Taman Sari Water Castle Jogja
Taman Sari Water Castle in Yogyakarta is known to be a tourist attraction with a unique style of architecture in the formal royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta.
Taman Sari Jogja was used as a resting place, a meditation centre, a workplace and historically used to hide and defend the royal family. The Historic City Centre of Yogyakarta listed Taman Sari Water Castle as a tentative World Heritage Site since 2017. Built in the mid-18th century, the architecture of the royal garden is a blend between the western style of the Portuguese and the eastern style of the Javanese, a popular reason people visit the attraction site.
The area of Taman Sari Water Castle was believed to be from the former Old Kraton. It is historically functional as a Royal Garden; however, it is sorted as the last fortress of defence from its architecture model if the royal family had an attack from their enemies. The fortress is what makes up the uniqueness of the landmark and the stories about the Royal Family of Kraton inside the Taman Sari Water Castle. It was allegedly used as a place for the Sultan to hunt in his free time, more likely to throw roses to win his wives’ love. Though the architecture complex was not as complete throughout passing time, as some buildings in the site were reduced to ruins, the attraction site is still functional.
It is occupied as settlements for residents in Kampung Taman, as well as tourist access for the historical construction in the landmark, such as the underground mosque with its unique circle-shaped atrium under the Sumur Gumilang, which looks up to the sky for the prayer place for the Sultan, resting and bathing space designed for the Sultan and his Princesses at the Umbul Pasiraman, and its underground tunnels, which remained well-preserved. This distinctive architecture drew younger generations to document their adventures in social media, rejuvenating a sense of history and a place for content. Taman Sari Water Castle is located near the Kraton in Yogyakarta, close to the South Yogyakarta town square. You can walk here from Malioboro or use a car to get to the Taman Sari complex in the Kraton area. The fee to enter the site costs about Rp 12.000 for tourists. The site also offers tour guides to tour the fortress.