:: Solo/Surakarta - Java Island Travel Guide ::
Surakarta (its formal name;
locally it is referred to as Solo) is an Indonesian city
of approximately 500,000 people located in Central Java.
It is some 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Yogyakarta, and
100 km (60 miles) southeast of Semarang. The city was a
center of power during the 18th century Mataram
Sultanate. It is also at times called Soerakarta.
KARATON SURAKARTA HADININGRAT
Since
February
17, 1745, Susuhunan Pakubuwono II and his family had
occupied the new palace or karaton located along the
banks of Solo River, the longest river in Java. The
former karaton in Kartosuro (10 km west of Solo) had
been abandoned due to severe damages. It was not a
proper karaton for the Susuhunan (king) anymore, after
being ransacked on 1742 by the invaders. Pakubuwono II
with all his family and subordinates made a day long
royal procession from Kartosuro to Surakarta. The city
of Surakarta could easily connected to east Java main
coastal centers such as Gresik, Tuban via Bengawan
(river) Solo. This 'river connection' was one the
reasons to move the palace to Solo. Pakubuwono means
'center of the world' (paku : nail, buwono : the world).
The king sat on his royal wagon, Kyai Grudo escorted by
high ranking officials, troops, regalia carriers,
bringing the pusakas (heirlooms) and other important
things to be used in his new palace. The convoy includes
also the sacred gamelan, waringin (Banyan) trees,
horses, elephants and a special chamber Bangsal
Pengrawit. Upon arrival at the new karaton, he announced
that starting from today the capital city of the kingdom
was Surokarto Hadiningrat (suro : brave, valiant - karto
: prosperous - Hadi : great, precious - rat : state).
Coming
from the north side of Jalan Slamet Riyadi through a
thoroughfare (gladak), a visitor arrives in the North
Square (alun-alun Lor). In the center of Alun-alun,
there are two waringins (Banyan) trees symbolizing
protection and justice.
Name
The local inhabitants are more familiar with and use
the name of "Solo" or "Sala" for the city, rather than
"Surakarta". "Surakarta" is however used in formal and
official contexts. The city has similar name with
neighboring district of "Kartasura", which the preceded
capital of Mataram located.
Geography
The eastern part of the town is bordered by Bengawan
Solo River, the longest river on Java. The river is the
inspiration for the song Bengawan Solo, a 1940s
composition by Gesang Martohartono which became famous
throughout much of Asia.
Government
The royal head of Surakarta has the title Susuhunan.
Subdistricts
Surakarta is divided into 5 subdistricts
(kecamatan): Banjarsari, Jebres, Laweyan, Pasar Kliwon,
and Serengan.
Important Places
There are 2 major markets in the city, namely Pasar
Klewer and Pasar Gede. Pasar Klewer is famous as the
biggest textile market in the region.
History
This is the older of t
he
two royal cities in Central Java (the other is
Yogyakarta), and its ruling family can lay claim to
being the rightful heirs to the Mataram dynasty. Like
Yogya, Solo has two royal palaces and a number of
museums, yet its tourist industry is nowhere near as
developed. The city's main source of income is from
textiles, and Solo has the biggest batik market on Java.
Solo also makes an ideal base from which to visit the
home of Java Man at Sangiran, as well as the intriguing
temples Candi Ceto and Candi Sukuh.
Founding The Dynasty
A series of wars and clashes between the Adipati
(dukes) followed the death of the last Sultan of Demak
Bintoro, the first Islamic kingdom in Java. One of the
prominent powerful dukes was Jaka Tingkir, son-in-law of
the late sultan. After defeating the last opponent duke
of Jipang-Panola, Jaka Tingkir aka. Sultan Hadiwijaya
claimed the throne and moved the capital to the city of
Pajang, located about 8
miles
from the present-day Surakarta. His adopted son,
Sutawijaya, formed a conspiracy and killed him with the
favour of an assassin. Then, he ascended the throne and
once again, moved the capital to Mataram in the
present-day province of Jogjakarta, and a new dynasty
was founded. It was such an irony to find out that
Sutawijaya was the man of the battle which fought
against the duke of Jipang-Panola and killed the duke,
gained the victory for Pajang.
