Karet Bivak is a cemetery in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Indonesia. It is the second largest public graveyard in the city.

Description

Karet Bivak is located in

Central Jakarta Central Jakarta (, ), abbreviated as Jakpus, is one of the five Cities of Indonesia, administrative cities () and ''de facto'' Capital City of the Jakarta, Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 census ...

, Jakarta. It covers an area of , making it the second-largest cemetery in Jakarta. In 2007 it contained approximately 48,000 graves. The graves of poor people are located in a special block at the back of the graveyard. , the cemetery is at full capacity. To deal with the lack of graveyard space, common throughout Jakarta, families have begun using a single plot for several family members, stacking them on top of each other. Another method proposed is reassigning the 18,000 graves that have been abandoned or have had their lease run out. Maintenance is done by self-employed gravekeepers, who receive funds from the families of those interred. The gravekeepers generally do not attend to the graves of families who do not pay them. Although the cemetery is often devoid of visitors, during

Ramadhan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting ('' sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed to have been rev ...

, the cemetery is often filled with pilgrims and families visiting the dead.

History

Fighters of Indonesian Revolution buried at Karet Bivak Cemetery

In 2009 the government of Jakarta began the ''plakatisasi'' program to ensure the graves in Karet Bivak followed the rules for gravestones as outlined by a 2007 bylaw. By September 2009 the government had replaced 2,000 graves with plain gray

tombstones A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

and grassy mounds. The head of the Jakarta Parks and Cemetery Agency, Ery Basworo, noted that the program was also to improve water retention in the city and to eliminate the “spooky” perception of cemeteries. Although the government stated that families were notified, some families of those interred were not. The mass-produced new gravestones at times misspelled the names of the interred.

Notable interments

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, politician *

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, actor, comedian, and singer *

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, actor, comedian, singer, and songwriter *

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, poet * Chairul Saleh, politician *

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, wife of

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and

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* HIM Damsyik, dancer and actor *

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, diplomat and co-founder of the

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, composer * Iwan Tirta, batik fashion designer *

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, actress * Mimi Mariani, actress, model, and singer *

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, nationalist and

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, lawyer, politician, actress, and model. * Rachmawati Sukarnoputri, lawyer and politician, daughter of

Sumitro Djojohadikusumo Sumitro Djojohadikusumo (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, EVO: ''Soemitro Djojohadikoesoemo''; 27 May 19179 March 2001) was an Indonesian statesman and one of the country's most influential economists. He held ministerial positions under Presiden ...

, economist

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * * * {{Portal, Jakarta, Indonesia Cemeteries in Jakarta