Yogyakarta

Although their names may be similar, there is little in common between Jakarta and Yogyakarta. While Jakarta is big and traffic clogged, Yogyakarta is much smaller and far slower-paced. It is located in Central Java, two hours from Jakarta by plane. The city was described to me as the cultural capital of Indonesia, and it certainly lives up to that title. 

Sultan Palace

Although Indonesia is a democracy, Yogyakarta is a kingdom. The city is centered around the palace complex of the king.

Palace gate

Palace guard

Sitting room within the palace complex

Water Castle

Nearby the palace complex is a very strange relic known as the water castle. The structure once was a bathhouse for the sultan's daughters, but today it is completely dry.

Stairway to the castle

Castle ruins

Tunnels below the castle

Inner chamber

Prambanan

Just outside of Yogyakarta is the prambanan temple, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. It was built in the 9th century to commemorate the return of a Hindu ruling dynasty in Central Java after a century of Buddhist rule. It was abandoned a century later when the dynasty moved to East Java. The temple was destroyed in an earthquake in the 16th century. Of the 240 temples that stood in the prambanan complex, only the eight major temples and 8 accompanying shrines have been restored.

Prambanan temple complex

Ruins of smaller temples surround the reconstructed central temples

Close up of the main temples

A sarong is required attire for entering prambanan. This one was provided at the door.