Jakarta is the largest and the capital city of Indonesia. This is a bustling city with blends of heritage and ultra modernity. With so many attractions a visit to this beautiful city will make your trip topnotch. Out of all the important places the National Museum in Jakarta grabs the attention of many travellers as a place of cultural importance. This archeological museum is located in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta.
The museum is famous among locals as ‘Elephant Building’ after the magnificent elephant statue in its front park. This bronze sculpture was a gift from king Chulalongkorn of Thailand who paid a visit to this museum in 1871.

The beginning of this remarkable museum is due to a group of Dutch intellects who established a scientific institution for promoting research. In 1868 the museum was officially opened as ‘Gedung Gajah’ and in 1962 the Indonesian Government took over the museum naming it the ‘Museum Pusat’. It was named the ‘National Museum’ in 1979.

The National Museum houses a large collection of prehistoric and archaeological artifacts and is the most complete and the finest museum in Southeast Asia. The collections are so vast that they are categorised into separate sections. The stone sculpture collection features interesting artifacts of Hindu-Buddhist art of ancient Indonesia. The centerpiece is a beautiful statue of Adityavarman depicted as Bhairava. Archaeology and Ethnography Collection features mesmerising treasures, gold and precious relics. The ethnology treasure room houses treasures acquired from royal houses of Indonesia. The ceramic collection is also very fascinating, featuring ceramics of China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar. Additionally in the prehistoric section, the museum stores artifacts that run back to the time of the Stone Age.

The National Museum is positioned at the cross side of Monas bus stop, hence finding the direction to this amazing museum is not too difficult. While you discover this gorgeous city and its amazing heritage, stay in the comfort of a convenient Jakarta hotel. An ideal place would be the Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta that offers travelers an amazing experience within their comfortable hotel in jakarta.

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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