The passion of H.Santosa Doellah for preserving Batik, trigger the idea of building a museum of batik. As one of the Cultural identities, batik is an insperable part of the city of Surakarta - or popularly known as Solo. Batik crafts-starting from home industries to giant professional manufacturers - are a common sight in every corner of the city.The history of Batik Danar Hadi also began in this city, when H. Santosa Doellah and his wife Hj. Danarsih Santosa decided to start their batik business in 1967.The name Danar Hadi itself was actually a combination of two names ; Ibu Danarsih and her father H.Hadipriyono.

Displayed in this gallery are the antique batiks that were created through the period of time before and during the Dutch and Japanese occupancy, till the independence of Indonesia. Observe batik art at its finest, which includes the Batik Kraton, Batik Belanda, Batik Cina, Batik Hokokai, Batik Indonesia and Batik Saudagaran.

The old building of Ndalem Wuryanigratan itself is promised to be an interesting object for cultural tourism, displaying the spendor of traditional Javanese architecture.

1. Location
"Galeri Batik Kuno Danar Hadi" is located at the centre of Surakarta, at Jl. Brig. Jen. Slamet Riyadi No. 261-263, the main street of Surakarta.

2. Background
The founding of this Gallery was based on Mr. Santosa Doellah's wish in his effort in preserving batik since the Gallery's missions are:

a. Preserving batik in any aspects
b. Providing information for the educational society
c. Building another tour asset for Surakarta in particular and for Indonesia in general

3. The Building

a. This Gallery consists of eights halls:
b. Gallery I
c. Gallery II
d. Gallery III
e. Two Showrooms
f. Hand waxing department
g. Stamp waxing department
h. Dyeing department

4. Collections Being Displayed

Gallery I displays:
a. Batik Belanda (from 1840-1910)
b. Batik Cina (before 1910 and after 1910)
c. Batik Djawa Hokokai (1942-1945)
d. Batik Kraton (batik from the palaces)
Batik Puro Mangkunegaran
Batik Puro Pakualaman
Batik Kasunanan Surakarta
Batik Kasultanan Yogyakarta
e. Batik Pengaruh Kraton (batik influenced by the Batik from palaces):
Batik Cirebon
Batik Banyumas
Batik Indramayu (Batik Dermayon)
Batik Madura
f. Batik influenced by The Indian Cloth
g. Batik Danar Hadi

Gallery II displays:
a. Flow of process (Traditional Batik Process)
b. Batik Wax ingredients
c. Batik Indonesia (1950)
d. Batik Wonogiren (1966-1975)
e. Batik Kontemporer
Batik created by Guruh Soekarno Putra
Batik created by Amry Yahya
Batik created by Bambang Oetoro
Batik created by SP. Gustami
Batik created by Soemihardjo
f. Batik Souvenir

5. Processing Department
Batik Process being shown in this gallery are mostly Multi Coloured Batik Process (Batik Pesisiran Processes) applied on silk.


Traditional Performing Arts
Included in the "one stop shopping" concept, Galeri Batik Kuno Danar Hadi will continually stage traditional performing arts or other cultural events from Central Java and nearby regions. Visitors may enjoy a buffet lunch or dinner prepared just for the event.

Artistic Atmosphere of the Workshop
Take advantage in viewing the process of batik making, whether stamped or drawn, which are famous for its high standard of quality.

Exclusive Shop
The shop provides a variety of exclusive items from exclusive batiks, specific souvenirs from Solo and nearby regions, to high quality Javanese antique and ethnic products. Guests may feel comfortable in the attractive and artistic atmosphere of the shop.

Tour Package

"Wisata Budaya Terpadu" Package Offered by Danar Hadi's Antique Batik Gallery

1. Visiting The Gallery $ 2.00/person
Special rate for student $ 1.00/person

2. Visiting The Gallery and The Building with Old Javanese Architecture followed by a short Discussion on Batik (for a minimum of 15 persons)

a. without snack/beverages $ 4.00/person
b. with snacks & aqua $ 5.00/person
c. with lunch $ 9.00/person
d. with lunch and Gamelan Music $ 14.00/person

3. Batik Workshop - one day
(for a minimum of 20 persons)
09.00 am - 16.00 pm with lunch $ 17.50/person

4. Batik Course - five days
(for a minimum 15 persons)

a. without snacks/beverages $ 62.50/person
b. with snacks and aqua + (5 x $ 1.00) $ 67.50/person
c. with lunch + (5 x $ 4.00) $ 87.50/person

1st day :
Visiting The Gallery and The Old Javanese Building
Short discussion on Batik displayed inside The Gallery
Lunch
Distribute hand-outs and Batik tools
Batik processes

2nd day :
Raw materials for batik
Dyerstuffs
Drawing patterns
Batikking

3rd day :
Batikking
Direct dyeing

4th day :
Waxing dyed parts
Dyeing and removing the wax

5th day :
Waxing, brown dyeing, wax removing
Evaluation

5. Lectures / Discussion on Batik
(for a minimum 15 persons) $ 7.00/person

6. Cultural Performances
(for a minimum of 25 persons)

a. Traditional Javanese Dresses

(included Javanese Court dresses) $ 35.00/person

b. Traditional Royal Javanese Wedding Ceremonies

(Surakarta & Yogyakarta) $ 35.00/person

c. Javanese Dance performances (fragments and others) $ 30.00/person
d.
1. Shadow Puppet play $ 30.00/person
2. Wodden Puppet play $ 30.00/person
3. Folk Dances $ 30.00/person
(Including Lunch or Dinner, Tour inside Galeri Batik Kuno Danar Hadi)

For further information, please contact : Asty
Phone : (0271) 713140, 714326


Location
Jalan Slamet Riyadi No.261, Surakarta
Telp. (0271) 714326 Fax. (0271) 714253

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Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi in Indonesian language, is a conical volcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. Its name means Mountain of Fire. It is very close to the city of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1700 m above sea level.

