National Monument

 

No experience of Jakarta is complete without visiting the National Museum that will take you traveling back in time with precious collections of historical significances. Located on the side of Merdeka Square or Lapangan Merdeka (just across from the National Monument), the oldest museum in Jakarta champions the past vibrant values from some of the most amazing national heritages.

The museum is familiarly known as Museum Gajah or the Elephant Museum, mainly caused by a bronze elephant statue installed in front of the main building. The statue was given by a Siamese King back in 1877. This marking shows that the museum is almost three centuries old and profoundly steeped in history. The history started off on April 24th 1778 where a group of Dutch intellectuals constituted their researches in art and science field (mainly in history, archaeology, ethnography and physics) in an institution called Bataviaasch Genotschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (Batavia Society for Arts and Science). Soon the institution succeeded in collecting historic valuables and by the year of 1858, during the governance of the Dutch East Indian, the museum was opened and entitled Gedung Arca (House of Statues) for keeping a great variety of statues from different eras. It was finally taken over by the Indonesian government on September 17th 1962, who changed the name Gedung Arca into Museum Nasional (National Museum) seventeen years later. At present, the Museum collects around 109,342 objects, ranging from prehistorical period, archeology, ethnography, numismatics-heraldic, geography and ancient relics in diversely-themed rooms.

The first splendor is the pre-historical room. The room exhibits fascinating objects from the Paleolithic and Neolithic period such as the fossils of prehistoric men complete with their equipments. One from the collection includes the famous pitecanteropus erectus (the ancient Java men) while others were found across the archipelago. The whole collection really portrays a glimpse of what the primeval lives are.

Then, get yourself ready for the shimmery artifacts in the treasures room on the second floor. The room is divided into two separate rooms, mainly the Archaeology Room and the Ethnography Room. The indigenous collection in the ethnology room keeps almost 2000 items of gold and silver objects that are believed to be discovered accidentally, rather than resulting from a series of diggings. Because gold does not deteriorate, it is highly treasured not solely for their value and decoration but also as the bearer of great historical importance such as the lives and rituals of the early supreme kingdoms in Indonesia. One object that is highly-regarded in the archaeology room is the statue of Prajnaparamita, the goddess of transcendental wisdom from the ancient Java. Both rooms are perceived to mirror the royal atmosphere.

Next, you will enter a room full of ancient superiors. The Stone Sculpture Courtyard is collecting limestones and sandstones statues, those of strongly influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. The statue of Bhairawa is the main attraction that stands up to almost four meters high, being the highest statue in the museum and believed to come from the 13th or 14th century.

Move further to the Ceramic room where you'll find artifacts originating from countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Japan. The local collection includes those made up of terra cotta, which might indicate the maritime trade occurring in numerous history. These ceramics aren't just household utensils but appear to be the form of heirlooms that were significant parts of traditional ceremonies for birth, circumcision, marriage and even death.

Other collections that can be found in this majestic museum is the bronze collection that comprises up to 3,199 pieces of amazing bronze objects; the textile collection that showcases Indonesian woven materials; and the numismatics collection.

Because Indonesian history is innumerable and takes greater study to cover the whole, The National Museum is serving up their offers as being the perfect start to central of the study as well as being an educative, cultural and recreational information centre.