Visiting the Indonesian Museum, Learning About Indonesian History and Civilization

By nnurdiani on 8/1/2025

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Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you're all well. Recently, I visited a place called Taman Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia Park). This place houses several museums. One of them was the Indonesian Museum. The building features Balinese architecture and is adorned with a variety of exquisite and delicate Balinese carvings and statues.

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Picture by Nurdiani Latifah


This place was conceived by Mrs. Tin Soeharto in 1975. The front gate is in the style of a padu raksa (a Javanese word for "candi bentara") and a candi bentara (a Balinese temple). There's a typical Balinese split gate, and there's even a garden that depicts stories from the Ramayana. For example, the bridge leading to the main building is shaped like a dragon and a wanara (a Javanese dragon), and the Kerak (a Javanese warrior) army building a bridge to Alengka (the kingdom of Java).

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This three-story building embodies the Balinese philosophy of Trihita Karana, a moral concept emphasizing three aspects that can lead to true happiness: maintaining a harmonious relationship with God, with fellow human beings, and finally with nature and the surrounding environment.

The museum boasts a collection of artifacts. The Indonesian Museum serves as a repository for the history of Indonesian civilization. So, this magnificent building is not just a building, but also houses and exhibits objects and stories from Indonesia's long history, thoughts, ideals, messages, works, glories, and joys of the past.

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Picture by Nurdiani Latifah


The museum's collections include traditional clothing from Indonesian tribes. On the top floor, there's an 8-meter-tall Kalpataru tree carving, the main collection on the third floor. Entering this place, I felt quite intimidated and felt a little spooky.

The first floor, themed "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," houses a collection of traditional clothing from Indonesia's 27 provinces. There are also a number of distinctive Indonesian arts, including wayang (wayang), pari (pari), gamelan (traditional music), traditional games, and a map of Indonesia.

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The second floor, dedicated to humans and the environment, depicts the interaction of Indonesian society with nature and the environment. This exhibit showcases miniature models of traditional houses, the construction of ribadatan (houses) and rice barns in Indonesia.

I didn't actually explore the third floor much because of the large carving. However, the third floor focuses on arts and crafts. Showcasing traditional and contemporary arts and crafts from the Indonesian people.

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About Author
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Nurdiani Latifah

My name is Nurdiani Latifah. I live in Jakarta – Indonesia, and after 25 years I live in Bandung. I am a media staff at an NGO in Indonesia. I have worked in this institution for almost 2 years on issues of women and peace. I have been a journalist in Bandung for 3 years.

If you like his content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. You can also reblog if you want to. Also, don't forget to follow him to be updated with his latest posts.

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Comments (6)

worldmappin's avatar @worldmappin 8/1/2025
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nnurdiani's avatar @nnurdiani 8/2/2025

Thank you

worldmappin's avatar @worldmappin 8/3/2025

Hey @nnurdiani you are welcome. Thanks for using @worldmappin 😘

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gretelarmfeg's avatar @gretelarmfeg 8/1/2025

It’s interesting that each floor represents different aspects of Indonesian identity. The Museums hold memories, values and a nation's essence.

nnurdiani's avatar @nnurdiani 8/2/2025

I feel the richness of Indonesia

gretelarmfeg's avatar @gretelarmfeg 8/3/2025

It’s a beautiful and diverse culture.

raka01's avatar @raka01 8/1/2025

Wow amazing park Your journey must have been very beautiful and this gate, which must be very old, was a beautiful sight to see. Thank you.

nnurdiani's avatar @nnurdiani 8/2/2025

agreed, but this carving scares me

ronimarie82's avatar @ronimarie82 8/1/2025

This gate is one of a kind and I think this is only found in Indonesia. You are having a great vacay.

nnurdiani's avatar @nnurdiani 8/2/2025

That's right, this size is a symbol of the province called Bali.

wanderelle's avatar @wanderelle 8/2/2025

What a magnificent journey @nnurdiani! πŸ’– The Balinese architecture is stunning ✨ It's fascinating how the museum encapsulates Indonesia's history and philosophy πŸ™Œ

gwyddpel's avatar @gwyddpel 8/2/2025

Love museums, thank you for sharing this insight, my visit in history museum in Wroclaw was so intersting I hope to write about it soon. :) cheers !