iSurprise HB IX Monument

Testimony to Yogya’s ninth Sultan, a national hero

A hero’s monument

Located in a far corner of Pasar Gedhe, you find a place that matters a lot to locals. It is a monument to Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX or simply HB IX. He became king in 1940, a tumultuous time in Indonesian history. Not only did he survive the Japanese occupation, he emerged as an independence leader when the Dutch returned to lay claim to their former colony.

Resistance leader

After the war resistance leaders Sukarno and Hatta were arrested by the Dutch who wanted to establish Yogyakarta the ‘new’ capital and appoint it’s sultan as head of state. But HB IX refused to cooperate, he stayed on as traditional leader until the Dutch troops retreated.

He emerged as an independence leader when the Dutch returned to lay claim to their former colony.

From Solo with love

The king of Solo donated the Ngejaman monument that was placed at the ‘Solo corner’ of the market, but for a long time it was better known among locals as a place to feed the horses.

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