The National Monument, or Monas (a contraction of its name in Bahasa -

Monumen Nasional), was a project of the first President of Indonesia - Sukarno (the
Javanese often use one name only). Throughout his turbulent reign, Sukarno sought to
bring Indonesia together with tangible symbols of nationhood; as the Istiqlal
Mosque was his attempt to unite Muslim Indonesians, the Monas was his effort to
create a lasting memorial to the Indonesian independence movement.
Towering over Merdeka (Freedom) Square in Gambir, Central Jakarta, the Monas is an
impressive-sized monolith: about 137 meters tall, topped with an observation deck and
a gilded flame that is illuminated at night.

At its base, the Monas houses a museum of Indonesian history and a meditation hall
that displays an authentic copy of the declaration of Indonesian independence read out
by Sukarno upon their country's emancipation from the Dutch.

History of Monas

President Sukarno was a man who dreamed big - with the Monas, he wanted a
memorial to the struggle for independence that would last for the ages. With the help of
architects Frederich Silaban (designer of the Istiqlal Mosque) and R.M. Soedarsono,
Sukarno envisioned the towering monument as a symbiosis of multiple auspicious
symbols.

Hindu imagery is present in the Monas' design, as the cup-and-tower structure

resembles a lingga and yoni.
The numbers 8, 17, and 45 hearken back to August 17, 1945, the date of Indonesia's
proclamation of independence - the numbers manifest themselves in everything from
the height of the tower (117.7 meters) to the area of the platform it stands on (45 square
meters), even down to the number of feathers on a gilded Garuda sculpture in the
Meditation Hall (eight feathers on its tail, 17 feathers per wing, and 45 feathers on its
neck)!
Construction of the Monas began in 1961, but it was completed only in 1975, nine years
after Sukarno's overthrow as President and five years after his death. (The monument is
still known, with tongue in cheek, as "Sukarno's last erection".)

Structure of the Monas

Situated in the middle of an eighty-hectare park, the Monas itself is accessible at the
northern side of Merdeka Square. As you approach the monument from the north, you
will see an underground passageway that leads up to the base of the monument, where
an entrance fee of IDR 15,000 is charged for access to all areas. (Read about money in
Indonesia.)
Immediately upon emerging from the other end of the tunnel, visitors will find
themselves in the outer yard of the monument, where walls bear relief
sculptures showing significant moments of Indonesian history.
The tale begins with the Majapahit Empire, which reached its peak in the 14th century
under the prime minister Gajah Mada. As you progress clockwise around the perimeter,
the historical depictions move to more recent history, from the colonization by the Dutch
to the proclamation of independence to the bloody transition from Sukarno to his
successor Suharto in the 1960s.

The National History Museum

At the northeastern corner of the monument's base, the entrance to the Indonesian
National History Museum leads to a large marble-walled room with a series of
dioramas dramatizing key moments in Indonesian history.
As you ascend within the cup that forms the base of the monument, you may enter
a Meditation Hall that exhibits numerous symbols of Indonesian nationhood on the
inner, black-marbled walls that make up part of the tower shaft.
A gilded map of Indonesia stretches across the northern wall of the Meditation Hall,
while a golden set of doors mechanically opens to reveal a copy of the original
proclamation of independence read out by Sukarno in 1945, as strains of patriotic music
and a recording of Sukarno himself fill the air.
The southern wall features a gilded statue of Garuda Pancasila - an allegorical eagle
emblazoned with symbols standing in for the "Pancasila" ideology established by
Sukarno.

The Top of Monas

A large viewing platform at the top of the monument's cup offers a good vantage point
at an elevation of 17m from which to view the surrounding Jakarta metropolis, but the
best view is available at the observation platform at the top of the tower, 115 meters
above ground level.
A small elevator on the southern side grants access to the platform, which can
accommodate about fifty people. The view is hindered somewhat by steel bars, but
several viewing binoculars allow visitors to pick out interesting sights around the park
perimeter.

