A water castle called Tamansari

After reading too much about Borobudur and after planning for more than a year, I finally made it to Jogjakarta, Indonesia. There are many ways to spell Jogjakarta, some spells Yogyakarta, some spells Jogyakarta, so I'm just gonna use Jogja. This is one short name that everyone can agree on.

Jogja is actually a small town located in the middle of Java Island. Thousands and thousands of tourists came here to see two of the most beautiful Buddhist and Hindu temples in the world that dates back to more than one thousand years ago. And being a ruin enthusiast, this is definitely something I cannot missed.

I only stayed 2 days in Jogja as my mission is specific 1 day Borobudur and 1 day Prabanan. If you ask me now, I would say you need at least 4 days to cover Jogja.

Thanks to one of my travel buddy who are always very good in planning. She has pre-booked a car to bring us around the first day. Because of that, we managed to save time the moment we landed at the airport and hit the scene immediately.

The first spot that we checked, (and I'm so glad we did) is the Tamansari Water Castle. This is not the palace of the king (Kraton) but rather the concubines' castle. We figured it would make a more interesting place to visit and indeed it is. It is located just 500 metres away from the Kraton, very convenient for the king.

The entrance fee to go into the Tamansari is 7000 Rupiah. Upon entering, we were approach by a guide and he immediately bring us around the castle. 

Entering Tamansari

Inside the courtyard to Tamansari before the pool

Beautiful Java architecture

This pool is where 30 concubines gather to swim and play and dance for the king or rather Sultan as the king are called in Indonesia.

The Sultan sits on top of the building overlooking the pond. This is the view. When he has chosen the concubine to serve him, he will throw down a flower to the concubine. This concubine can then join the Sultan in his private pool and the rest is well, you know.

This door is called Gapura Agung which is the main entrance to the Tamansari by the king but has since been blocked because over the years, houses have been built on the fringe making it impossible to be the main entrance to this historic building.

From here, we walk through Tajug, a small village and alleyway to Sumur Gumuling, an underground mosque.

Me, standing infront of the entrance to the underground mosque

Going underground

This underground mosque serves as the prayer place for the Sultan and his families. It apparently also serves as the hiding place in times of danger.

At the centre of the underground mosque, there is a sudden opening like a well. We couldn't help but to strike a pose. Perfect place for photography effect.



Location : Jogja, Indonesia
Next, The twin temples, Plaosan