Yogyakarta, as well as Solo being the remnants of the Mataram Kingdom, are recognized as the Javanese culture centers. Recently the Adisumarno airport of Solo was inaugurated as an international airport, and soon to be linked with direct air service from Singapore.

You can watch batik ‘artist’ at work in the batik factories, or even in the kampongs. You can go to dalang schools and see wayang kulit being performed. Yogya’s sizable percentage of its population are not Javanese, giving a more cosmopolitan air to this town. Among the most important segment of Yogya’s inhabitants is the floating population of tourist and resident for eigners.

Yogyakarta, being one of the 31 provinces of the Republic, has its administrative status of Daerah Istimewa (Special Region). This is due to the historical fact that during the early years of the independence the capital was once moved to Yogyakarta. Being almost at the center of Java, Yogya bordering with Central at its north, west and east side, at the south Yogya borders with the Indian Ocean.

Thanks to the Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta is also nicknamed as ‘The Student City’, with thousands of its students originating from almost every other part of Indonesia. Yogya is also popularly known as ‘The City of The Struggle For Independence, and ‘The City of Bicycles’. Tens of Thousands of bicycles are used by the students and most of its inhabitants alike.

Yogyakarta, originally known as Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, when the sultanate of Yogyakarta came into being, after Mataram broke up in 1755 into two separate kingdoms, following a rebellion against the Dutch. The rapid decline of Mataram in those days sparked by the Dutch’s ill treatment against the growing Chinese population, especially in Batavia.

In 1740, following a series of minor clashes between bands of Chinese and the Dutch soldiers around Batavia, mobs encouraged by officials massacred thousands of the Chinese residents. The whole neighborhoods were set afire and razed to the ground. The incident sparked off a full scale rebellion that spread from Batavia to the east.

The regent of Madura, Tjakaraningrat at the time was in revolt against Mataram. Finding an unexpected ally in the Chinese, Tjakraningrat joined force with them. A combined force of Chinese and Madurese attacked the capital and ransacked the kraton or palace, in Kartasura.

Pakubuwono II fled, with Dutch help, however, was soon able to return. A new treaty was signed with the Dutch and more concessions were made, virtually reduced the Mataram kingdom to a vassal state. The old palace had been desecrated, and in accordance with the court tradition, the capital was moved from Kartasura to Surakarta (Solo) and a new palace was built.

So firm was the Dutch grip over Mataram, before the weak Sunan Pakubuwono II died, he legated his kingdom to the Dutch East India Company. One of his sons, a prince with strong Dutch sympathy, was named as his successor.

However, Pangeran Ario Mangkubumi a royal prince retired to Yogyakarta where he proclaimed himself as a sultan. War had broken out may vary from 13 to 75. They are almost all percussion instruments, ranging from the large gongs, ‘kettles’ and resonating slabs of bronze to smaller pieces like gender and gambang or xylophone.
   

A rebab (two stringed vertically played violins), a cemplung (a kind of zither) and occasionally a suling (flute) are the only string or wind instruments. The larger and more sonorous pieces carry melodies with long notes, whilst the smaller and lighter instruments carry melodies with shorter notes and generally a faster tempo. To foreign ears the most curious aspect of Gamelan is the tuning, which normally combines a five tone system (sledro) and seven tone system (pelog).

An appreciation of gamelan music is of course a very personal experience. People attuned to the vigorous Balinese from often find the Central Java’s style often decry West Java’s as monotonous and unimaginative.

According to Jaap Kunst, the Dutch expert of Javanese gamelan as he described in his book, Music of Java describes gamelan comparable to only two things: moonlight and flowing water. It is pure and mysterious like moonlight and always changing like flowing water. It is a state of being, such as moonlight itself which lies poured out over the land.

Visitors to kraton are welcome to attend gamelan rehearsals on Monday and Wednesday morning. For just a small fee you may tape the music. The smaller Pakualaman palace has adopted the soft, lifting style of Yogya’a rival, Surakarta. Concerts are stage there every fifth Sunday on the date of Minggu Pahing. Music begins at 10 am. Both Ambarukmo and Garuda hotels play gamelan concerts in the lobby every day.

Of all Yoya’s arts, wayang kulit is probably closest to the hearts of its people. The bemused Westerner may view wayang kulit as an ancient picture show, and leave it at that. In fact, the visual aspect, enchanting though it may be, is only a part of the wayang kulit performance, for the interplay of music and the amazingly varied character voices of the dalang are even more important to a Javanese audience.

Night long performances are regularly staged in conjunction with major religious occasions and palace festival. As puree entertainment, wayang kulit still enjoys great popularity, but is also being adapted to the changing times. As modern urban audiences do not have the time to watch an entire night show, many dalang are experimenting with compressed versions, 2 to 3 hours long.

The traditional blencong, or the oil lamp, has been replaced almost everywhere with a strong electric bulb. The brighter light enable larger audiences to enjoy each performance, but has changed atmosphere as the flickering light made the shadows come alive.

Yogya’s indigenous from of dance theatre, called wayang wong, is infrequently performed, restricted now days to the anniversaries of the leading dance schools. Designed to be stage under the roof of an aristocratic pendopo by a vast corps of dancers drilled to recite dialog in tembang macapat (old traditional from of sung poems) in archaic Javanese.

Solo, however, a different dramatic format set on a proscenium stage and consisting mostly of improvised, colloquial dialogue became a model for wayang troupes throughout Java. The dancing is only rudimentary, a pale shadow of the elaborate Yogyanese choreographies, but the level of stagecraft achieved is remarkable.

Solo style wayang wong and ketoprak (similar to wayang wong, but based on events and legends of Javanese history) draw regular crowds at the Taman Hiburan Rakyat, or People’s Entertainment Garden, Yogya’s seedy amusement park (at Jalan Brigjen Katamso). The performances are woefully interior, yet still colorful and amusing. The action starts around 9 pm.

