Art and Culture of Yogyakarta Palace

14.53 | Label: ETHNIC

Javanese Court Dance
1. Sundays from 11.00 am – noon in Sri Manganti Hall & Thursdays fom 10.00 am - noon, Performing classical Court Dance.
2. For more information, see Javanese Traditional Dance Classical Court Dance – Karaton of Yogyakarta.
3. Exercise at the same time in Ksatrian
Javanese Gamelan Music
Mondays and Tuesdays
From 10.00 – noon in Sri Manganti Hall,
Wayang Leather Puppetry
1. Wednesdays from 09.30 am – 12.30 am, Thengul puppet
2. Saturdays 09.30 am - 12.00 am, leather puppet
Abbreviated performance in Sri Manganti hall
Visitors shall go inside the Karaton through Jalan Rotowijayan (West of Karaton) and Keben.
Javanese song performance 09.00 pm - 11.30 pm

Daily Activities
Monday : Javanese Gamelan Music
10.00 p.m. – noon
Tuesday : Javanese Gamelan Music
10.00 p.m. – noon
Wednesday : Thengul Puppet
09.30 pm – 12.30 pm
(Abbreviated performance)
Thursday : Javanese Court Dance
10.00 p.m. – noon
Friday : Javanese song performance
09.30 pm - 11.30 pm
Saturday : Wayang Leather Puppetry
09.30 p.m. – 12.30 pm
(Abbreviated performance)
Sunday : Javanese Court Dance
11.00p.m. – noon
All performances are held at Sri Manganti Hall, inside the Karaton. Visitors shall go thru Jalan Rotowijayan (West of Karaton), turn left to Keben.
Museums

Karaton museum dedicated to the late Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX, inside the palace.
Open daily: 10.30 a.m. to noon
Museum Kareta / Royal Carriages
Jl. Rotowijayan, west of Karaton
Open daily: 10.30 a.m. to noon.
In Javanese month of Suro these carriages are bathed with water (Siraman), carried-out by authorized court-employees and witnessed by a lot of people to get some water. These traditional people believe that the water has certain supernatural power among other can make the rice fields fertile.

The names of some royal carriages are:
Kanjeng Kyai Garudo Yekso, used for the coronation of Sultan Hamengku Buwono X.
Kanjeng Nyai Jimad, an old carriage with leather spring, used by the first Sultan.
Kyai Mondro Juwolo, belonged to Prince Diponegoro, the son of the third Sultan, a warrior against the Dutch colonialism during the war of Java (Diponegoro war) 1825-1830.
Kyai Jatayu for the Queen
Kyai Wimonoputro for the Crown Prince etc.

Cultural / Ritual Ceremonies

Heirlooms / Pusaka cleaning in the Javanese month of Suro.
See: Commemoration of 1^st Suro
The Karaton’s Heirlooms
The 30^th of Javanese month of Rajab. The coronation day of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X – Labuhan Ceremony in South sea (Parangkusumo), Mt. Merapi and Mt. Lawu
See: Labuhan Ceremony of Karaton Yogyakarta
The Garebeg ceremonies, 3 times in a year
See: Garebeg

III. Tourist Promotion
This is the most busiest royal palace in Java. In normal time more than half a million visitors per year, domestic and foreign from different parts of the world come to appreciate the ancient attractive Karaton.
The location is very strategic, in the center of the metropolitan city in the south end of the center of the famous jalan Malioboro.
The tourist of Karaton is well organized. The objects of arts, history and many professional guides speaking major foreign languages are available. The magical atmosphere and specific environment of the palace compound give a relief feeling to the admirers. Everyone should not fail to see this marvelous place whilst visiting Yogyakarta.
Pagelaran

This spacious magnificent open hall is the front part of Karaton, facing the Alun-alun Utara/North Square. A relief above the main-gate indicates the Javanese year of 1865, the year of the hall renovation by Sultan Hamengku Buwono VIII.
Bangsal/Hall/Pengapit in the west side and Pasewakan in the East side are used as a showcase for royal traditional dresses of Karaton Yogyakarta, in the old time it was the place for the Sultan to meet with his chief-warriors.
There is also a Bangsal (Hall) Pengrawit, a place for inauguration of Patih (Prime minister) by the Sultan. Above the rear gate of Pagelaran, there is a relief indicates the year of renovation, 1934 A.D.
In the fence of the back yard of Pagelaran, there are reliefs showing the struggle of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I and Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX for the propose of study tour. Going further south on the way to Sti Hinggil (highland), there are 2 small Bangsal Pacikeran which were used until 1926 by court-employees of Singonegoro and Mertolulut (executioners).
A souvenir corner is available
Siti Hinggil

