Aside from enjoying the interesting locations around Borobudur temple in our previous articles, now we want to take you somewhere nearby. A city that most famous for its Gudeg and richness of culture. Yes, Yogyakarta city. There’s an iconic temple there called Prambanan Temple, which is the biggest Hindu temple there.
Topics about Prambanan:
- History of Prambanan temple
- Facts of Java island
- Famous city in Indonesia
- Best place to see sunrise in Yogyakarta
The history and myth about Prambanan are not far from black magic. If you look at the story, you’ll understand why is that. Even though parts of the structure were falling down because of the disasters, the Prambanan still looks good all these years. But is there anything to enjoy besides the Prambanan temple itself? You can see in the cultural activities around Prambanan Temple below:
1 – Ulen Sentalu
If you happen to visit the city of Yogyakarta in order to spend your time learning about all the cultural and historical aspects of Java island, then it’s the right choice because you can visit a location named Ulen Sentalu. From the front, the place looks a bit scary with the dense tree with a building that looks really old.
And thankfully it’s just a gimmick only because on the inside, you can witness the collection of painting, old literature, original statues, batik clothes, and even pictures of influential people in the Mataram Kingdom.
Location: Sleman, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp30.000,-
Opening Hours: 8.30 am to 4 pm
2 – Taman Budaya Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Cultural Park)
The people of Yogyakarta can be happy and fulfilled because their mayor built and preserved a special place called Taman Budaya Yogyakarta or the Yogyakarta Cultural Park. The place also has another nickname, which is Taman Pintar or the Smart Park of Yogyakarta. From the name you can understand that this park was built for educational purpose.
Around the park, you can enter a building located precisely behind the tag that shows the name “Taman Budaya”. Inside, you can find anything related to the culture of Java. It’s very interesting, useful, and really educational.
Location: Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp20.000,-
Opening Hours: Opens 24 hours
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3 – Lana Gallery
Yogyakarta city also not filled with the Javanese-related form of art only. There are so many artists who are not shame and afraid to show their creations to the public. One example is the Lana Gallery, a place filled with unique, dynamic, and beautiful creations of many artists around Yogyakarta and Indonesia.
This gallery is owned by Mr. Wildan. He wanted to show to the people that Indonesian artists do have the same or even better quality than International artists. The visitors can also buy their creations if they are interested.
Location: Mergangsan, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp50.000,-
Opening Hours: 9 am to 7 pm
4 – Kalasan Temple
And it’s an uncomplete journey without actually visiting all those temples spread across the province. Let’s start it with Kalasan Temple. This temple is one of so many Buddha temples in the country. Also, it’s actually the oldest one of all. The temple is high enough for people to see the top of it.
It’s also very easy to reach it because of how close it is to the main road between Yogyakarta and Solo. About the history, this temple was actually arranged and built by Rakai Panangkaran, the one who also responsible for Borobudur.
Location: Danurejan, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp5.000,-
Opening Hours: 5 am to 6 pm
5 – Plaosan Temple
If the temple above only consists of one single temple, this Plaosan Temple is considerably big, because it doesn’t have one peak only. One plaosan temple looks like consists of some temples combined into one. That why it’s a big one compared to the other else. However, this temple located about a hundred meters from Prambanan.
The area of Plaosan Temple consists of two main temples, the first one is big, and the second one is smaller. The first temple is still standing firmly with its original form and structure.
Location: Klaten, Central Java
Average Cost: Rp10.000,-
Opening Hours: 8 am to 5 pm
6 – Sari Temple
The sixth location in the cultural activities around Prambanan Temple is a temple named Sari. Basically, if you look at the picture, this Sari Temple almost looks like a Europan Castle. It also has a door and windows, plus it has some decorations on top of it. The materials used for building both of them are also the same.
Even though the location itself is very picturesque, but many people still don’t know about this temple yet. The reason behind this might be the hidden location of it.
Location: Sleman, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp10.000,-
Opening Hours: 5 am to 5 pm
7 – Sambisari Temple
The next unique temple is Sambisari Temple. If you look closely, you can see some resemblances between this temple and the old colloseum building where it has some kind of lowered ground on the center. It almost looks like a theater place where the seats are surrounding the center.
But it’s not. The temple was covered in hot lava from mountain eruption years ago. Is that the reason behind its lowered ground? We still scratching our head in confusion. Nonetheless, the Sambisari Temple is always worth a visit.
Location: Kalasan, Sleman, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp10.000,-
Opening Hours: 7 am to 5 pm
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8 – Ratu Boko Palace
The next one in the cultural activities around Prambanan Temple is the Ratu Boko Temple. This temple is located inside the Prambanan Temple’s complex, so all the management is also taking care of this temple also. This famous temple is really iconic with its gate-like structure between the two buildings. It looks really cool and amazing at the same time.
Location: Prambanan, Sleman, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp20.000,-
Opening Hours: 6 am to 5 pm
9 – Ijo Temple
Still, inside the location of Prambanan temple, you can also visit a temple named Ijo Temple. The location of this temple is actually really nice, which is on top of a hill that has the same name, the Gumuk Ijo Hill. From the temple, you can also witness the nearby airport plus the view of surrounding hills.
Location: Sleman, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp8.000,-
Opening Hours: 8 am to 5 pm
10 – Kauman Great Mosque
The tenth on in the cultural activities around Prambanan Temple is a mosque, a big mosque, called Kauman Great Mosque. This is the greatest Yogyakarta Sultanate Great Mosque around Yogyakarta. Kauman Great Mosque which was built from 1773, still has so many things to offer besides the religious factor.
Location: Gendomanan
Average Cost: Free entry
Opening Hours: Always opens
11 – Fort Vrederburg
Not far from there, still inside the Gendomanan Yogyakarta, you can find another historical and cultural location called Fort Vrederburg. This fort was built during the colonial era in order to watch the power of Keraton Yogyakarta in a close range. The Keraton was highly feared by colonials back there. And now it’s a place rich in history about the National struggle.
Location: Gendomanan, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp5.000,-
Opening Hours: 7.30 am to 4 pm
12 – Imogiri Cemetery
Visiting cemetery can also be your unique experience of exploring the culture of Java, especially if you visit the Imogiri Cemetery. This place was built from 1632 to 1640, as the resting and final place of many Mataram Kingdom family members, including the King. To enter, visitors are required to wear particular things.
Location: Imogiri, Bantul, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Free Entry
Opening Hours: Always opens
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13 – Batik Museum
You know, when learning about the culture of Java, the name “Batik” is always so relatable. A batik is a form of art and pride combined into one. It’s gracious and beautiful and anyone who wears it will look more elegant. You can see all the history of it in the Batik Museum. It’s a really complete Batik place in the country.
cultural activities around Prambanan Temple
Location: Danurejan, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Rp20.000,-
Opening Hours: 9 am to 3 pm
14 – Kotagede
And finally the last on the list is an area in Yogyakarta city called Kotagede. Kotagede district is known as an area of crafters. Most people there can create the most beautiful silver crafts. But other than that, you can also learn some history about the Mataram Kingdom via looking and learning about the old building there.
Location: Kotagede, Yogyakarta
Average Cost: Free entry
Opening Hours: Always opens
