TUGU JOGJA

Tugu Jogja is the most famous landmark of Yogyakarta City. This monument is located right in the middle of the intersection of Jalan Pangeran Mangkubumi, Jalan Jendral Soedirman, Jalan A.M Sangaji and Jalan Diponegoro. Tugu Jogja, which is almost 3 centuries old, has deep meaning while storing some historical records of the city of Yogyakarta.

Tugu Jogja was established about a year after the Kraton Yogyakarta was established. At the time of its inception, this building explicitly described Manunggaling Kawula Gusti, the spirit of unity of the people and the authorities to fight colonialism. The spirit of unity or the so-called gilig group is clearly illustrated in the monument building, the pillar is in the shape of a gilig (cylinder) and its peak is shaped round (round), so it is called Tugu Golong-Gilig.

In detail, the Tugu Jogja building at the beginning was built in the form of a cylindrical pole which converged upward. The base is a circular fence while the top is round. The height of the monument building initially reached 25 meters.

Everything changed on June 10, 1867. The earthquake that rocked Yogyakarta at that time made the monument building collapse. That said, when the monument collapsed it was a transitional state, before the meaning of unity was truly not reflected in the monument building.

The situation completely changed in 1889, when the Dutch government renovated the monument building. The monument is made with a square shape with each side decorated with a kind of inscription that shows who was involved in the renovation. The top of the monument is no longer round, but has a pointed cone. The height of the building is also lower, only as high as 15 meters or 10 meters lower than the original building. Since then, this monument is also called De Witt Paal or Tugu Pal Putih.

The renovation of the building was actually a Dutch tactic to erode the unity between the people and the king. However, seeing the struggle of the people and the king in Yogyakarta which took place afterwards, it can be seen that the effort was unsuccessful.

If you want to see Tugu Jogja as much as you can while remembering its philosophical meaning, there is a bench facing the monument at the corner of Jl. Prince Mangkubumi. At 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning is the right time, when the air is still fresh and there are not many motorized vehicles passing by. Occasionally you might be greeted by a friendly smile from a newspaper deliveryman who was about to go to the Kedaulatan Rakyat daily circulation office.

It is so identical to Tugu Jogja with the city of Yogyakarta, that many overseas students express their joy after being declared to have graduated from college by hugging or kissing Tugu Jogja. Maybe it is also an expression of love for the city of Yogyakarta that will soon be abandoned, as well as a pledge that someday he will definitely visit this beloved city again.