Not visible from the viewing platform - but very visible from the ground - is the 14.5
ton Flame of Independence, covered by 50 kg of gold foil. The flame is illuminated at
night, allowing the Monas to be seen from miles around even after dark.

How to Get to the Monas

Monas is most easily accessible via taxi. The TransJakarta Busway also reaches
Monas - from Jalan Thamrin, the BLOK M-KOTA bus passes by the monument.

Merdeka Square is open from 8am to 6pm. Monas and its exhibits are open every day
from 8am to 3pm, except for the last Monday of every month, when it is closed for
maintenance.
More bizarre than truly dark, but quite an unmissable sight when in Indonesia's capital city Jakarta.
The main part is the tall national monument itself with its platform at the top affording views into the
city smog. But the real gem for the so-inclined dark tourist lies underneath it in the form of the
underground National History Museum and its magnificently biased and mind-bogglingly weird
exhibition.

More background info: The National Monument, or Monumen Nasional, hence Monas for short,
is Jakarta's principal landmark. It towers over the grey concrete urban sprawl of the city like a
syringe trying to pierce the smog layer above. The main tower is a full 132 metres high (434 feet). It
is covered in Italian marble and crowned with a huge gilded flame, covered in real gold, so it looks
like an oversized torch. But there are also other connotations associated with its shape:

Planned as a statement of nationalism under Indonesia's first president Sukarno in the early 1960s,
but only completed in 1975, it is informally and somewhat disrespectfully known as Sukarno's last
erection. He actually died in 1970, i.e. before the monument's completion, but the main tower
structure was already standing when he was dethroned by Suharto from 1965 onwards, so I
suppose the epithet could just about apply

Apparently there is a lot of symbolism involved in the design of the monument, and even the phallic
associations with the tower's shape are not purely coincidental. It is supposed to represent Linga, a
Hindu masculinity symbol (always upright, of course).

The sexism continues with the goblet-shaped first platform at the bottom of the main tower allegedly
signifying a rice mortar (making the tower the pestle) and at the same time the Hindu symbol of Yoni,
for female sexual organs and the womb. Mmmmmh mortar, pestle, pounding let's not pursue
this any further.

What matters more in our context in any case is not the monument itself and whatever dodgy
symbolism it may involve, but the extra double function of the site as a shrine to the constitution and
as a history museum or more precisely: the history of the Indonesian struggle for independence.
The Hall of Independence is located inside the goblet part at the bottom of the monument (inside the
womb, that is? but wouldn't that mean: not yet born maybe I should stop looking for logic.),
while the National History Museum is underneath the whole base of the structure in a large
cavernous underground space.

Representing the history of Indonesia is not an easy task for anybody, and given the era in which the
museum came into being, i.e. the early years of Suharto's New Order regime, it would actually be
surprising to find a well-balanced, accurately factual coverage of modern Indonesian history. And
indeed it is in large parts the exact opposite see below!

What there is to see: The monument as such is certainly impressive by size alone (as long as you
ignore the connotations, in which case the size and shape are rather disturbing). It stands out so
much, literally, especially because it is set inside Merdeka Park and hence relatively far from all the
high-rises and skyscrapers of downtown Jakarta.

Whether the design appeals is probably a matter of taste. Opinions are likely to vary. I must say that
I found it one of those examples of 1960s designs that are so ugly that they are fascinating and thus
kind of appealing after all, if in a slightly crazy way

It gets even crazier when you get past the entrance (after some queuing in the midday heat in my
case, when I went on 1 August 2014) and reach the tunnel connecting the entrance to the museum.
Why the entrance to this tunnel is set some 200 yards away from the actual monument I don't know.
Maybe it's to enhance the dramatic effect of proceeding there? In a very North-Korean kind of sense
it even does do that, partly because it feels so forced and superfluous (cf. Kim mausoleum). Anyway,
the tunnel is partly marble-clad and partly covered with metal panels, including the ceiling (from
which air-con units provide welcome cooling). It was quite crowded when I was there, which made
the whole affair only even weirder and a bit unnerving: you certainly don't want any sort of panic
breaking out with so many people crammed into such a narrow corridor with no escape option either
side.

