National Monument (Indonesia)

"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 were once 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 Italian marble.[6][7]

The northern pond measuring 25×25 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]

Relief of Indonesian history

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 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 Suharto's regime.

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.[2][9] The original text of the Proclamation of Independence is stored in a glass case inside the bronze door. On the west side of the inner wall. Mechanized bronze doors weigh 4 tons and are coated with gold leaf 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 Sukarno reading the text of the Proclamation. On the southern wall there is a large bronze gold-coated statue of the coat of arms of Indonesia weighing 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.

Monas image as a coat of arms of Jakarta

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.10,000 (adults, 2016).[1]

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[2] of gold leaf. For the 50th anniversary of Indonesian independence in 1995, the gold leaf was reapplied and increased to 50 kg[10] of gold.

• Heuken, A. (2008). Medan Merdeka - Jantung Ibukota RI [Merdeka Square - Heart of the Indonesian Capital] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
• National Monument Office (1996). National Monument: The Monument of the Indonesian National Struggle. Jakarta: Jakarta Capital City Administration. ISBN 979-95172-0-6.