paulinette
Palace
Tamansari, originally the palace of leisure and rest for the Sultan and his family, is the water palace of Yogyakarta. They would come for the summer but also to meditate or to hide from the enemy during the invasions of the city. It is located about 2 km south of the palace of Yogyakarta called Kraton. European style with Japanese ornaments, Tamansari was built during the reign of Sultan Hamengku Buwono I in the late seventeenth century by the Portuguese. The sacred place is in a separate building where the Sultan hid with his family. This was being restored during my visit. The island of Cemeti, linked by underground tunnels to the palace, is an artificial island that was used for leisure.
Legend has it that the tunnels lead to the Indian Ocean so the Sultan could escape and see the Queen of the South, who had supernatural powers. It's a pleasant visit a nice walk from Kraton. It was under a lot of construction when I was there in 2004 but I imagine that now it´d be much better.
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