At the other end of the tunnel you emerge back out into the open at the base of the monument.
Surrounding this are concrete walls sculpted in peculiar large-scale reliefs. Some look more like
fantasy comic material, but allegedly they are supposed to represent episodes from Indonesian
history. Just what exactly they are representing, however, is often pretty much impossible to say.
There are mythical figures mixed with representations of modernity such as mining work, trains,
workers, satellite dishes and so on, and there is even a toy-like part of a jumbo jet jutting out from
the wall in one place. Weird.

Inside the museum the weirdness continues, initially on a grand scale, but then more so in detail.
The grandness comes from the sheer size of the cavernous hall. It's not particularly high, but forms a
huge square ground plan with floor, walls and ceiling all clad in marble. (The amount of marble
would make an official monument designer from Turkmenistan jump for joy!)

What made it all the more bizarre was the fact that even though there were signs demanding respect
e.g. no sitting on the floor, no eating or drinking this was blatantly ignored by hundreds of
Indonesians who clearly used the museum primarily as a welcome air-conned refuge space from the
sweltering heat outside, and: to have a picnic! Whole families were lounging about on the floor
everywhere as if spreading out on a park lawn. I wouldn't have been too surprised had I seen people
setting up a barbecue or rice-cooker. But it wasn't going that far. Still, people were clearly more
interested in having a good time than in paying any kind of respect to history or independence.

Around the outer walls, as well as set into part of the central block, the actual museum exhibits
consist of a series of ca. 50 dioramas behind glass which are supposed to depict important scenes
in Indonesian history by means of scale models and action-man-like figurines. Fortunately they are
accompanied by illuminated text panels that give a brief description, including an English translation.
The level of English is often in keeping with the weirdness of the rest of the place, but you mostly get
the gist OK.

The historic episodes depicted go back to pre-colonial times, cover the early competition between
different colonial powers (Portugal, Holland, Britain) and then move on to an elaborate coverage of
various episodes of resistance and uprisings against colonialism, including, for instance the Aceh
War of the late 19th century (cf. Banda Aceh).

Moving into more modern and darker territory, the occupation of Indonesia by Japan during WWII is
covered, including a diorama showing forced labour on a train line, presumably the Sumatra Death
Railway (cf. Indonesia, National Arboretum and Thailand's Death Railway).

The immediate post-WWII sections get more interesting in that this period finally did lead to
independence and in that context the name Sukarno can hardly be ignored. Given that the museum
exhibition was set up in the early years of the Suharto regime, when Sukarno was deposed, put
under house arrest and eventually died, you could imagine that the museum designers would have
liked to edit Sukarno out of the picture altogether (like Stalin had Trotsky blotted out in
early Soviet photos). But apparently that would have been a step too far here.
So Sukarno (still spelled the old way Soekarno here) and co-independence fighter and later vice
president Mohammad Hatta do get due mention in the context of the proclamation of Indonesian
independence, but nothing too elaborate or glorifying. The UN recognizing Indonesia's
independence gets at least as much praise. (Interestingly this is accompanied by a diorama showing
the UN HQ in New York even though this building wasn't constructed until a couple of years later.)

We then move into the critical phase of 1965/1966 i.e. when the alleged 30th September
movement communist coup d'tat (cf. Indonesia and Pancasila Sakti) was thwarted by Suharto.
After he took over the leadership of the country he unleashed an unprecedented purge against the
communists (hundreds of thousands, if not millions, were murdered see under Indonesia). But as
you might expect, the coverage of this period is a complete whitewash. Suharto is portrayed as the
great saviour of the nation and the purges are not mentioned at all. The way in which Suharto
assumed power is portrayed as following the wishes of the people. So you get models of protesters
demonstrating for a dissolution of the old order parliament even in front of a model of the Monas
(although that was only completed years later too).

