Peaceful and gentle, prosperous and unique, these are the words that city of Yogyakarta evokes. As the ancient capital of Java and the former capital of the new nation, this city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Indonesia.
The city, rich in Javanese culture and steeped in the traditional way of life, presents a people with an air of quiet, dignity, a people proud of the aristocratic influences of the Sultanate court, throughout its history. Yogyakarta has been a progressive leader in both national liberty and education. The name of the Sultan holds a special significance for all Yogyanese, evoking both the traditional Javanese aristocrat, as well as the progressive founder of the Indonesian Republic.
The earliest historical records of Yogyakarta can be traced back as the early 8th century with the emergence of the Hindu kingdom of Sanjaya and later the Buddhist dynasty of Syailendra. But already by the 10th century, the centre of those kingdoms had shifted to East Java, and Yogyakarta would seemingly disappear from historical record until the 16th century and the emergence of the Islamic Kingdom of Mataram. Founded by Panembahan Senopati, the Mataram’s seat of government was first in Kotagede. As the Dutch began to make commercial inroads and finally assuming the role of colonial rulers, the centre of the kingdom shifted to Kartosuro and then finally to Surakarta (Solo). But in the year 1755 the Mataram Kingdoms was split permanently into two kingdoms, Yogyakarta and Surakarta, with Prince Mangkubumi assuming the title of Sultan of Yogyakarta. Later be set with fractionalism, in 1816 Yogyakarta was split once again under the sanction of the British led by Thomas Raffles. At this time, the lesser house of Paku Alam was established. Eventually, the original house of Mataram would be permanently divided into four Kratons (courts). Kraton Ngayogyakarto , Kraton Paku Alaman, Kraton Kasunanan (Solo) and Kraton Mangkunegaran (Solo).
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