Time to Learn Indonesian Kingdom and Music's History

It was a fantastic opportunity for me, as I could explore two museums in one place. The museum, somewhat hidden away, holds many hidden discoveries of historical Indonesian artifacts, namely the Museum Mpu Purwa and the Museum of Indonesian Music. Let's begin with Museum Mpu Purwa.

picture 1

Upon entering Museum Mpu Purwa, we are greeted by the Statue of Brahma with Four Faces (pict 1). As we walk a little further inside, we come across more statues and discoveries from ancient times. The museum's cleanliness and tidy presentation, along with its cool atmosphere, made me feel comfortable lingering while reading about the history of the statues found there. 

picture 2

What caught my attention was that there are still many other discoveries not yet displayed in the museum but shown to visitors (pict 2). This indicates that over time, discoveries will increase, providing visitors with more insight into the history of these discoveries and the making of the statues. 

picture 3

Moving up to the second floor, two areas are accessible. The left area showcases more historical statue discoveries, while the right area presents a diorama of the Singasari kingdom, specifically the story of Ken Arok and his wife, Ken Dedes (pict 3).

picture 4

Continuing to the second museum is the Museum of Indonesian Music. For visitors interested in the history of Indonesian music, a short walk from Museum Mpu Purwa suffices, as it is adjacent. This museum, situated on the second floor of the building, has two areas. The left area houses musical instruments such as gamelan, angklung, flute, and more. Here, visitors can try playing the instruments while learning about them (pict 4). 

picture 5

The right area contains a collection of music in various physical formats, including cassette tapes, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and VCDs from musicians both domestically and internationally. Visitors can enjoy music from the collection and journey back to the music era of the 80s-2000s through the provided gramophone (pict 5).

Remember, this is an opportune time to deepen our knowledge of the history of kingdoms in Indonesia, as well as the history of Indonesian music.