As one would also expect, the portrayal of the annexation of and integration into Indonesia of former
Dutch New Guinea (Papua) in the 1960s is similarly biased. But when it comes to East Timor, the
truth-warped outrageousness becomes almost (tragi-)comical. Here it is claimed that the East
Timorese actually asked officially for the take-over of their country by Indonesia and thus, quote:
forced the government of the Republic of Indonesia to accept and legalize integration of the people
and the territory of East Timor to the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia in the shortest of
time (taken verbatim from the relevant info panel). Euphemistic twisting of historical fact doesn't
come much more cynical than this

History could have ended here, given that the museum was first opened in the mid 1970s around
the time of the invasion of East Timor. But there are also a couple of display cases that must have
been amended later, as they cover e.g. a 1992 conference of the non-aligned countries. But the end
of the Suharto era and the more recent developments since his dethroning do not get a mention
here.

Inside the central block of the museum stairs lead up into the Hall of Independence, housed inside
the goblet (or mortar) part of the Monas (see above). You can actually make out the angled outer
walls that you are now on the inside of. Again in a not altogether respectful fashion kids used the
slopes in the corners as slides and no parents made any attempt to calm them down. Nobody
seems to take this place too seriously any more.

Although seriousness is clearly intended, solemnity even. In the centre of the hall is a an almost
Kaaba-like dark-marble block whose outer walls glorify the Indonesian constitution in various ways,
partly in the form of quotes in gold lettering, a heavy golden Garuda bird with its Pancasila coat of
arms, and a gilded map of Indonesia still including East Timor, by the way.

When I visited the Monas I abstained from also going to the top of the monument the queues were
long, it would have cost an extra fee, and it was getting late. So I cannot say what it would have
been like and whether the views from the top would really have been worth it. I do have my doubts,
to be honest, that Jakarta could really have looked any more appealing from 130m up than at ground
level.

The rest of the experience, however, I can personally recommend though maybe only to people
who can derive a certain degree of entertainment value from gross misrepresentations of history and
that in such amateurish ways (only the Pancasila Sakti museum tops it in this respect by some
margin, in fact!).
A state-of-the art contemporary history museum this is not. Very, very far from it. But in that way it is
almost quaint except, of course, in a rather bitter-sweet way as the real history was so full of
tragedy that in this museum is so blatantly swept under the rug. If you can handle that one-
sidedness, though, it's a priceless experience of almost comical idiosyncratic weirdness.

Location: in the very heart of the city centre of Jakarta, Indonesia, in the middle of Merdeka
Square.

Google maps locator:[-6.1754, 106.8272] but the entrance is at: [-6.17369, 106.82724]

Access and costs: Being the main landmark of Jakarta, in the middle of its central square, and the
tallest edifice far and wide, the Monas really is pretty much unmissable. Inexpensive.

Details: Unless you are staying in one of the hotels within walking distance of Merdeka Square you
will need some form of transport to get there. All taxi drivers will know the site, so it shouldn't be a
problem. If coming by train, Gambir station is the closest.

The entrance to the monument and museum is NOT at the foot of the tall tower but instead some
200 yards to the north, where the access to the tunnel connecting to the monument begins and
where queues form when it is busy (which is often, and especially so at weekends).

Admission to the base of the monument and the museum was (summer 2014) 5000 IDR, the lift
and access to the observation deck cost another 10,000 IDR.

Opening times: daily (except on the last Monday of each month), from 8:30 a.m. to ca. 5 p.m.
(some sources say only to 3 p.m.) since long queues are often likely it is advisable to try to be
there early.

Time required: About half an hour or so for viewing the museum displays, and maybe another
quarter of an hour for the rest of the Hall of Independence and the reliefs outside, plus queueing
time, that is, which can take at least as long or even significantly longer at peak times (like Sundays).
If you also want to get the lift to the top of the monument, factor in even longer extra queues.

