TRAVEL
MAY 22, 2021
The History Of Monas
The Monas (Monumen Nasional) or National Monument is located at the heart of Indonesian government in Jakarta. It was built to commemorate and honor the resistance and struggle of the Indonesian people during the independence war from Dutch colonial government. The initial construction to build Monas began on August 17, 1961 during the reign of Soekarno, the first president of Indonesia. It was officially opened for public on July 12, 1975 by Soeharto the second president of Indonesia.
Monas has become the site for many important public events. Located in Central Jakarta and occupying 80 hectares, Monas was part of Soekarno’s projects along with Gelora Bung Karno (GBK), a huge sports complex in Senayan and other buildings.
Standing at 132 meters, many people were against the construction at the beginning as the country was still young and needed to develop more important sectors for prosperity. Funny thing is, the shape of Monas itself symbolizes lingga (phallus/masculinity) and yoni (vagina/femininity) that represents prosperity.
The numbers of Monas symbolizes the date of Indonesia’s independence: August 17, 1945. Its height from the base to the grail is 17-m, represents the date: 17th, while the height from the History Museum to the base of the grail is 8m, which represents the month of August. The width of the square-shaped grail is 45 by 45-m, which shows the year 1945.
The monument is constructed from Italian marble and the flame at the top of the monument is covered by 50 kilograms of gold. The flame represented the spirit of Indonesians against colonization that is illuminated at night.
At the base of Monas, the Indonesian History Museum displays an authentic copy of the declaration of Indonesian Independence. You can find the paper with Soekarnos’ handwriting on it.
Also a Meditation Hall that exhibits numerous symbols of Indonesian nationhood on the inner as well as a statue of Garuda Pancasila symbolizes the ideology of Indonesian nation established by Soekarno.
The monolith is a vision from Soekarno that wanted a memorial for Indonesian independence that would last for ages. The architects Frederich Silaban and R.M. Soedarsono designed the towering monument over Merdeka Square (Freedom Square) in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
You can visit Merdeka Square from 8 AM to 6 PM. Monas monument open every day from 8 AM to 3 PM. Every last Monday in every month closed for maintenance.
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