Malang City Hall

My hometown is Malang city. It is a cold city in East Java. Malang city is famous because it is an Educational City as well as the legacy of Holland people. Many old Dutch buildings stays in good shape here. That is also the reason why many tourist come from Netherlands.

Malang's Emblem

Malang at first time don’t have any motto, then at 25 April 1938 Geuvernment Beslaid No. 27 legalized the first slogan of Malang which is “Malang Nominor, Sursum Moveor” means Malang is my name, and forward is my goal. This motto is used until 1963, then at 1970 it was changed into “Malang Kucecwara” as nowadays was written together with the city’s emblem. Malang Kucecwara literally means God has destroyed the false and enforced the right. “Malang” is Javanese word for “menghalangi (Indonesian)” or impeded (English).

Hundreds, even thousands of years ago before Malang became the second biggest city in East Java, Malang used to be the centre of government of the Kanjuruhan and Singhasari Kingdom. In the following era, Malang regency became an important place when the government of Mataram Kingdom took hold of the area, making it the largest regency in East Java and since then the development of Malang regency has increased well.

The history of Malang Regency could be revealed through the Dinoyo inscription 760 AD as the primary official document to support the birth of Malang before a new inscription was discovered in 1986, which is so far not yet revealed. According to the inscription, it was concluded that the 8th century was the beginning of the existence of Malang Regency’s government due to the birth of King Gajayana’s ruling of his kingdom in Malang. From the Dinoyo inscriptions, it is noted that the inscription used the “Candra Sengkala” or “Cronogram” Calendar, and stated that the birth date of Malang Regency was on Jum’at Legi (sweet Friday) 28 November 760 AD. (L. Damaes: “Studed’ Epigraphy d’Indonesia IV. 1952″).

The city was incorporated into Mataram in 1614, then transferred to Dutch colonial rule. Malang was transformed under the Dutch; its cool climate which results from its elevation, along with its proximity to the major port of Surabaya, made it a popular destination for Dutch and other Europeans. In 1879, Malang was connected to Java’s railroad network, further increasing development and leading to increased industrialization.

Along with growth came urbanization. The government could not satisfy the population’s needs for affordable housing, which lead to the building of shanty towns along the rivers and rail tracks. Up until today, the shanty towns still exist; although some have been transformed into “better” housing.

Klenteng Eng An Kiong, Ijen Cathedral, Hati Kudus Yesus Church, Jami' Mosque

Like most of Java, a large majority of Malang residents are Muslim; there are small minorities of Catholics, Hindus, and Buddhists. Many buildings of worship still stand from their construction in the colonial era. For example, Agung Jami Mosque; Sacred Heart Church (Gereja Hati Kudus Yesus) in Kayutangan; Saint Mary from Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gereja Ijen or Katedral Santa Maria dari Gunung Karmel) in Ijen Street, which is the seat for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malang; the Immanuel Church in Alun-alun; and Eng An Kiong Buddhist Temple in Laksamana Martadinata Street. Malang is also famous for being the centre of religious education, this is evident with the existence of many Islamic schools (pesantren) and bible seminars.

Javanese and Madurese languages is the day-to-day language used by Malang people. Many of the native Malang youths adopt a dialect that is called ‘boso walikan’, it is simply done by reversing the pronunciation of the words, an example of this is by pronouncing “Malang” as “Ngalam” instead. Like Surabaya, Malang residents adopt an egalitarian form of Javanese. As it becomes the educational city, there are many languages from outside Java spoken in Malang.

As a centre of tourism, Malang has various places of interest which can be classified into local, regional, national and international standards, including traditional dance performances such as Tari Topeng (Mask Dance), Jaran Pegon, Tari Beskalan (Beskalan Dance), etc. There are also ‘Topeng’ or Mask handicraft at the villages of Jabung and Kedungmonggo which have become a familiar landmark in Malang Regency.

Malangan Mask Dance

The picture of Merlyn Sopjan

Malang is also home to a thriving transgender (waria) community headed by Miss Waria Indonesia 2006, Merlyn Sopjan.

* Source taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malang, pictures from many sources