Kingdom was founded which was centered in East Java. The capital of the Kingdom lies nearby Mojokerto and the ruins of the palace has been found within Trowulan district area The Majapahit Kingdom reached the golden age of its power and glory under the powerful leadership of its Prime Minister Gadjah Mada, during the 14th Century. In this era the territory of Majapahit realm extended over Central and East Java, Madura, Bali, Sumatra, Singapore and even to parts of Asia. The trade has grown rapidly and a quite number of foreign traders came and established footholds on the harbor cities and trade centers within this realm.
Those traders, particularly Arab and Indians mostly Moslem beside of merchandise they also brought Islam as a new religion and gradually began spreading in Java and other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. In the late of 15th Century due to the civil war and aristocratic elite conflicts in along term Majapahit became weaker and disappeared early in the 16th Century. After the fall of Majapahit, the era of Moslem began with the emergence of the Demak Kingdom. The Kingdom established control over Central Java. The Moslem religion at that time had been accepted by the aristocrat and a large section of the population in Central Java.
Demak Kingdom as the first Islamic realm was continued by Pajang and finally the Mataram Kingdom. Mataram was founded by Sutawijaya, known as Panembahan Senopati, in the late 16th Century, precisely in 1586 AD. This realm lies in the Southern part of Central Java with its capital near Yogyakarta. The greatest Monarch was Sultan Agung who reigned from 1613 - 1645. In this era the Mataram Kingdom reached the golden age of its power and at one time was powerful enough to threaten the Dutch militarily in Batavia. Sultan Agung ordered the army to chase away the Dutch from Java in 1628 and 1629 because some of reasons his struggle failed. During the glorious era of Sultan Agung, the Mataram territory extended considerably throughout Central Java, East Java, Kalimantan Island and part of West Java. After Sultan Agung passed away in 1645, Mataram gradually lost its power and was under pressured of the Dutch. In the Mataram Kingdom, as elsewhere, the Dutch cleverly applied the principle of "devide et empera". In this case the Dutch always became the third party and tried to take advantages the disputes. In the middle of 18th Century, the Mataram Kingdom was under controlled by the Dutch's military support to keep order his kingdom
A small enclave within the Sultanate of Yogyakarta was declared as a self-governing principality and took the name of Kadipaten Pakualaman. Prince Notokusumo, a brother of Sultan, had been crowned as the first ruler the title has used was KGPAA Paku Alam I. Since 1816 the former Mataram Kingdom was thus split up into four-self governing principalities, these are Kasultanan Yogyakarta, Kasultanan Surakarta, Kadipaten Mangkunegaran, and Kadipaten Pakualaman. During 1942 -1945 Java was under controlled of the Javanese regime and they also aided unwittingly the Sultan of Yogyakarta in his effort to transform the feudal state he had inherited. In showing their favor to the Indonesian people, the Japanese released the national leaders who had been exiled by the Dutch. The national leaders began organizing the country for eventual independence.
On August 17, 1945 Sukarno and Hatta on behalf of the Indonesian people proclaimed the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. The Sultan of Yogyakarta was one of the first Indonesian leaders to rally to the cause of the Republic and offered his support to the national leaders. Soon became clear that they would not be able to hold Jakarta. In 1946 Yogyakarta became the capital city of the Indonesia Republic. Therefore this city became known as the capital of the revolution. Because it was the center of the revolutionary, Yogyakarta is still regarded as having a special place in the history of Indonesia. In recognition of the loyalty and support given by Sultan of Yogyakarta of succeed the struggle of independence, Yogyakarta was made a Special Region within the Indonesian Republic with a provincial status and the Sultan was positioned as the Governor of the province. It is indeed the only former principality to have received this privilege.
Culture
Culture the province of Yogyakarta with its status as a special region lies in the Southern part of Cnetral Java, in the hearthland of Javanese culture. as the former capital and the center of several kingdoms in the past, this region and its people are very rich in a vaariety of cultures. It is widely known from to historical records that the civilization, art and culture had developed well in the center of those kingdoms respectively in the era of the Ancient mataram Kingdom (8th - 10th Century) the second mataram Kingdom (17th - 18th century) and Sultanate Ngayogyokarto from the mid of 18th Century up today.
It can be mentioned here that the cultural heritage in the past are the magnificent temples, the ruins of palaces and monasteries, the various kind of traditions cultural events, traditional folk performing arts, traditional ritual ceremonies, customs, traditional handicrafts, traditional architecture and other traditional activities. Most of them still exist and are coloring the daily activities of life and behavior of the local inhabitants, particularly the Javanese community with its traditional way of life and customs. Because of its richness in culture therefore Yogyakarta has been known for long as the cradle of the Javanese culture
The Kraton Ngayogyokarto Hadiningrat (the Sultan's Palace) at the present being is known as a center of Javanese art and culture activities. Generally the community of Javanese people still respect their Sultan and are proud of the aristocratic influence of the Sultanate court. The name of the Sultan holds a special significance for all Yogyanese evoking the traditional Javanese aristocrat. As a cradle of the Javanese culture, various art activities still flourish here. There are many traditional events and ceremonies that have been hold regularly such as Sekaten, Grebegan, Labuhan and others. A lot of traditional art and performances can be found with its daily program of cultural presentations, such as The Ramayana Ballet, Javanese Classical Dance, The Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet play), the Ketoprak (folk drama) and others. Not less interesting are also the old traditional rites of the esoteric custom kept alive by the people, particularly by village inhabitants. In respect of modern art. Yogyakarta excels with a dozen of art galleries and studios of Indonesia's prominent painters, sculptors, modern batik designers and choreographers. The educational institutions of art and craft both provided by state or private are available here, such as Indonesia Institute of Art, the Conservatorium of Classical Javanese Music and Dance, some of art foundations, art exercise and rehearsals etc. The richness in variations are that this city has in store is one of many aspects that makes Yogyakarta is a city of endless wonder and fascination.
|
