Taman Sari also known as Water Castle is a site of a former royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. It is located in the centre of the city, about 2 km south within the grounds of the Kraton, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Built in mid 18th century, the Taman Sari had multiple functions, such as a resting area, a workshop, a meditation area, a defense area, and a hiding place.
Taman Sari consisted of four distinct areas: a large artificial lake with islands and pavilions located in the west, a bathing complex in the centre, a complex of pavilions and pools in the south, and a smaller lake in the east. Today only the central bathing complex is well preserved, while the other areas have been largely occupied by the Kampung Taman settlement.
The name Taman Sari comes from the Javanese words taman, meaning a "garden" or "park" and sari, which means "beautiful" or "flowers". Hence, the name Taman Sari means an area of a beautiful garden adorned with flowers.
The manuscript of Serat Rerenggan mentions the story of Demang Tegis, a Portugueseman said to be one of the architects of Taman Sari. According to the manuscript, a strang e man suddenly appeared in Mancingan Village (a locality name on the south coast of Java near Parangtritis). With long nose, white complexion, and a foreign language, the villagers suspected that the person was some kind of spirit or forest fairy. They presented him to the current sultan, Hamengkubuwono II. Apparently the sultan found interest in the person and took the strange man as his servant. Some years had passed and the man had finally learned to talk in Javanese. According to him, he was a Portuguese (or in Javanese, Portegis) who was stranded from a shipwreck. He also claimed to have been a housebuilder, so the sultan ordered him to erect a fortress. Satisfied by the man’s work, the sultan gave him the title "demang." From then on that person was known as Demang Portegis or Demang Tegis.
The Cache it’s hidden in the ruins on top of the small hill nearby Taman Sari. I chose this place not only because of its Portuguese origins that I am very proud of, but mostly because it’s one of my favorite places in the city, especially at the sunset. But so is other people’s, especially couples looking for a nice and quiet spot. So beware of the muggles during that time of the day. Also Indonesians are very curious people, especially if they see a foreigner walking around the place outside the “tourist hours”.
Taman Sari is open daily from 8am to 2pm (sometimes from 9am - 3pm), but the ruins are open all day. If you come after the sunset, make sure to bring some flashlight (or similar) with you as there aren’t many bright light sources around. The place is absolutely not dangerous, as long as you watch your setps.
Ah! And don’t forget to visit the Underground Mosque nearby.
Nice caching!
P.S. - Cache hidden with the help of my friend luisloco514.