Satria Mandala Museum, Jakarta | Entry Fee, Timings, Things to Do

Satria Mandala Museum, Jakarta Overview

Satria Mandala Museum is a military museum of the Armed Forces of Indonesia displaying a huge collection of military weapons, tanks, and other artefacts. The name Satria Mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning "a sacred place for the knights." Some notable collections include Soviet weapons used during Operation Trikora, a draft of the handwritten Proclamation of Indonesia written by President Sukarno and many more.

Satria Mandala Museum expands over an area of 14 acres and consists of three buildings and some open space where the collection of military artefacts is displayed; including some noteworthy collections belonging to historical events of Indonesia. The museum also has an archive for interested people to study and research on military weapons and the armed forces. Satria Mandala Museum is a great place to learn about the role of the military and its contribution to the development of the country.

Things to Do

At Satria Mandala Museum, one can check out a collection of Squadron Banners. A whole room is dedicated to the banners here.
Another collection consists of artefacts belonging to the General who served the country – General Abdul Haris Nasution, General of the Army Sudirman, General Oerip Soemohardjo and General Suharto.
Satria Mandal Museum also houses a variety of weapons like sharpened bamboos, guns, grenades, from the 1940s till date.
The museum has a section dedicated to the National Heroes. It is called the Hall of Heroes and exhibits statues of the heroes and information about their contributions.
Here, one can also get to see dioramas created by the craftsman from Yogyakarta depicting the pre-independence rebellion, proclamation of independence, the Indonesian revolution and the efforts of the military. The Waspada Purbawisesa Museum also exhibits dioramas of military conflicts with the Islamic groups.
The outdoor sections of Satria Mandal Museum, especially the open grounds exhibit heavy war machines like aircraft, tanks and military aid vehicles. One can get to see the North American AT-16 Harvard, P-51 Mustang, B-25 Mitchell, a presidential jet (RI 001) and the Mil Mi 4 Helicopter here.

History

Satria Mandala Museum was established in 1972 as the museum of the country's armed forces. It was the brainchild of the head of the History Branch of the Indonesian Armed Forces in 1968 to showcase the united role of the armed force in the protection and development of the country.

The military, initially, requested a section of the Presidential Palace to be developed as the museum, however, the request was denied by President Suharto. The office also suggested that they could use the Wisma Yaso building instead.

Wisma Yaso served as the home of Ratna Dewi Sari, the wife of President Sukarno. From 1972 to 1979, the building underwent renovation to transform it into a museum. In 1987, Waspada Purbawisesa, an additional museum was constructed. Satria Mandala Museum is recognized as the Cultural Property of Indonesia since 2010.