Date: March 7-9th, 2025
Yogyakarta is a second-tier city in Indonesia, and I am surprised by how clean it is. The city is unique as it is still governed by a sultanate, being the only city with a king. There are numerous places to visit in Yogyakarta, but the main tourist attractions are the Borobudur and Prambanan temples. Additionally, the beach can be reached within a 40-minute scooter ride.
Borobudur Temple - recognized as the largest Buddhist temple globally, was constructed in the 8th century. Its architecture illustrates the different stages of life that one must progress through to reach nirvana. The temple comprises 10 levels, symbolized by staircases, with the final level being quite minimalistic, reflecting the idea that at this point, the human soul requires no validation. The tickets are expernsive for foreigners like 3000 INR to visit just one temple. So be prepared to shell some change.
Prambanan Temple - is the second largest temple in Southeast Asia, with the largest being the Angkor Temple in Cambodia. Constructed simultaneously with the Borobudur Temple, Prambanan seems to be in competition with it. The Prambanan complex represents the Hindu trinity of gods: Brahma (the Creator), Shiva (the Destroyer), and Vishnu (the Preserver). Interestingly, Shiva's shrine is centrally located, which is unusual as Vishnu is typically more prominent in Hindu trinity temples. Additionally, there are gopuras dedicated to other deities like Surya, Ganesha, and others.
Although there are not many Hindus in the area, I encountered a grandson and his grandmother performing puja at Prambanan temple.
Just so you know, be ready to stay for two days because there can be heavy rain lasting 2-3 hours at any time. The streets will flood so badly that I couldn't visit both temples in one day and had to postpone it. While waiting for the rain to stop, I met two adorable twin sisters. They are studying hospitality and are from Bandung.
The houses are quite traditional, featuring roof tiles rather than cement. Indeed, all the houses in the nearby villages are also constructed in a traditional manner, and the streets are clean, which is something Indians could certainly learn from.
Even being a second tier city I am surprised how clean and beautiful their railway stations are and well maintained. The trains are nice only problem is it is super cold inside it so be prepared to wear some layering. Its disappointing to see how India being such a large economy doesnt even match up to other smaller countries in terms of infrastructure, what a shame.
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