Combinations with other dark destinations: see under Jakarta a somewhat similar but even
more warped experience of misrepresented history can be had at the Pancasila Sakti monument
and associated museum (which is rather an unabashed shrine to anti-communism), which thus
makes for the thematically most suitable combination with the Monas. But given the considerable
effort of getting there (unless you have a private guide/driver) you may want to think hard whether it's
worth it for you first. It absolutely is if you, like me, get a certain black-humoured kick out of such off-
the-scale weirdness, but if you are expecting a proper history museum don't bother.

Combinations with non-dark destinations: The Monas itself is not really a dark site, at least not
intentionally, and so you'll find a lot of mainstream tourism elements here: throngs of people,
countless souvenir vendors, street performers, pickpockets the works.

Most visitors' main aim is to get the lift to the top of the monument, even though it involves long
queues and the views from up there will be shrouded by smog most of the time. I declined.
The Merdeka Park around the Monas is the largest green space in the city centre and as such a
respite from the concrete sprawl of the rest of this clogged-up smoggy metropolis. Worth a stroll.

For the few other real tourist sights in this city see under Jakarta.

Indonesia National Monument or what Indonesian and Jakarta people usually call as Monas is a
monument built to remember the struggle of Indonesian heroes fighting the colonial domination.
Monas was built based on the idea of the first president of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno, with the help of
Sudarsono and F. Silaban as the architect, and Ir. Rooseno as the consultant. Its builts on an area
with a width of 80 hectares. Monas was officially open on 17th August 1961 by President Soekarno,
and publicly open on 12th July 1971.

The top of Monas shaped like a flame, symbolizing a never extinguished spirit of Indonesian people.
The flame was made of bronze medal which weight was 14.5 ton, and was plated with 35 kg gold. The
flame has 6 meters diameter and consist of 77 concentrated parts.

The standing pillar of Monas which height is 137 meters, symbolizing a rice pestle, while the cup
symbolizing a rice barn. Rice pestle and barn are traditional tools to pound rice, figuring out Indonesia
as an agricultural country. Theyre also regarded as the symbol of Indonesian peoples fertility, and as
the symbol of male and female.

Jakarta people usually utilize Monas area as a place for sport activities, in the morning and afternoon
time. Most people visit Monas on weekend and holidays.

The Top Yard

You could reach the top of Monas by elevator. Surrounding the elevator there are emergency latter to
be used in case of emergency. From the top yard you could enjoy the view of Jakarta City and the
wind blowing and caressing your face. In a clear weather you could enjoy the view of Salak Mountain
at the south side, the ocean at the north side, and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at the west
side. While you're in Monas area it's recommended to get into the top yard and enjoy the views from
the top.
Independence Room
This room is located at the cup side of Monas, and has an amphitheater shape. In this room were kept
the map of Indonesia, the red and white flag of Indonesia, the symbol of Indonesia, which is Garuda,
and the replica of Indonesian independence proclaim script at the gateway. You could request the
officer there to open the gateway so you could see the script replica while listening to the recorded
voice of President Soekarno when he was reading the script.
National History Museum

National History Museum located at the baseman of National Monument (Monas). The width of the
museum is 6400 meters (80 x 80), and the whole walls, floor, and pillars are top layered with marble.
The museum can hold up to 500 people. At the four sides of the museum there are display windows
that shows the life and phenomenon that Indonesian people has gone through since Indonesian
ancient time.

Park Area

The park area which surrounds the monument is organized nicely. There are
several kinds of plants from various region of Indonesia in the park. Therere many seats provided
under big trees. You could see the cultivation of spotted dears that were originated from Istana
Bogor, at the park. Therere also pathways structured from green thin stone for you to have your feet
massaged by walking on it un-shoes. Therere a pool with fountain and the statue of Princess
Diponegoro riding a horse which made of 8 ton bronze medal on the park. This statue was made by
Italian artist, Prof. Coberlato as a grant from Dr. Mario, Honores Consulate General in Indonesia. The
statue is located near the gate of the tunnel which leads to the monument.
Tips

