The Imogiri Royal Cementery (Pajimatan Girirejo Imogiri) is located on the outskirts of Yogyakarta. It is a place for spiritual tourism (meditation and pilgrimage). The complex is located around 12 km from the city center of Yogyakarta and is a great place to enjoy scenery and also learn about the history of the Mataram kingdom and its culture.
You need to climb quite a lot of stairs (the guide said that it is 345 stairs, but I didn’t count them all) to reach the site. At the top of the stairs you will find fish pond. On the right side as you enter are the royal burial tombs for previous sultans of Yogyakarta (Kesultanan Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat). On the left side are the royals tombs for the sultans of Surakarta (Kasunanan Surakarta Hadiningrat). Continue to climb and you can reach the entrance to the Kasultanan Agungan tomb complex (Mataram kingdom).
The complex is special and worth a visit. Tourists who want to visit the graves are obliged to register at the registration office. Traditional formal dress (you can rent it at reasonable cost) is required when entering the tombs. Men usually use “Bebed” or “Nyamping” with bare upper body or “Pranaan Yogya” the costume dress of officials. Women use”Nyamping” and “Kemben” which leaves your shoulders bare. I enjoyed myself wandering around the complex in traditional formal dress. I imagine it would be very interesting if tourists can dress up like this when they visit places in Yogyakarta like museums or cultural centers.
Some important notes for visiting the King Tombs of Imogiri.
– Opening hours:
Monday from 10 am – 1 pm
Friday from 1.30 pm – 4 pm
Sunday from 10 am – 1 pm
– During fasting month (30 days) the graves are closed
– For women who have their period it is forbidden to enter the tomb
– You should leave your belongings at the administration desk before entering the tomb.
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Seems like quite the blissful place … next time I’m in java, I’ll check it out!
pas smp/sma sering sore2 kesini buat latihan fisik lari di tangga,,tp malah belum pernah masuk ke makamnya
Hahaha seriusan? Entah kenapa langsung kebayang orang latihan kungfu :))
You look stunning with that dress!
Awww thank you :*
satu hari nanti harus ke sini 😉
Are u allowed to wear a selendang or shawl with the kemben?
Hi James,
Yes! You can wear a shawl.
Oh…i meant are u allowed to wear the shawl or selendang with the kemben while visiting the Sultan mataram graves..
[…] Before we started, the local guide asked how far I wanted to cycle. I really wanted to make the most of the cycle tour, so we decided to do a 20km trip. The halfway point would be Imogiri royal tombs, which I had visited before with my best friend (feel free to check out the story here). […]