Invaders, colonizers, missionaries, merchants and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques

A walk into Indonesian Architecture

The Architecture of Indonesia reflects the diversity of cultural, historical and geographic influences that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, Colonizers, missionaries, merchants and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques. Traditionally, the most significant foreign influence has been Indian. However, Chinese, Arab – and since the 18th and 19th centuries – European influences have been important.

Discover the most beautiful ancient palaces and local architecture in Indonesia from the unique Tongkonan a traditional ancestral house, or rumah of the people, in South Sulawesi, with its boat-shaped and oversized saddleback roof, across the traditional Batak Toba house in North Sumatra and Balinese homes are a collection of individual, largely open structures (including separate structures for the kitchen, sleeping areas, bathing areas and shrine) within a high-walled garden compound, to the Papuan people that traditionally live in small family compounds composed of several circular huts known as honay with thatched dome roofs.

tana-toraja

A journey that will lead you also through the sacred temples such as Borobudur Temple that was lost for centuries until it was found again, covered in overgrown jungle and now it becomes one of the most popular destination in Giava and a World Heritage-listed Buddhist monument. Another breathtaking attraction you should not miss is Prambanan or Rara Jonggrang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and one of the biggest in Southeast Asia. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

Tanah Lot Temple is one of Bali’s most important landmarks, famed for its unique offshore setting and sunset backdrops. An ancient Hindu shrine perched on top of an outcrop amidst constantly crashing waves; Tanah Lot Temple is simply among Bali’s not-to-be-missed icons.

Architectural heritage influenced by religious are commonly found in Java. The beginning are Hindu – Buddhist kingdoms between the 8th and 14th centuries. The earliest surviving Hindu temples in Java are at the Dieng Plateau. Thought to have originally numbered as many as 400, only 8 remain today. Just 100 years later the second Kingdom of Mataram built the Prambanan complex near Jogjakarta; considered the largest and finest example of Hindu architecture in Java.

The World Heritage-listed Buddhist monument Borobudur was built by the Sailendra Dynasty between 750 and 850 AD, but it was abandoned shortly after its completion as a result of the decline of Buddhism and a shift of power to eastern Java. Majapahit influences can be seen today in the enormous number of Hindu temples of varying sizes spread throughout Bali.

Indonesia has 33 provinces, each of province has its own distinctive form and identity of traditional vernacular architecture, known as Rumah Adat in Indonesian. The concept of Rumah Adat are based on social relations, traditional laws, taboos, myths and religion. The main focus of that house for family, theirs community and some residents activities.

The characteristic Architecture of Indonesia such as timber construction, varied and elaborate roof structures. Concept design overall; symmetric, nature contextual and used nature materials. Some of design form come from domestic architecture influence religion foreign such as Java, Bali and others province common Austronesian ancestry (originating in Taiwan, c. 6,000 years ago). The earliest Austronesian structures were communal longhouses on stilts, with steep sloping roofs and heavy gables, as seen in the Batak rumah adat and the Torajan Tongkonan. Variations on the communal longhouse principle are found among the Dayak people of Borneo, as well as the Mentawai people.

Some of the more significant and distinctive rumah adat base on each of Province in Indoenesia

Inspiring Destinations In Indonesia

Sumatra

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Java

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Bali

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NTT/NTB

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Sulawesi

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Borneo

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Flores

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Papua

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