Although smoke can be seen emerging from the mountain top at least 300 days a year, several eruptions have caused fatalities. Hot gas from a large explosion killed 43 people in 1994, mostly in the town of Muntilan, west of the volcano. Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta earthquake. In light of the hazards that Merapi poses to populated areas, it has been designated as one of the Decade Volcanoes.

Merapi is the youngest in a group of volcanoes in southern Java. It is situated at a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is sliding beneath the Eurasian Plate. It is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire – a section of fault lines stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and South East Asia.[2] Stratigraphic analysis reveals that eruptions in the Merapi area began about 400,000 years ago, and from then until about 10,000 years ago, eruptions were typically effusive, and the outflowing lava emitted was basaltic. Since then, eruptions have become more explosive, with viscous andesitic lavas often generating lava domes. Dome collapse has often generated pyroclastic flows, and larger explosions, which have resulted in eruption columns, have also generated pyroclastic flows through column collapse.

Typically, small eruptions occur every two to three years, and larger ones every 10-15 years or so. Notable eruptions, often causing many deaths, have occurred in 1006, 1786, 1822, 1872 (the most violent eruption in recent history), and 1930—when thirteen villages were destroyed and 1400 people killed by pyroclastic flows.

A very large eruption in 1006 is claimed to have covered all of central Java with ash. The volcanic devastation is claimed to have led to the collapse of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram, however there is insufficient evidence from that era for this to be substantiated.

Merapi continues hold particular significance for the Javanese: it is one of four places where officials from the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Solo make annual offerings to placate the ancient Javanese spirits.

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Although the word's origin is Javanese, its etymology may be either from the Javanese amba' ('to write') and titik ('dot' or 'point'), or constructed from a hypothetical Proto-Austronesian root *beCík, meaning 'to tattoo' from the use of a needle in the process. The word is first recorded in English in the Encyclopædia Britannica of 1880, in which it is spelt battik. It is attested in Indonesian Archipelago of the Dutch colonial period in the various forms mbatek, mbatik, batek and batik

Batik has been both an art and a craft for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there.

Contemporary batik, while owing much to the past, is markedly different from the more traditional and formal styles. For example, the artist may use etching, discharge dyeing, stencils, different tools for waxing and dyeing, wax recipes with different resist values and work with silk, cotton, wool, leather, paper or even wood and ceramics.

Melted wax (Japanese: malam) is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. The beeswax will hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.

Thin wax lines are made with a canting needle (or a tjanting tool), a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps. Other methods of applying the wax onto the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, and applying the hot wax to pre-carved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric.

After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character. This traditional method of batik making is called Batik Tulis (lit: Written Batik).

The invention of the copper block or cap developed by the Javanese in the 20th century revolutionized batik production. It became possible to make high quality designs and intricate patterns much faster than one could possibly do by hand-painting. This method of using copper block to applied melted wax pattern is called Batik Cap (pronounced like "chop").

Indonesian batik used for clothing normally has an intricate pattern. Traditionally, wider curves were reserved for batik produced for nobles. The traditional cloth has natural colors (tones of indigo and brown) while contemporary pieces have more variety of color.

Javanese batik typically includes symbols. Some pieces may be mystic-influenced, but very rarely used for clothing. Some may carry illustrations of animals or other intricate things.

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Surakarta is also known by the name "Solo". "Surakarta" is used in formal and official contexts. The city has a similar name with the neighboring district of "Kartasura", where the previous capital of Mataram was located. Variant spelling of Surakarta is found as Soerakarta - and is simply the old spelling prior to the pre 1948's spelling change.
It is approximately 65 km (40 miles) northeast of Yogyakarta, and 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Semarang The eastern part of the town is bordered by Bengawan Solo River, the longest river on Java. The river is the inspiration for the song Bengawan Solo, a 1940s composition by Gesang Martohartono which became famous throughout much of Asia.
In the current Indonesian context Surakarta is a city within the province of Central Java. Previous to the Indonesian nation being formed it was one of two areas ruled by local leaders.

During Dutch occupation, the two areas were known as the Vorstenland - the Yogyakarta and Surakarta principalities. Rivalry between the two has been endemic since their founding in the 1700s and was a deliberate ploy by the Dutch colonial powers to distract the attention from the presence of the Dutch colonial power.

The ruler of the main court within the city is known as the Susuhunan.
Surakarta is divided into 5 subdistricts (kecamatan): Banjarsari, Jebres, Laweyan, Pasar Kliwon, and Serengan.
A series of wars and clashes between the Adipati (dukes) followed the death of the last Sultan of Demak Bintoro, the first Islamic kingdom in Java. One of the prominent powerful dukes was Jaka Tingkir, son-in-law of the late sultan. After defeating the last opponent duke of Jipang-Panola, Jaka Tingkir aka. Sultan Hadiwijaya claimed the throne and moved the capital to the city of Pajang, located about 8 miles from the present-day Surakarta. His adopted son, Sutawijaya, formed a conspiracy and killed him with the favour of an assassin. Then, he ascended the throne and once again, moved the capital to Mataram in the present-day province of Jogjakarta, and a new dynasty was founded. It was such an irony to find out that Sutawijaya was the man of the battle which fought against the duke of Jipang-Panola and killed the duke, gained the victory for Pajang.

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