Most of the time the weather is quite hot in day time in Jakarta, hence its better to visit
Monas in the morning, afternoon or evening time. However if you choose to visit in the day
time, do not forget to bring umbrella or hat to cover your head from the sun.
If you visit Monas in the morning you could avoid the long queue to the monument, especially
on weekend and holiday. It might be more comfortable to visit on week days.
You could reach Monas either by taxi or bus. If you like to try the bus, it would be more
comfortable and safe to use Trans Jakarta Busway. Busway with Blok M to Kota Tua (Old City)
route will stop at Monas Busway Terminal.
Fountain Attraction

Fountain attraction conducted at Monas Park on every Saturday and Sunday, started from
07:00pm to 08:00pm.
Duration of the attraction take about 35 minutes, accompanied by several songs like Jali-Jali,
Lenggak-Lenggok Jakarta, Kopi Dangdut, Lambadia, Winter game, dan Rocketer.

Monas, Jakarta: the National

Monument (aka The Last Erection)
[11:21 | 1 comments ]
Great leaders always want to leave behind something that the people will remember
them by. Thats why Indonesia's first president Sukarno liked building monuments to the
revolution, a time when, ironically, idealism took precedence to using public funds to
help feed the citys many poor. Drive around Jakarta today and youll see loads of the
bloody things. The Welcome Statue near Plaza Indonesia in the city center is supposed
to send a message of friendship to foreign visitors, although the Pizza Man
Statue near Blok M remains an enigma.

Being something of a stud, and with a voracious appetite for beautiful ladies, what
would Sukarno want to remembered by? Why, his manhood of course! Thats why he
built Monas (the National Monument).

And Sukarno certainly spared no expense in the honorification of his private parts: the
monuments shaft is covered with pricey Italian marble alluding to Casanova? and
stands a lofty 137 meters erect, while, right at the top, the head of the monument is
covered with 50 kilograms of highly inedible gold leaf. Sukarno was obviously very
proud of what he had!

Unfortunately for Sukarno, though, this fabulous monument happened to be his last: he
was overthrown shortly after its completion. Oh well, at least hell always be
remembered. But whether he wanted to be forever known by his last erection is
anyones guess!

Monas as it looked in 1969

And some 41 years later from nearly the same spot

Interesting facts about Monas

- At the base of the monument is a rather nifty museum in which 48 dioramas depicting
scenes from prehistory up until the New Order (the last word?) are displayed in a very
posh marble-lined room. In another room called the Independence Room you can see
the Declaration of Independence. Cool.

- Wanna go to the top? Either use the slow lift or if you are a fan of the worlds newest
sport tower running just dash up the staircase. The views aint what they used to be
and are pretty much akin to looking through a steamed-up pair of spectacles because of
the citys horrendous air pollution.
- The large 20x25m pond provides the cool water for the air conditioning system in the
monument.

- To the north of Monas, there is a wonderful statue of the Indonesian national hero
Prince Diponegoro made by youve guessed it - a foreigner (the Italian sculptor
Cobertaldo)!

The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called, is one of the monuments built during
the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. The top of the National Monument (Monas) is Freedom
Square. It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts
in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945. The 137-meter tall marble obelisk is topped
with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for
meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the
top, which offers a bird's eye view on the city and the sea.
Go early to beat the crowds and the haze. It is easy for the less physically able as lifts take visitors to
the top. The diorama exhibition in the basement gives such a distorted view of Indonesian history -
thanks to the dictator Suharto wanting to brainwash the nation - it's amusing. This imposing obelisk
is Jakarta's most famous landmark. Construction started in 1961 under President Soekarno but was
not completed until 1975, under President Soeharto. The monument houses a couple of museums.
The Freedom Hall depicts Indonesia's struggle for independence through a series of dioramas,
whereas the Hall of Contemplation displays the original Declaration of Independence document and
a recording of the speech. An elevator takes one to the observation platform, which commands a
bird's-eye view of the cityscape.

