SOLO CITY TOUR
MANGKUNEGARAN PALACE
Mangkunegaran Palace (Javanese language: Purå Mangkunagaran) is the official palace of Duchy of Mangkunegaran Praja and the residence of its rulers (Sampéyan Ingkang Jumeneng). This building is located in Surakarta. This palace was built in 1757 by Mangkunegara I by following the palace model .
Architecturally complex buildings have parts that resemble the palace, such as having pamédan, pendapa, pringgitan, dalem, and keputrèn. The whole complex is surrounded by a wall, only part of the paméan and given an iron fence.
This palace was built after the Salatiga Agreement which started the establishment of Praja Mangkunegaran signed by Raden Mas Said, Mangkubumi Sultan (Sultan Hamengkubuwana I), Sunan Pakubuwana III, and VOC in 1757. Prince Sambernyawa, nickname for Raden Mas Said, was appointed “Prince Duke “titled Mangkunegara I.
As the main building in Keraton Surakarta and Yogyakarta Palace, Mangkunegaran Palace undergoes several changes. This change appears to characterize the popular European decorations of the time.
RADYA PUSTAKA MUSEUM
This museum was founded during the reign of Pakubuwono IX by Kanjeng Raden Adipati Sosrodiningrat IV in palace Kepatihan on October 28, 1890. Kanjeng Raden Duke Sosrodiningrat IV once served as Patih Pakubuwono IX and Pakubuwono X. The museum was then moved to its current location, Radyapustaka Museum Building on Jalan Slamet Riyadi, Surakarta, on January 1, 1913. At that time the museum building is the residence of a Dutch citizen named Johannes Busselaar.
On the front page, in front of the museum building, visitors will find a statue of R. Ng. Rangga Warsita. He is a very famous lord of the Surakarta palace and lived in the 19th century. This statue was inaugurated by president Soekarno in 1953. In front of and behind this statue there are inscriptions that use Javanese script.
Then in the foyer of the museum there are several wheeled cannons from the VOC period dating from the 17th century and the 18th. Meanwhile there are also some small guns belonging to Kartasura Palace. In addition there are also some Hindu-Buddhist statues. Among other statues are Rara Jonggrang which means is “high virgin” but is actually a statue of Goddess Durga. In addition there are also statues of Boddhisatwa and Shiva. These statues are found in the vicinity of Surakarta.
SUKUH TEMPLE
The building of Sukuh temple gives the impression of striking simplicity to the visitors. The impression gained from this temple is very different from that obtained from other large temples in Central Java namely Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple. The shape of the Sukuh temple building tends to resemble the Mayan cultural heritage in Mexico or the Inca cultural heritage in Peru. This structure also reminds visitors of pyramidal forms in Egypt.
This impression of simplicity attracts the attention of renowned Dutch archaeologist, W.F. Stutterheim, in 1930. He tried to explain it by giving three arguments. First, the possibility of carving Sukuh Temple is not a mason but a carpenter from the village and not from the palace. Secondly, the temple is made with a little haste so it is less tidy. Third, the political situation at that time with the fall of Majapahit, it is not possible to create a large and magnificent temple.
Visitors entering the main entrance and entering the largest archway will see a distinctive architectural form that is not composed perpendicularly but rather oblique, trapezoidal shaped with a roof over it.
The rocks in this temple are a bit reddish, because the stones are andesite.
CETHO TEMPLE
In its state since the renovation, Ceto Temple complex consists of nine levels of terraces. Before the big gatura shaped temple bentar, visitors find two pairs of statues guard. The first level after the entrance gate (ie the third terrace) is the temple yard. The second level is still a page. In the third level there is petilasan Ki Ageng Krincingwesi, ancestor of Dusun Ceto community.
Before entering the fifth level (the seventh terrace), on the right wall of the gate there is inscription (writing on stone) with Ancient Javanese script in Old Javanese sounds pelling padamel irikang tirtasunya hawakira ya ya lost saka kalo wiku goh anaut iku 1397 [1]. This paper is interpreted as a function of the temple to purify themselves (ruwat) and the mention of the year of making the gate, which is 1397 Saka or 1475 AD. On the seventh terrace there is a horizontal stone structure on the ground that depicts a giant tortoise, Majapahit solar (supposedly a Majapahit symbol), and a 2-meter long phallus (penis, male genital) symbol equipped with a piercing ampallang. Turtles are symbols of the creation of the universe while the penis is a symbol of human creation. There are depictions of other animals, such as mimi, frogs and crabs. The symbols of existing animals, can be read as suryasengkala framed in 1373 Saka, or 1451 modern era. It can be interpreted that the temple complex was built in stages or through several renovations.
In the next level can be found in the ranks of rocks on two adjoining plains that contain the relief footage of the story Sudamala, as there are also in Sukuh Temple. This story is still popular among the Javanese people as the basis of the ruwatan ceremony. The next two levels contain the pendapa buildings that flank the temple entrance. Until now the pendapa-pendapa is used as a place of continuity of religious ceremonies. On the seventh level can be found two statues on the north and south. On the north side are the statues of Sabdapalon and in the south of Nayagenggong, two semi-mythical figures (many of whom assume they are both the same figures) are believed to be servants and spiritual advisers of King Prawu Brawijaya V.
At the eighth level there is a phallus statue (called “kuntobimo”) on the north side and the statue of King Prawu Brawijaya V in the form of mahadeva. The worship of the phallus statue symbolizes the expression of gratitude and hope over the abundant fertility of the local earth. The last level (ninth) is the highest level of prayer climbing. Here there are cube-shaped stone buildings.
At the top of Ceto temple complex there is a building which in the past was used as a place to wash up before performing a ritual ceremony (patirtan). In the northeast of the temple building, down the slope, was found a temple complex which is now referred to as the Kethek Temple (“Monkey Temple”).
KLEWER MARKET
Klewer market is the largest textile market in Surakarta City. The market is adjacent to the Surakarta Palace is also a shopping center of batik cloth that became the reference of traders from Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Semarang, and other cities on the island of Java. This two-storey market building houses 1,467 merchants with a total kiosk of about 2,064 units. Klewer market is not only the center of the economy, but also the tourist destination and the symbol of Surakarta City.
JUMOG WATERFALL
Going down 116 stairs becomes a challenge when you arrive at the Jumog waterfall in Karanganyar, Central Java. However, you will not feel tired if you enjoy the scenery that is served along the way.
Waterfall Jumog is a mainstay tour in Karanganyar District. This tourist attraction is located at the foot of Mount Lawu, precisely in the Village Berjo, District Ngargoyoso. Or, about 41 Km from Solo.
Cool air and expanse of shady trees surround this sights. You will not overheat as you descend the stairs made of cement due to the shade of fern trees on the outside of the cliff ladder.
Indeed, finished up the stairs, you do not immediately find the waterfall. You still have to walk about 100 meters to find it behind the cliff. But, the cool atmosphere and the refreshing green scenery will not make you bored.
The height of the waterfall is only about 30 meters. Water discharge is not too big even though it rains and not too little even though the dry season comes. The water is so clear and fresh. Usually, visitors play and soak the feet in the stream that continues the overflow of waterfalls.
In front of the waterfall, local people made a bridge. This location became a favorite place visitors take pictures with the background waterfall. Manager also makes wooden benches that can be used for visitors to unwind and enjoy this tourist area.