Batik the traditional Java textil

Batik is one of Java's famous and highly developed art traditions, together with wayang (shadow puppets), gamelan (Javanese orchestra) and keris (the dagger - heirloom).It would be impossible to visit or live in Indonesia and not be exposed to one of the country's most highly developed art forms, batik. On your first visit to a batik store or factory you will undoubtedly experience an overwhelming stimulation of the senses - due to the many colors, patterns and the actual smell of batik. Only through repeated visits and a bit of study will the types of designs and their origins become apparent.



The word batik is thought to be derived from the word 'ambatik' which translated means 'a cloth with little dots'. The suffix 'tik' means little dot, drop, point or to make dots. Batik may also originate from the Javanese word 'tritik' which describes a resist process for dying where the patterns are reserved on the textiles by tying and sewing areas prior to dying, similar to tie dye techniques. Another Javanese phase for the mystical experience of making batik is “mbatik manah” which means “drawing a batik design on the heart”.

Although experts disagree as to the precise origins of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500 years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Samples have also been found in Turkey, India, China, Japan and West Africa from past centuries. Although in these countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.

Anywhere, batik designed materials are clearly seen as women traditional dresses, shirts, uniforms, sarongs, bags, hats, table-cloths, napkins, painting and decorative items, etc, with traditional color of brown, indigo and blue or more colorful ones.


Motifs of flowers, twinning plants, leaves buds, flowers, birds, butterflies, fish, insects and geometric forms are rich in symbolic association and variety; there are about three thousand recorded batik patterns.The patterns to be dyed into the the clothe are drawn with a canting, a wooden 'pen' fitted with a reservoir for hot, liquid wax. In batik workshops, circles of women sit working at clothes draped over frames, and periodically replenish their supply of wax by dipping their canting into a central vat. Some draw directly on the the cloth from memory; others wax over faint charcoal lines.

This method of drawing patterns in wax on fine machine-woven cotton was practiced as a form of meditation by the female courtiers of Central Java; traditionally, batik tulis (tulis means 'write' in Indonesian) is produced by women.
In the 19th century, the application of waxed patterns with a large copper stamp orcap saved the batik industry from competition with cheap printed European cloth.

During your stay in Indonesia, take advantage of your time here to learn more about the fascinating world of batik. Have a batik dress or men's business shirt made for you by a seamstress or tailor. Visit batik factories in Jogjakarta, Surakarta or Pekalongan to see for yourself how the intricate process is conducted or ask questions of batik artisans giving demonstrations in stores such as Sarinah or Pasaraya in Jakarta. You will come away with sense of wonder over the time, effort and patience put into the creation of each batik cloth. You too may soon grow to love the distinctive waxy smell of batik and your batik acquisitions will provide many memories of your stay in Indonesia. Your support of the batik industry will also ensure that this art form grows to even greater peaks.

Nowadays, batik is an important industry in many production centers in Java. It is a proof that the people of Java do love the products, long time ago created by their ancestors.

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Making Silver Handicraft, Learning from Craftsmen of Kotagede

Kotagede undeniably becomes the biggest center of silver handicrafts in Indonesia, surpassing Bali, Lombok and Kendari. Different silver handicrafts in various forms are made through many stages in a place that is located around 10 kilometers of Yogyakarta city center. Since 70s, silver handicrafts from Kotagede either in the form of jewelry, household utensils or accessories have attracted foreign tourists.



Now, Kotagede does not only offer the luxury of its silver handicrafts, but also an opportunity to learn the process of its making. A short course as long as three hours to a couple of days offers your alternative tour package including designing silver handicraft, making it and finally bringing the product you made yourself home. One of the places you can enjoy such a tour package is Studio 76.

Preliminary step of the course is designing the jewelry. You are free to choose the kind of jewelry and its design. After determining the design, the process is continued by transferring the design to the mould and forging it. After being forged, the sheet of brass or bronze as the raw material is forged using soft tin. Afterwards, the material is set as you wish and is polished with silver through plating process.

If you have more time, you may choose to learn making silver jewelries that is even more beautiful. In order to make it, you must learn to carve the metal sheet as the raw material before you polish it. If you like, you can choose to make jewelries of which forms resemble woven wires with silver coating at the outer part. In fact, the more beautiful and detailed of the jewelries, the more valuable they are in other people's eyes.