The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional, abbreviated Monas) is a 132 m (433 ft)
tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. It is
the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for
Indonesian independence.
Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Soekarno. Monas was opened to the
public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The monument and the museum are
open daily from 07.00 am until 12.00 am Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7) throughout the week
except for the last Monday of each month when the monument is closed.
Background[edit]

Monas at evening

After the Indonesian government returned to Jakarta from Yogyakarta in 1950 following the Dutch
recognition of Indonesian independence, President Sukarno began to contemplate the construction
of a national monument comparable to the Eiffel Tower on the square in front of the Presidential
Palace. On 17 August 1954, a National Monument Committee was established and a design
competition was held in 1955. This attracted 51 entries, but only one design, by Frederich Silaban,
met any of the criteria determined by the committee, which included reflecting the character of
Indonesia in a building capable of lasting for centuries. A repeat competition was held in 1960, but
once again, none of the 136 entries met the criteria. The chairman of the jury team then asked
Silaban to show his design to Sukarno. However, Sukarno did not like the design as he wanted the
monument to be in the form of a linga and yoni. Silaban was asked to design such a monument, but
his design was for a monument so large that it would have been unaffordable given the economic
conditions at the time. Silaban refused to design a smaller monument, suggesting that construction
be delayed until the Indonesian economy improved. Sukarno then asked the architect R.M.
Soedarsono to continue with the design. Soedarsono incorporated the numbers 17, 8 and 45,
representing the 17 August 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, in the dimensions of
the monument.[1][2][3]
Construction[edit]

Construction of Monas.

The construction of Monas proceeded in three stages. The first period, from 1961/19621964/1965
began with the official start of construction on 17 August 1961 with Sukarno ceremonially driving in
the first concrete pile. A total of 284 piles were used for the foundation block. A further 360 piles
were driven in for the museum foundations, with work being completed in March 1962. The walls of
the museum in the base were completed by October. Construction of the obelisk then commenced
and was finished in August 1963. Work in the second stage, from 1966 to 1968, was delayed by
shortages of funding and the aftermath of the 30 September Movement coup attempt. In the final
phase, from 19691976, the dioramas for the historical museum were added. Problems remained
once construction was complete, and work was needed to solve problems with water leaking into the
museum. Monas was officially opened to the public on 12 July 1975.[4][5] The location of Monas is
known as Merdeka Square.

Monument design[edit]

"Monas" and the Jakarta skyline

The towering monument encapsulates the philosophy of Lingga and Yoni. Lingga resembles
an alu rice pestle and Yoni resembles a lesung rice mortar, two important traditional Indonesian
tools. Lingga and Yoni also symbolize harmony, balance, fertility and eternal life with the
lingga phallic symbol, representing masculinity, positive elements, and daytime and the Yoni
the female organs symbol, representing femininity, negative elements, and night. It also resembles
the bloom of the famous Amorphophallus titanum, native to Indonesia. Indeed,
fiberglass Amorphophallus and Rafflesia sculptures are installed around the monument. The
monument consists of a 117.7m obelisk on a 45m square platform at a height of 17m, the goblet
yard. The obelisk itself is clad with Italianmarble.[6][7]
The northern pond measuring 2525 m was designed to cool water for the air conditioning system of
Monas as well as to enhance the beauty of the surrounding area. To the north, there is a statue
of Indonesia national hero Prince Diponegoro by Italian sculptor Cobertaldo.[8]

Reliefs of Indonesian history[edit]

In the outer yard surrounding Monas there are reliefs of Indonesian history. The story begins in the
northeastern corner and describes events during eras such as
the Singhasari and Majapahit empires. The reliefs extend along the four walls showing the European
colonialization of the Indonesian archipelago, various popular local uprisings, modern Indonesian
organizations in the early 20th century, the Japanese occupation in World War II, the Proclamation
of Independence, and post-independence developments. The reliefs were made from molded
cement although several of the statues are damaged and have decayed due to weathering.

