Jogjakarta is also spelled Djokjakarta, Yogyakarta,
Jokyakarta, or Jokjakarta, kotamadya (municipality), Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta
(Special District), Java, Indonesia. It lies 18 miles (29 km) inland from the
southern Java coast and near Mount Merapi (9,551 feet). In the 7th
century the locality formed part of the Buddhist kingdom of Sailendras, which
was contemporaneous with the Sriwijaya empire of Palembang (Sumatera). It was
probably included in the later Kediri and Singhasari kingdoms that ruled the
region successively. At the end of the 13th century, eastern Java,
and what is now Yogyakarta passed under
its rule. In the early 16th century, central Java had two Mooslem
Kingdoms, Demak and Pajang, which were incorporated into the powerful Mooslem
Kingdom of Mataram by Senopati Ing Alaga (reigned 1584-1601). The Dutch became
established in the region in 1602. After numerous conflict, Mataram subdued the
state of Surabaya in the eastern Java in 1625 and gained general supremacy in
the territory.
In rebellion against Dutch invention in Javanese
politics, Sultan Hamengkubuwana I moved his court from Kotagede to Yogya in
Mataram in 1755 and renamed the town Yogyakarta. The British captured
Yogyakarta in 1811, and Sultan Hamengkubuwana II was deposed and exiled. In
1816 the Dutch Repossessed the inland of Java, and by 1830 Dutch colonial rule
was firmly established in the sultanate. After the period of Javanese
occupation during the World War II, the Republic of Indonesia was formed. The
national capital was removed to Yogyakarta when the Dutch occupied Jakarta in
1946, it was moved back to Jakarta in 1950 upon indepedence, and Yogyakarta was
given the status of a special district in the Republic of Indonesia.
The city is famous as a cultural center and for its hand
tooled silver products, batik and leather goods. It is also has railway
workshops, textile mills, tanneries, and pharmaceutical factories. In
Yogyakarta are the 18th century palace (kraton) of the sultan (the
only traditional rule in Indonesia retaining any temporal power), a state
university (Gajah Mada University, founded 1949), the Hatta Foundation Library,
the Sono Budoyo museum, an art academy, and a private university. The city also
houses the kraton of Paku Alam, another traditional ruler. Other tourist
attractions are the nearby ancient temples of Borobudur and Prambanan, the
country around Kaliurang, a hill resort high on Mount Merapi, and the village
of Kotagede, center of the silver industry. The city has an airport and
extensive rail and road connections.
Taken from JogjaAd, April 2003
