Dutch East Indies is the world’s most extensive archipelago and it is no wonder that the natives call their country ‘Tanah Air’ (literally ’Earth and Water’) It is so extensive that that the actual number of islands making up Indonesia is continuous.
Dutch East Indies is a place which modernity is evident while managing to retain a rustic feel. Even though the Dutch brought modernity to Dutch East Indies, the landscape still consists of many ancient temples, mosques, monuments and shrines which date back to as early as 856 AD. These beautiful places have a rich history due to the diversity of religion in the Dutch East Indies.
Beautiful Aspects of Dutch East Indies not tampered by modernity
JAVA
Java is a patchwork landscape of rice-fields, jungle and volcanic peaks spread over 50000 sq km. Ideal for irrigation cultivation, Java is endowed with fertile soil from nutrient rich ash deposits from 30 active volcanoes that run along the island’s spine. Central Java is home to 8th and 9th century Buddhist and Hindu temples.
Central Java
The first stop is Keraton, a century old palace complex that stands in the heart of the city. According to traditional cosmological beliefs, the Yogyanese ruler is literally the navel or central “spike” of the universe, anchoring the temporal world and communication with the mystical realm of powerful deities. In this scheme of things, the Keraton is both the capital of the kingdom and the hub of the cosmos.
Keraton
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Next visit Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple complex in Dutch East Indies .Completed in 856 AD, some 224 temple remains are still found in the outer compound. It is thought that it was built by Rakai Pikatan to commemorate the return of the Hindu dynasty to sole power in Java
Prambanan
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The lofty plateau of Dieng (2093m above sea level) in Central Java is home to 8th and 9th century Buddhist and Hindu temples, most notably the Borobudur. More than 400 temples cover the highland plain but they were abandoned until 1856. Dieng’s beautiful landscape is the reason to make this long trip. Steep mountain sides terraced with vegetable plots enclose the vocanically active plateau, a marshy caldera of collapsed volcanoes.
Borobudur
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The Gedung Songo temples are also among the oldest and certainly the most spectacularly situated antiques in Java. The 1000m perch gives one of the most spectacular views in Java.
Gedung Songo temples
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West Java
Banten was one of Asia’s largest and most cosmopolitan trading emporiums during the 16th and 17th century. Once a grand walled city, it was laid to ruin as trade was shifted to Jayakarta. You can find one of the oldest temples in Java, Chinese Wan-De Yuan temple and the ruins of a large palace Surosowan and Kaibon Palace.
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Dutch East Indies transformed by the Dutch into a modern state
Batavia
In 1618, the architect of the Dutch empire in the Indies, Jan Pieterszoon Coen, moved his headquarters here from Banten and ordered construction of a new town: Batavia. Dutch built tall houses and pestilential canals in an attempt to create Amsterdam in the tropics. The fashionable architectural styles of the period blended with newly laid out tree-lined boulevards and extensive garderns. By the turn of the century, Batavia’s homes, hotels and clubs were in no way inferior to Europe.
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The area around Sunda kelapa is rich in history and the best way to survey the area is on foot. Near the river stands a 19th century Dutch lookout tower, constructed upon the site of the original houses of Jayakarta. It was built in 1839 to sight and direct traffic to the port and provides a good view over the harbour.
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The town hall of Batavia is a place to visit. This bell-towered hall, built in 1627, serves the administrations of the city. It was also used by the city law courts and its dungeons were the main prison compound of Batavia.
Town hall of Batavia
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The waterloopein was laid out by the Dutch in the 19th century and the area has some of Jakarta’s best colonial architecture. Some place include the Catholic cathedral, Emanuel Church, Gedung Pancasilla and the white house.
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West Java
Elegant white presidential Palace called Istana Bogor, constructed by the Dutch in 1856 as the official residence for the governors general of the Dutch East Indies, stands at the northern end of Kebun Raya.
Istana Bogor
Bandung is a place to visit for shopaholics. Bandung was established in the late 19th century as a colonial garden town and is currently an important education and commercial centre.
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North Sumatra– Banda Aceh
With its brilliant white walls and liquorice-black domes, the Mesjid Raya Baiturrahman is a dazzling sight on a sunny day. The mosque was built by the dutch in 1879 as a conciliatory gesture towards the Acehnese after the original one had been burnt down.
Banda Aceh