The National History Museum[edit]

Diorama of Indonesian history

The Indonesian National History Museum has a display of dioramas in the large marble-lined hall
below Monas. There are a total of 51 dioramas around the walls and in the centre of the hall. The
dioramas begin in the northeastern corner, displaying the scenes from Indonesian history from the
beginning during the earliest days of Prehistoric Indonesia, the construction of Borobudur,
the Sriwijaya and Majapahit eras, followed with events from the period of European colonization and
uprisings against Dutch East Indies Company and Dutch East Indies rule. The dioramas continue
well into the 20th century showing the Japanese occupation, the proclamation of Indonesian
independence in 1945, the struggle for independence of Indonesian revolution, and on to events
during the New Order era of Soeharto's regime.
The Hall of Independence[edit]

Hall of Independence, Gate of Independence in the left wall and Garuda Pancasila the right side

The Hall of Independence (Indonesian: Ruang Kemerdekaan) is situated inside the goblet or "cup"
part of Monas (Indonesian: Cawan). The hall, which contains various symbols of independence, can
be reached through spiral stairs at the north and south doors.[1][9] The original text of the Proclamation
of Independence is stored in a glass case inside the bronze golden door. On the west side of the
inner wall. Mechanized bronze doors weigh 4 tons and are coated with goldleaf adorned with the
image of a Wijaya Kusuma flower, symbolizing eternity, and a lotus flower, symbolizing purity. The
doors, known as Gerbang Kemerdekaan or the Gate of Independence, open slowly while the
nationalist Padamu Negeri song plays followed by a recording of Soekarno reading the text of the
Proclamation. On the southern wall there is a large bronze gold-coated statue of the coat of arms of
Indonesiaweighing 3.5 tons. On the eastern side is the text of the proclamation in bronze lettering.
Originally the eastern side displayed the most sacred Indonesian flag, Sang Saka Merah Putih,
originally raised on 17 August 1945. However, because it is fragile and in poor condition it is no
longer displayed. The wall on the northern side displays a map of the Indonesian archipelago coated
in gold.
There is a middle platform on top of the cawan (goblet) which provides visitors with views from a
height of 17 metres. This middle platform is accessible through the elevator on the way down from
the main observation deck (the lift stops on the way down at the cawan to allow visitors to exit) or
through stairs from below.

The observation deck and Flame of Independence[edit]

Monas observation deck crowned with gold-coated flame of independence

A lift on the southern side carries visitors to the viewing platform at a height of 115 metres above
ground level. The capacity of the elevator is about 11 people. The top platform can accommodate
about 50 people. There is also a staircase for use in emergencies. The total height of the monument
is 132 metres. The distance from the viewing platform to the tip of the flame is 17 metres. The ticket
to observation deck is Rp.7,500 (adults, mid-2012).
Monas is topped by a 14.5 ton bronze Flame of Independence containing the lift engine. The base of
the flame, in the shape of a goblet, is 3 metres high. The bronze flame structure measures 14
metres in height and 6 metres in diameter, It consists of 77 sections. Originally the bronze flame
structure was covered with 35 kg[1] of gold foil. However, during the 50th anniversary of Indonesian
independence in 1995, the gold foil was recoated and increased to 50 kg[10] gold foil. The obelisk and
flame symbolize the Indonesia people's struggle for independence.

Getting there[edit]
The observation desk and other facilities are open daily from 08.00-15.00 daily (except for the last
Monday of each month). The entrance to Monas is located around 100 meters away to the northern
side of the monument. Visitors enter by steps down to a tunnel which leads back towards the base of
the Monas. There is a ticket office (Rp 5,000 for adults, mid-2014) at the end of the tunnel. Tickets
allow access to the National History Museum display of dioramas as well as several other parts of
the area. Tickets for access to the observation desk cost another Rp 10,000 for adults (mid-2014)
and may be purchased at a second booth after passing through the hall showing the diorama
display.
It is best to go early, preferably arriving before 08.00am, and proceed directly to the lift to the
observation tower. The lift has a capacity of perhaps 160 people per hour so long queues build up
quickly. The other parts of the monument, including the dioramas in the hall below the Monas, can
be viewed later.