Javanese Batik Museum, Solo, Indonesia

Opulent museum with many colorful Indonesian batiks

By Matt Lepkowski

My eyes grew wide as I opened the door and entered.   Perhaps it was the refreshment of entering the cool air-conditioned space and escaping from the hot, sticky air outside.  What really caught my attention was the stately setting.  I expected just a bunch of batiks hanging from the walls.  Instead I found myself in a palatial setting with crystal chandeliers, antique furniture and clothing, paintings and photographs, ornate carpets, and traditional Indonesian music softly playing in the background.

This is my introduction to the Danar Hadi Batik Museum in Solo, Indonesia.  One hour away from the well-known city of Yogyakarta with the famous temples of Borobudur and Prambanan is Surakarta, more commonly called Solo.  Lacking the crowds of its more famous neighbor royal city, Solo is older but also features two palaces and many museums.  As in Jogja you can ride around in a becak, a 3-wheeled bicycle taxi with a covered seat in the front for passengers and the peddler behind.  Many people think of Jogjakarta (spelled many ways) as the Ubud of Java, or cultural center of the island, but citizens of Solo would disagree.

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When it comes to batiks, lesser-known Solo is also overlooked.  While tourists flock next door they ignore the fact that Solo is the heartland of batiks in Java and Indonesia.  Countless batik shops and markets are located here, including the largest textile market in the country, Pasar Klewer.  Many of the batiks sold in Yogya are made in Solo.  Faced with the bewildering variety of batiks I decided to educate myself before purchasing some.

Danar Hadi opened the museum in October 2000 and it houses over 600 original batiks in 11 different rooms.  Each room is organized by style or time period.  Guides fluent in English lead you through each room while explaining the methods, history, design influences, and meanings of the motifs.  Batiks date back to the 15th century and were created in the royal palaces with specific patterns to be worn for certain occasions such as weddings, funerals, coronations, etc.  Originally only 3 colors were used; blue, white, and brown, which represented the 3 Hindu Gods.

Patterns used in the original batiks were not just for show.  Each motif had a specific meaning.  For example, the triangle motif on the breast cloth of a woman in the court meant she was the king’s concubine for the day.  Engagement and wedding motifs have chains to show devotion to each other.  Wings of Garuda, the half-man, half-eagle Hindu deity are combined with other elements to symbolize the royal family.  Three motifs could only be worn by royalty; parang, lereng, semen.  Batik motifs served as uniforms or costumes that signaled social standing, place, event, etc. 

Batiks spread across the region and evolved into an astonishing variety in the past 600 years.  The museum displays this variety in a luxurious setting and tour guides explain the regional differences.  Sudagaran or merchant batiks were created by modifying the royal motifs so non-royalty could wear them.  Cirebon, Lasem, and Pekalongan batiks show the seafaring influence of the Chinese along the north coast of Indonesia.  Petani motifs reflect the simple life of farmers with plants and animals.  Don’t miss the Dutch-designed batiks from the 1800s with birds, butterflies, and flowers and scenes from fairy tales including Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood.

Also part of the tour is the factory where batiks are made.  See the whole process from tracing patterns, applying wax by hand and copper stamp, dyeing, etc.  Both men and women work in the factory.  Patient women with an eye for detail do the tedious hand waxing with the canting tool.  Men use the heavier copper stamp tool to apply wax.  I was impressed with the quality; even the stamp or “cap” patterns are touched up with a brush so the boundary between stamp impressions can’t be seen in the final product.

Mr. Santosa, an artist by trade who designed some of the motifs, formed Danar Hadi in 1967.  He still runs the company today with close attention to the quality of both the batik factory and the museum.  When you’re in Jogjakarta to see the famous temples, make sure to visit Solo so you can see the batik museum and other attractions.  It’s a cheap and easy 1-hour train ride (about 1 USD) with no advance reservation needed.  Just show up at the station and buy a ticket for the “prameks” which is the commuter train connecting the 2 cities and the airport between them.

Danar Hadi Batik Museum is located on the main street in Solo, Indonesia at 261 Brigjen. Slamet Riyadi and is open daily 9am - 4:30pm except the national independence holiday on August 17 and Islamic holidays.

Matt Lepkowski is the founder of TravelsInParadise.com and lives in the mountains of Colorado, USA.
See Matt's bio and more of his travel articles and pictures.