At Sentul, 2km north of the town centre, former president Sukarno’s grave is marked by a massive black stone and an elaborate monument of columns and murals depicting his achievements. Sukarno (or Bung Karno) is widely regarded as the father of the Indonesian nation, although he was only reinstated as a national hero in 1978. Despite family requests that he be buried at his home in Bogor, Sukarno was buried in an unmarked grave next to his mother in Blitar.
His father’s grave was also moved here from Jakarta. It was only in 1978 that the lavish million-dollar monument was built and the gravesite was opened to visitors. There’s also a small museum devoted to the man, which has hundreds of historic photographs of Sukarno with heads of state, including John F Kennedy and Ho Chi Minh.
The monument has an undeniable poignancy, and thousands of Indonesian pilgrims come here each year to pay their respects. Visitors peak around Independence Day (17 August) when men and women, dressed in their best batik and jilbab, gather and chant in his honour. Sadly, as you leave, things descend abruptly into tacky consumerism as you’re directed through a seemingly never-ending maze of souvenir stalls.
A becak (bicycle rickshaw) from Blitar town centre is around 10,000Rp. Panataran-bound angkudes (yellow minibuses; 3000Rp) pass by; ask for the makam (grave).