Cirebon Things to Do

If someone visit Cirebon City, Keraton Kasepuhan was the most famous palace located at the City Center at Kasepuhan Village, entering Kasepuhan area, one could see a square park in front of Keraton Kasepuhan. Keraton Kasepuhan is a compound of building which construction by a great bricks, red bricks laying over red bricks were erected without using mortar and made up a great walls of red bricks with unique Javanese architecture contemplated with Chinese architecture and a split gate with Balinese architecture.

2 more images

One of Jawa's oldest Chinese temples, the Klenteng Thiaw Kak Sie. This temple is consecrated to Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. The walls at the side of the big room are decorated with five big wall paintings, which express the ten Bhuddhist punishments.

4 more images

The most famous place of interest of Cirebon is about five kilometres north of the city, at the shore. It's the Astana Gunung Jati, the grave of Gunung Jati.

Every 35 days, on Thursday Kliwon of the Jawanese calendar, as well as Muhammad's birthday, this grave hill is being flooded by pilgrims. Some 108 kraman ( elderly ) work here, which originate from a shipcrew which suffered a shipwreck in the 16th century, as the story goes. They were appointed as guards and helpers of the royal graves by Gunung Jati.

The most important mausoleums are located on a hill at the back of the complex. They are only opened in high season and with special permission of the sultan. Luckily the graves lower on the hill and the mosque give an good impression of the place. Just like in the palaces of Cirebon the pavilions are built with woodcarved constructions, and the masonry walls contain Delft tiles and Chinese plates.

3 more images

Keraton Kasepuhan is generally considered the oldest of Cirebon’s three palaces. The palace maintains an impressive museum displaying the sultans’ iconic royal carriages (kereta kencana), heirloom keris daggers, dazzling woodcarvings, and several gamelan orchestras, the most important of which—the Gong Sekati, or Sekaten—is played twice a year in one of the numerous ancient Javanese pavilions on the palace grounds.

if you feel cirebon sweating hot, you can go further uphill to kuningan, a small pleasant city. can be found there sangkan hurip hot springs, historical linggardjati agreement building called "gedung naksa" and climb up mount ciremai.

more details at my kuningan page.

3 more images

This is where the Linggardjati Treaty was held between Ri and Netherland during 1947. The Linggarjati Agreement was the defacto recognition of the Republic of Indonesia by the Kingdom of The Netherlands and the right of self-determination of a people, after centuries of domination.

It is in this spirit that the Friends of Linggarjati seek to give form and content in a worthy manner to the ties of friendship between the two people, the Dutch and the Indonesians.

The house is quite well preserve, the weather is a bit windy and cold during rainy season. A creepy house if I may add :)

It will be hot and sunny, so bring liquids or cash to buy water along the way. There is not much to see other than the daily life and hardships of the locals. Markets, dirty alley ways, barbers cutting hair on the sidewalks with only a bar stool, and other things make you appreciate where ever it is that you came from more when you go home.

For batik, if you don’t want to go to the Trusmi village. Go to a shop near the Magna Seafood and Chinese Food Restaurant , it is also another short ride on the trishaw. Ask for the famous mega mendung motif, or Chinese influenced stormy clouds pattern batik design that is distinctively Cirebon.

Here is the address –

Mulia Toko Batik
Jl. Lemahwungkuk No. 134
Tel: (0231) 234304 or 208506