A Brief History of the Yogyakarta Special Region

Yogyakarta – The Special Region of Yogyakarta or commonly abbreviated as DIY is one of the province-level autonomous regions in Indonesia. This province has its capital in Yogyakarta. From the name of this region, the Special Region of Yogyakarta as well as its status as a Special Region. The status as a Special Region is related to the history of the establishment of this province, both before and after the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia. According to Babad Gianti, Yogyakarta or Ngayogyakarta (Javanese) is the name given by Paku Buwono II (king of Mataram in 1719-1727) as a replacement for the Gartitawati guest house.

Yogyakarta means prosperous Yogya, prosperous Yogya, while Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat means prosperous Yogya and the most important. Other sources say that Yogyakarta’s name is taken from the name of the (capital) Sanskrit city of Ayodhya in the Ramayana epic. In everyday use, Yogyakarta is commonly pronounced Jogja (card) or Ngayogyakarta (Javanese). Before Indonesia’s independence, Yogyakarta already had a tradition of government because Yogyakarta was a Sultanate, including the Duchy of Pakualaman. The district that has its own government, in the colonial era of the Dutch East Indies is called Zelfbesturende Landschappen . In the era of independence, it was called the Swapraja District. The Sultanate of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat has been established since 1755 by Pangeran Mangkubumi who later became Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. The Duchy of Pakualaman, established since 1813, was founded by Pangeran Notokusumo, (brother of Sultan Hamengku Buwono II) who later became the Duke of Paku Alam I. Both the Sultanate and Pakualaman are recognized by the Government of the Dutch East Indies as a government with the right to manage its own household.

All that is stated in the political contract. The last political contract of the Sultanate is listed in Staatsblad 1941 No. 47 and political contract Pakualaman in Staatsblaad 1941 No. 577. At the time of the Republic of Indonesia Proclamation of Independence, Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX and Sri Paku Alam VIII tapped the wire to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, declaring that the Yogyakarta Sultanate District and the Pakualaman District became part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia, and joined together to create a single unit of the Special District of Yogyakarta. Sri sultan Hamengku Buwono IX and Sri Paku Alam VIII as District Heads and Deputy District Heads are directly responsible to the President of the Republic of Indonesia. The legal position is:

From January 4, 1946 to December 17, 1949, Yogyakarta became the Capital of the Republic of Indonesia, precisely during the struggle and even experienced very thrilling moments, the Republic of Indonesia almost ended its history. Therefore, the leaders of the Indonesian nation who gathered and fought in Yogyakarta have their own memories of this region. Especially the young men who, after the end of the war, continued their studies at Gajah Mada University, a State University that was first established by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, as well as a living monument to commemorate the struggle of Yogyakarta.

At this time the Kraton of Yogyakarta is led by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Puro Pakualaman by Sri Paduka Paku Alam IX. Both of them play a very decisive role in preserving Javanese cultural values ​​and customs and are the unifiers of the Yogyakarta community. Based on article 18 of the 1945 Law, the House of Representatives of the Special District of Yogyakarta requires that the position as a Special District for Level I District remains sustainable by remembering the history of the formation and development of its District Government which should be respected.

Article 18 of the basic law of 1945 states that “the division of Indonesian Regions into large and small regions, with the form of government set up is determined by law by looking at and remembering the principles of consultation in the National Government system and the rights of origin in the Regions which is special “. As an Autonomous District at the level of a Province, the Special District of Yogyakarta was formed by Law No. 3 of 1950, in accordance with the meaning of Article 18 of the 1945 Constitution. It is mentioned that the Special District of Yogyakarta covers the former District/Sultanate of Yogyakarta and the Pakualaman District. As the capital of the Province of Yogyakarta Special Region, the City of Yogyakarta is rich in predicates, both from history and existing potential, such as a city of struggle, a city of culture, a city of students, and a city of tourism.

The name struggle city for this city is related to Yogyakarta’s role in the constellation of struggle of the Indonesian nation during the Dutch colonial era, the Japanese colonial era, as well as during the struggle to defend independence. Yogyakarta was once the center of government, both the Mataram (Islamic) Kingdom, the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and the Duchy of Pakualaman. The designation of a cultural city for this city is closely related to the cultural relics of high value during those kingdoms which are still preserved until now. This mention is also related to the many art and culture centers. The pronunciation of the word Mataram, which is widely used today, is nothing but a pride in the success of the Mataram Kingdom.

The predicate as a student city is related to the history and role of this city in the world of education in Indonesia. In addition to various educations at every level of education available in this province, in Yogyakarta there are many undergraduates and students from all regions in Indonesia. It is not an exaggeration when Yogyakarta is called a miniature of Indonesia. The mention of Yogyakarta as a tourism city reflects the potential of this province in terms of tourism. Yogyakarta is the second largest tourist destination after Bali. Various types of tourism are developed in this region, such as nature tourism, historical tourism, cultural tourism, educational tourism, and even, the latest, night tourism. In addition to the predicates above, the history and status of Yogyakarta is an interesting thing to listen to. The name of the district uses the term DIY as well as its status as a Special District. The status of Yogyakarta as a Special Region is related to the history of Yogyakarta, both before and after the Proclamation of Independence of the Republic of Indonesia.