The elegant Siti Hinggil complex was refined during the reign of Sultan Hamengku Buwono VIII. There are two reliefs indicate the time of renovation in 1857 Javanese year or 1926 A.D. Entering Siti Hinggil, visitors arrive in Tarub Agung, a huge square canopy supported by 4 Javanese style pillars. Two Bangsal Kori, in the east and west of Tarub Agung, are for the court-employees who assigned to make report to the Sultan.
There was an ancient tradition called Pepe. An ordinary people could meet directly with the Sultan requesting justice or something else. He had to wear white clothes and sat between the 2-beringin/Banyan trees in the middle of the North Square. The court employees saw him from Bangsal Kori, they should report to the Sultan and Sultan should instruct his employees to call that people.
Next to Tarub Agung is the Tratag Siti Hinggil and then the Bangsal Siti Hinggil, a spacious magnificent royal open hall, where the royal audience is held during Garebeg.
Inside Bangsal Siti Hinggil, there is another Bangsal called Bangsal Manguntur Tangkil a sacred place of the Sultan’s throne. A royal chair where Sultan sits during Karaton ceremony.
In the rear of Bangsal Manguntur Tangkil is Bangsal Witono where the Karaton Pusaka/Heirlooms are placed during Garebeg ceremony. It’s a very splendid hall with a lot of carved ornaments and the ceiling is wonderfully decorated.

Those ornaments have symbolic meanings of unity and integrity of all forces in the society. There are another two halls, flanked Siti Hinggil Hall, in the east is Bale Bang, a place to store the gamelan music instruments by the name of Sekati, in the west is Bale Angun-angun to keep the Pusaka/Heirloom by the name of Kanjeng Kyai Suro Angun-angun, in the form of a lance used to kill bulls in the old time.
North Kemandungan/Keben
Visitors should enter the main Karaton complex (the Kedaton) thru North Kemandungan or popularly known as Keben. The most convenient way, go to Jalan Rotowijayan (west of Karaton) then turn left.
There is a Bangsal Ponconiti in the middle of the yard, now serve as guide center.
Kedaton
Enter the main gate to Kedaton there are fantastic heritage of ancient Javanese art and culture. In Bangsal Sri Manganti there is daily performance of arts, such as court dance, gamelan music and wayang kulit show. Nearby Sri Manganti is Bangsal Trajumas and Purworetno Building.
After entering the gate Donopratopo, there are the wonderful Bangsal Kencono, pavilion Prabayeksa and Gedong Kuning (yellow house) the domain of the Sultan.
In the south-east corner is the museum dedicated to Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX
A souvenir Corner is available
Pilgrimage
The graveyards of the ancestors of Yogyakarta court families are Kotagede and Imogiri.
In Kotagede (6 Km of Yogya city ) are the graves of Panembahan Senopati, the first ruler of Mataram Kingdom II, Sultan Hadiwijoyo-the Sultan of Pajang Kingdom, Ki Ageng Pemanahan, one of the founding father of Mataram and other important figures of Mataram.
In Imogiri (10 Km South of Yogya city) are the graves of Sultan Agung-the great King of Mataram and other kings and important families of Mataram, Surakarta and Yogyakarta Kingdoms.
There are also other graveyards of the court families, respected and visited by many pilgrims such as Wotgaleh, Karangturi, Mlangi etc.
Besides the above there are some sacred places, the abodes of Mataram founding fathers, managed by the Karaton Yogyakarta such as:
Petilasan Dlepih, the retreat of Panembahan Senopati and Sultan Agung
Petilasan Banglampir, the abode of Ki Ageng Butuh, Ki Ageng Pemanahan, Ki Ageng Juru Mertani and Panembahan Senopati.
Petilasan Beton, a meditation place of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I, when he was a young prince.

IV. Social Engagement

Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and his wife, G.K.R. Hemas are prominent figures in Yogyakarta. They chair many social, education, sport foundations, showing their honorable position in the hearts of the people, even before his inauguration as Governor of Yogyakarta Special Region.
Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X is a wise leader with progressive vision who can accommodate the people’s aspiration. The art and culture are well maintained and developed accordingly.
Sometimes banquets with traditional dance performances, accompanied with gamelan are organized in Karaton, some other times, Sri Sultan gives opportunities to foreign cultural troupes to perform also in Karaton.
This is a broad-minded policy supporting cross-cultural relation for better cooperation and appreciation among people of the world. The court families of Karaton Ngayogyakarta are also taking part actively in many social engagement.