Dance is one of the highlights of Yogya’s culture. Some dances are performed on special occasions, others are performed regularly. Some are resolutely classical some again are ancient in inspiration but modern in choreography and style. All of them enjoy a devoted following, and should you stumble on a rehearsal, a visit to one of the city’s dancing schools might suggest that every one between the ages of 5 and 15 is dance student.

Classical court dancing, fluid yet superbly controlled, originated in kraton and still taught there. A practice session (Sunday mornings at 10 am) is fascinating not just for the insight it gives on the subtleties of Javanese dance, but also for the delightful atmosphere of the kraton and the painstaking care with which the old dancing master coax along their young pupils.

Classical dance is also taught at Krido Bekso Wiromo (the first school to teach court dancing outside kraton) and at Siswo Among Bekso. The most active schools of strict Yogyanese classical technique are Mardawa Budaya and Pamulangan Beksa Ngayogyakarta. Classes are in late afternoons and evenings. Modern and modernized classical dances can be seen at Bagong Kussudiardjo’s studio.

The full beauty of Javanese dance is best appreciated in an actual performance. Special make up, glittering jewels and elaborate costumes transform young girls into ethereal nymphs from the Southern Ocean, young men wearing topeng (mask) in the role of a lovesick prince preparing to meet his beloved, clowns tumble with athletic agility, and forbidding giants strut ominously.

For most visitor, Sendra Tari Ramayana or Ramayana ballets is the perfect introduction to classical dance in all its mythical wonder and drama. Held at an outdoor theatre in Prambanan, 16 km east of Yogya on the road to Solo, with the magnificent Roro Jonggrang temple as a memorable enactment of one of mankind’s greatest epics.

Unlike many dances in other countries which have lost much of their vitality and flavor in being commercially packaged, the Ramayana ballet has stayed remarkably true to its origins in wayang wong.

Kota Gede is the center of the silver industry. There are two major workshops and handful of one where you can watch the hammering, beating, cleaning and polishing of the metal. Deft fingers create spider web filigree. Anvils clang till your head rings, gentle hammer blows tap out elegant repose work.

The temptations are enormous. Even if a superb miniature of Yogya’s royal coach is beyond your means, there is a wide rang of rings, bracelets, and pendants, coffee sets, ash trays, flatware and occasional piece of modern jewelry to choose from, at more moderate price. At the new, expanded Tom’s Silver (Jalan Ngeksiganda, Kota Gede) visitors are welcome to watch one of Yogya’s premier workshop process and design high quality silver.

Batik is one of Yogya’s great draw cards. Unless you class yourself with the connoisseurs, it’s good idea to begin at Balai Penelitian Batik Kerajinan (Batik and Handicraft Research Centre) in Jalan Kusumanegaran, east of the main post office, for a comprehensive and well displayed introduction to the staggering variety of patterns and colors to be found throughout Java.

The art of painting is fairly active in Yogya, though standards, themes and techniques vary considerably. During the revolutionary and immediate post revolutionary year Indonesian painting was strong and vigorous, sometimes crudely executed, these works nevertheless projected an almost explosive vitality. Today, much of that groping, grass root urgency has disappeared. Many painters seem more interested in technique, and in the interplay of form, color and texture.

The result is attractive, if somewhat derivative, work, which owes much to Western norms. However, some recent work is exploring the surrealistic fantasies which seem to find fertile ground in the Javanese psyche. Cemeti Gallery on Jalan Ngadisuryan has a good selection of contemporary painting, as does Nyoman Gunarsa’s Gallery on Jalan Wulung 63.

The work of Affandi, Indonesia’s ‘grand old man’ of contemporary painting until his death in 1990, is now sold exclusively through the Direx Gallery, across jalan Solo from the late artist’s large studio cum gallery overlooking the river.

To see where the up and coming generation is moving in painting, sculpture and handicrafts, you will be very welcome at ASRI (Academy of Fine Arts) in Gampingan, opposite Gallery Amri.

For antiques and curious the hunting grounds include the many shop that line Jalan Malioboro and one more across the tracks on Jalan Mangkubumi, the streets to the south and west of kraton, a handful of small shop near Ambarukmo Palace Hotel, and Pasar Peringharjo for cheap handicrafts.

Farther west, in the quieter streets of Pasar Ngasem, are dozens of small shops selling biscuit colored charcoal braziers, water jars, pottery moneyboxes (often brightly painted), and handsome leather money belts and pouches. Nearby is the fascinating bird market, the cages swinging on high poles.

Yogya’s leather goods are attractive and figure prominently in Malioboro’s night market. Buff colored hand tooled leather, decorated with floral motifs and sometimes with wayang figures, over night bags, briefcase, pocked books, sandals, belts and money pouches. Leather ages to light mahogany color. Check sitting and hardware closely. Weak fastenings fail, long before leather does. Leather is also the starting point for wayang kulit figures.

The wayang kulit puppeteers, or dalang, are still the main buyers of the best figures. New the less, superb pieces are occasionally made for display rather than for use. There are quite a few wayang kulit workshops in and around Yogya, though some are hard to find. Two of the best places to watch puppets being made and to see a good range of high quality work are Ledjar’s (near Malioboro street) and Moeldjosoehardjo’s (Jalan Taman Sari 37 B).

Mask and wooden puppets for use in topeng dances and in wayang golek performances are also good buys. Many pieces are hastily put together for the tourist trade, and their quality is dubious. For the finest work, made by one of the few remaining craftsmen who still carves for the actors and dalangs, rather than for casual visitors, visit Pak Warno Waskito.