All processes of design and manufacture are your right. During manufacturing process, instructor will only guide and fix some less beautiful details. The experienced instructor will help you learn quickly. Supported by foreign language competence of the instructor, it will help you much.

During the course, you will also get explanation on silver handicrafts and Kotagede. For example, an explanation on silver handicrafts in Kotagede and explanation on some techniques of making silver. You can also walk around the location of handicraft and to see craftsmen working, in addition to watching ready-to-sell products.

If you choose the tour package of making silver handicraft in Studio 76, there are choices of time and duration as you wish. If you have only little time, you may choose the Short Course with the duration of 3 hours, but if you have much spare time you may choose the Full Day Course lasting from morning to evening. If you are satisfied yet, you may prefer to join the Arranged Course of which time length adapts your target and wish.

The fee of the courses ranges from IDR 100,000 to IDR 2,000,000 per person, depending on the course. The longer the course time, the more expensive the fee is. Nevertheless, you do not have to worry, since you will have more time to learn in detail and the silver jewelry you make weighs higher gram. Maximum gram of jewelry you make at a Short Course is just 5 grams, but at a Full Day Course it reaches 10 grams.

To take part in this course, you have to make an appointment first with the galleries or course providers in order for them to prepare both the instructor and equipments. If you are going to go to Studio 76, please go to Kotagede and take Jalan Purbayan. The studio provides an instructor with English and French language competence. Are you interested in making silver jewelries yourself?
quoted from :Studio 76 Yogyakarta

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Prambanan Temple 'The Most Beautiful Hindu Temple in The World'

Prambanan temple was located at Bokoharjo Village, Prambanan about 15 kilometers away from Jogjakarta, this Hindu temple was built in the 9th century.Sometimes Prambanan is called Loro Jonggrang.There is a legend that Javanese people always tell about this temple. As the story tells, there was a man named Bandung Bondowoso who loved Roro Jonggrang. To refuse his love, Jonggrang asked Bondowoso to make her a temple with 1,000 statues only in one-night time. The request was nearly fulfilled when Jonggrang asked the villagers to pound rice and to set a fire in order to look like morning had broken. Feeling to be cheated, Bondowoso who only completed 999 statues cursed Jonggrang to be the thousandth statue.

Prambanan temple has three main temples in the primary yard, namely Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva temples. Those three temples are symbols of Trimurti in Hindu belief. All of them face to the east. Each main temple has accompanying temple facing to the west, namely Nandini for Shiva, Angsa for Brahma, and Garuda for Vishnu. Besides, there are 2 flank temples, 4 kelir temples and 4 corner temples. In the second area, there are 224 temples.

All the three squares have gates to connect the other squares. The outer square do not have temples. Inside the middle square there are 224 Perwara temples which are arranged in 4 rows of temples. The first row consists of 68 temples, followed by the second row (60 temples), the third row (52 temples) and the fourth row (44 temples ). The arrangement of temples is in such a way that shorter temples lies in the outside and getting higher toward the center.

Prambanan also has panels of relief describing the story of Ramayana. Experts say that the relief is similar to the story of Ramayana that is told orally from generation to generation.
Nowadays, an open theater has been constructed in front of this temple. On certain months, especially during the full moon, traditional dances depicting Ramayana and other legends are

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Tanah lot (Hindu temple built upon this massive rock in Bali)

Tanah Lot means "Land in the Middle of the sea" in Balinese language. Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places of interest in Bali, It is also called Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south.
Located in Tabanan, about 20 km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a huge offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide.


Tanah Lot is said to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. The story goes that during his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

The Tanah Lot temple was then built and has been an important part of Balinese mythological history for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. It was said that each of the sea temples was to be within eyesight of the next so that they formed a chain along the south-western coast.
At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. There is said to be one giant snake which also protects the temple. It is believed that this snake was created from Nirartha’s scarf when he established the island.

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Gamelan (The Java Musical Instrument)

The Gamelan is the musical instruments. In the Javanese Wayang, these instruments nowadays consist of at least 15 different types, mostly made of bronze and generally of the percussion type, mostly made of bronze and generally of the percussion type; a small bamboo flute (suling), one or two horizontal drums on wooden stands (kendang), a two stringed violin-like instrument (rebab) and a wooden xylophone (gambang) are the non percussion and/or non-bronze musical instruments used to accompany a wayang purwa performance.