Pakubuwono II
Up until 1744, Solo was little more than a quiet
backwater village, 10km east of Kartasura, the
contemporary capital of the Mataram kingdom. But in that
year the Mataram susuhunan (king), Pakubuwono II, backed
the Chinese against the Dutch, and the court at
Kartasura was sacked as a result. Pakubuwono II searched
for a more auspicious spot to rebuild his
capital,
and in 1745 the entire court was dismantled and
transported in a great procession to Surakarta, on the
banks of the Kali (River) Solo. It was said that the
place he chose to be the new palace was sited on a small
lake. It was also said by the "babad" or official record
of court historians that the lake was drained by the
favor of the mythical queen of the southern sea, Nyi
Roro Kidul.
However, the decline continued, and in 1757, after the
kingdom of Mataram was divided into the Surakarta
Sunanate (northern court) and the Jogjakarta Sultanate
(southern court), another rival royal house of
Mangkunegoro was established by Raden Mas Said aka.
Pangeran Samber Nyowo (The Slayer Prince) right in the
centre of Solo.
It
marked the success of Dutch policies in East Indies,
which were known as "divide et impera" (divide and
conquer). Mataram held so much influence in Java, yet it
remained nothing more than falling under the Dutch's
hands. Thereafter, Solo's royal houses wisely avoided
fighting and instead threw their energies into the arts,
developing a highly sophisticated and graceful court
culture. The gamelan pavilions became the new theatres
of war, with each city competing to produce the more
refined court culture. Wayang Kulit and Wayang Wong are
some theatrical arts still performed today.
Pakubuwono X
Perhaps the most significant ruler of the twentieth
century, was Pakubuwono X. His relationship with the
Dutch, and his large family, and his popularity
contributed to perhaps the largest funeral procession
that ever occurred in Solo. He had contributed large
expenditure on the Royal Graveyard at Imogiri in the
main sections of the graveyard, as well as towards the
new section that he was buried in. In the era just prior
to independence Surakarta had European, Chinese and Arab
quarters.
Recent Developments
In the early 1980s, Abubakar Basyir and Husein Al
Habshi established Pesantren Ngruki, an Islamic school
in Surakarta. Their views are considered by some to be
extreme and hard line, a threat to the pluralistic and
democratic nature of Indonesian society.
In 1984-1985, an extreme Muslim group with connections
to the Ngruki school began plotting violent actions.
They planned to attack foreign tourists in the nearby
Borobudur temple and on the island of Bali. However the
bomb at Borobudur exploded prematurely early in the
morning, and no one was hurt. The bomb sent to Bali
exploded prematurely on the "Pemudi" bus on the way from
Surakarta to Bali.
In 1985, Basyir and Habshi were arrested by the police.
They
were sentenced to several years in prison. They appealed
the sentence and during the appeal process, Basyir
managed to escape to Malaysia and stayed there for 14
years. In Malaysia, Basyir and Sungkar established the
"Jihad Islam" (JI) organization.
In May 1998, there was a large scale riot in Surakarta,
because of oil price hikes. A mob ransacked and burned
the office of the Surakarta mayor and other nearby
government buildings. The destroyed buildings have since
been rebuilt. Additionally, rioters targeted the homes
and businesses of the local Indonesian-Chinese, leading
to widespread destruction.
In 1999, Basyir returned to Indonesia and established an
Islamist group called Majelis Mujahiddin Indonesia (MMI)
in Surakarta. This group often conducts sweeps against
foreign tourists from the USA, the UK, Denmark, and
Italy in Surakarta.
From 2002 to 2005, terrorists related to the JI group
were blamed for bomb attacks against foreign tourist in
various areas in Indonesia. Some believe most JI
terrorists are alumni of "Pesantren Ngruki" in
Surakarta. However since most of these Islamist radicals
are still at large it is hard to say what their full
history is.
Local dialect
Although people in Central Java use the same
language named boso Jowo (Javanese), they have special
characteristics which differentiate from which region
they come. For example, for the word "cold" (dingin in
Indonesian, especially for weather), people in Surakarta
use the word adem, but people in Semarang use the word
atis. The Javanese language of Surakarta and Yogyakarta
is used as the standard for all Javanese speakers
throughout the nation. However it should be born in mind
that Indonisias official language is not Javanese, so
this language is of less importance than its number of
native speakers would suggest.
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