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Yogyakarta's second court, Paku Alaman (Tues, Thurs & Sun 9.30am-1.30pm; free), lies 50m to the east of the Biology Museum on the north side of Jalan Agung. As is traditional, the minor court of the city faces south as a mark of subservience to the main palace. The royal household of Paku Alam was created in 1812 by the British in a deliberate divide-and-rule tactic. The current prince, the octogenarian Paku Alam VIII, is by far the longest-reigning ruler of all Central Java's royal courts, having been in place for over sixty years. The part that is open to general view - by the southeastern corner of the courtyard - houses a motley collection of royal artefacts, including a room filled with the prince's chariots, which unfortunately appear to be permanently shrouded in dust sheets. Two kilometres east along Jalan Adisucipto, on the west bank of the Kali Gajah Wong, you'll find the Affandi Gallery (Mon-Fri & Sun 8.30am-4pm, Sat 8.30am-1pm; Rp1250). Heralded by the New Statesman in 1952 as the most important post-war painter in the world, Affandi was born in Cirebon in 1907, but spent most of his life in Yogya, in the unusual house-cum-studio that still stands on stilts above the river near the galleries. During the 1920s and 1930s Affandi developed his idiosyncratic style, preferring to apply the paint to the canvas directly from the tube, forming thick swirls of colour; many of the paintings were completed in just one hour. The galleries were built after his death in 1990 and contain over a hundred of his greatest works, including several self-portraits. One of Yogya's best museums lies 7km east of town on Jalan Raya Yogya (take a Wonosari-bound bus from the bus station for 10min; Rp300). The excellent Museum Wayang Kekayon (Wayang Museum; daily except Mon 8am-3pm; Rp1000) covers the development of puppeteering and explores the many different forms of wayang today, including some seldom-seen treasures.
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