The kothak or wooden chest. The kothak normally functions as a storage box for the wayang puppets and other equipment such as the kelir, chempala and kepyak. To store a professional set consisting of around 200 puppets, its measurement should be approximately 150 cm. long, 80 cm. wide and 60 cm. high (with lid on).

The chempala or wooden knockers are usually made of teak wood. There are two kinds, one about half size of the other. The larger of these is approximately 20 cm. long with a diameter of about 5 cm. This is usually held in the dalang's left hand, is used to knock the kothak to produce the sound effects and coded orders he requires. When his two hands are busy manipulating the puppets, he uses the small chempala for the same purpose by holding it between the toes of his right foot, for he sits cross-legged, his right foot crossing his left thigh. As mentioned above, the knocking sounds not only produce sound effects, but also serve as the coded orders/signals of the dalang, orders to the musicians on what melodies to play, to slow down or quicken the rythm, to play it loudly or softly, or stop the music.

he kepyak or metal rappers. This is usually made of three pieces of bronze plate measuring approximately 15 cm. long and 10 cm. wide suspended on small cords or chains to the outer side of the kothak. The dalang hits it with the toes of his right foot or with the small knocker held between the toes of his right foot. The function of this tool is mainly to produce sound effects; occassionally it functions as a chempala in giving the coded signals.

Sumber :Pandam Guritno, Wayang Purwa Program (Festival of Indonesia: USA 1990-1991), Indonesia: Studio'80 Enterprise, 1991.

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Barong Dance (Exotic Mask Dance From Bali)

This dance represent ommission culture pre Hindu which doll extant animal fourfoot or human being ancient which strength magical. Barong mask maked from wood which taked from ghostlike place like a grave, by because those Barong represent represented object which very sakral by society Hindu in Bali. Show this dancing with or without acting, always present with show openerwith gamelan.

There is some Barong dance which usually showing in Bali, among other Barong Ket, Barong Bangkal (Pig, Barong Gajah (elephant), Barong Asu (Dog),Barong Brutk and Barong-barongan.Among the tipes that Barong dance which very often became showing tourism in Bali is barong ket.

Idiosyncrasy Barong dance located at elements comedy and mitologis which art performence structure.Comedy element usually appeared in the middle performance to making laugh the audience.Where as for that those element mitologis located at source story which come from pre Hindu tradition which believe in that barong as animal mitologis which become protector kindliness.

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Senggigi Resort Area

Located only eight kilometres from the airport, Senggigi represents prime waterfront property. New hotels and refurbished oldies, slick restaurants vying for a slice of the travelling would-be gourmet market, pubs with attractive themes, boutiques with racks of cool gear, antique stores fitted out like mini museums, dive shops with pro rated instructors, and even internet cafes make up the selection.

Most visitors are drawn to the beach. The coral reef extending out from the Senggigi Beach Hotel location has some fine snorkeling spots - pretty good for beginners and those not too serious about it all. For those who are serious it's very easy to get hire boats for the 2-hour ride to serious diving at the Gili islands. Any of the dive shops will help in this regard, or just flag down any of the outriggers in the bay or on the beach.

Batu Bolong
Batu Bolong (literally meaning “hollow rock”) is an ideal place from which to view the majestic sunset over the Lombok Straits. It is famous for its impressive Hindu temple built on a black outcrop of rock. The temple was constructed here so that it could face sacred Mount Agung in Bali, easily seen across the Lombok Straits. Colourful and musical religious ceremonies are often held in this beautiful temple.

Malimbu
Further north along the cost road form Senggigi is Malimbu. This quiet resort area with clean white beaches, has very good windsurfing conditions.

Teluk Kodek
Located north of Malimbu, Teluk Kodek is another quiet beach with clean white sand and crystal clear waters away from any crowds.

Pusuk
Situated in the hills to the east of Malimbu, the Pusuk mountain pass has fantastic views as well as a huge variety of local wildlife. In this area is a natural forest which is a home to many monkeys- some of whom are extremely unafraid of visitors!

Gili Air, Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan
The Gili Islands, as they are known collectively, are located some twenty kilometres north of Senggigi and within thirty to sixty minutes of the north west coast. Each island boasts excellent beaches and diving thanks to extensive coral reefs that encircle each island. It is these coral reefs that are home to the blue coral- a coral said to grow in only two places in the world- the Caribbean and here, off the coast of Lombok.
Skiffs departing form Bangsal (north of Malimbu) ferry passengers out to any of the slands.

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