Javanese Characters

In The Palaces / Kratons of Yogya and Solo, as well as some buildings or sites with close relation to Kratons some sign written in Javanese characters can be seen. Nowadays in some parts of Central Java especially in Yogya and Solo, the street names are written with Latin and Javanese letters also the City buses "Bis Kota" It is a positive measure by local society to preserve an ancient literature heritage.
Even in the remote village of Pantaran, on the eastern slope of Mount Merbabu, the villagers are preserving the Javanese characters by writing their names in the gates in front of their houses.
The Javanese upon seeing the characters, should spontaneously remember the legend of Ajisaka of Medang Kamulan Kingdom dated back 1930 Years ago. The year of 1997 is equivalent to Saka Year 1930.

Basically there are 20 characters which is called Dentawiyanjana, namely
to be read :

There are additional "Sandangan" (Lit.) means "Clothes" with sounds :

The Javanese jokingly says that Pangkon is an effective killer - to be killed in someone lap, feeling great but dead. In this Country a new theory to govern others was born :
If you wish to defeat someone, don't use force, put him/her on your lap. He/She should unconsciously surrender with pleasure.
The Javanese letters in fact are not only used in Central and East Java, but it is also used in West Java as they call it Hanacaraka. It is a proof that in the ancient period, the people of Java, no matter where they live in the West, Central and East Java, they had one and similar culture.
Since the Javanese as well as Sundanese, (West Java) Languages are written with Latin letters, less and less people could read and write with Hanacaraka. At schools there is no intensive lessons using this letters. This situation is disappointing. Some efforts have to be taken to improve this situation, considering the facts that Hanacaraka is a part of Javanese literature, literature in Javanese is Sastra, and Sastra does not mean only literature but also knowledge. And for Javanese, knowledge does not mean only ordinary knowledge but also a knowledge of life (Kawruh).
Source :
http://www.joglosemar.co.id/hanacaraka/hanacaraka.html