Built in the mid 18th Century during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I Taman Sari Water Castle (often abbreviated to just Taman Sari) was originally a royal garden and bathing/pool complex used by the Sultan, his family and concubine.

Taman Sari was once a much larger site consisting of 4 distinctive areas: in the west - an artificial lake (Segaran lake - with islands and pavilions), in the east - a smaller lake, to the south - a collection of pools and pavilions and in the centre - a bathing complex.

Now only the bathing complex remains as the remaining areas have been given over to the site of the Kampung Taman settlement.

Entry to Taman Sari, after paying the prerequisite entrance fee (I seem to recall this was 15,000 IDR for non-locals), is taken by walking through the eastern gate (Gedhong Gapuro Panggung).

If you ascend the stairs at either side of this gate you can enjoy the view over the entrance and inner courtyard of the site.

At the far side of this courtyard is an archway with a stairwell leading down to the bathing complex:

The first pool complex you’ll arrive at, named Umbul Muncar, was reserved for the use of the Sultan’s daughters and his concubine and is bisected by a path (Blumbang Kuras) leading from east to west.

To the south of this pool complex is a building with a tower in its centre. The right wing of the building was the Sultan’s changing room with the east wing serving as his resting area. The tower was used by the Sultan to look out over the pool and observe his concubine/daughters bathing.

I was impressed by the guide who spoke passionately about the Sultan as he related the background history of the bathing complex. He kept referring to the ruler as his Sultan and it was clear that there was a sense of pride and belonging that is all too absent in most Western countries. I do hope that the more that Western influences creep into Indonesian society that the people here do not start to lose touch with their heritage, particularly the younger generation.

It would be such a shame if the very qualities that make this country unique were to become submerged under increasing Westernisation.

Visitors can climb the stairs of the tower within this building to spend time looking out over the bathing complex from both of the upper floors. Be warned though the stairs are very, very steep and quite narrow - exercise caution when ascending and particularly descending!

It was disappointing to see that some visitors had thought it perfectly acceptable to leave messages written with permanent marker on the walls and window ledges in those upper rooms.

Seriously, what is it with people not being able to respect history? That was quite irritating and demonstrates why some people really shouldn’t be allowed to roam outdoors unsupervised.

On the south side of this building is a single pool which, if memory serves me well, was only used by the Sultan and his concubine.

To the north of the Umbul Muncar pool complex is a building that served as the changing room/rest area for the Sultan’s daughters and his concubine.

Sumur Gumuling

Exiting through the West gate of the bathing complex visitors can follow a path leading through a series of alleyways in the nearby Kampung Taman settlement. From here they can access Sumur Gumuling - a one-story circular structure which is known locally as the underground mosque.

Entry to Sumur Gumuling requires descending down two flights of steps and walking through an underground tunnel before reaching a circular building with an elevated platform in its centre where four staircases meet from the ground floor (and one staircase from the platform to the first floor of the building).

This is quite an amazing building and you will not be short of photographic opportunities whilst visiting here (although it is best to get there early as, if you arrive later in the day, you will likely be waiting for some time whilst other tourists are busy taking selfies - and who can blame them in such an amazing location?)

Be warned, it’s easy to get lost walking through the settlements as the sign posting isn’t that reliable but I found the local stall owners to be very helpful with directions.

Sumur Gumuling is VERY easy to walk by and completely miss (and it took me 2 attempts to find the place!) so be sure to look out a sign on the left of the path. You’ll need to climb some small steps and then you should see the following building:

If you see this then you’re in the right place!

The underground tunnel

Roughly 10 -15 seconds further along the path after the entrance to Sumur Gumuling is the entrance to the underground tunnel:

I believe this tunnel was used to connect different buildings within the Segaran lake complex but I can’t be too sure I’m accurate. The water has been long since drained as the area above and surrounding the underground tunnel is now occupied by the buildings and residents of the Kampung Taman settlement.

Getting there

Located at Jalan Taman, within Yogyakarta city centre, Taman Sari is easy to reach by foot or by public transport.

Entry fee

I seem to remember that the entry fee was 15,000 Indonesian rupiah (which is very cheap when converted into Pounds Sterling or US Dollars). I'm not sure how accurate my memory is regarding the exact cost but I do recall that the ticket price was very cheap nonetheless.