Alun-Alun Selatan or Kidul (Keraton South Square) is the matching pair of the North Square. The two squares are two components of Keraton that cannot be ignored. If the North Square is located north of the Keraton, then the South Square is just the opposite, located south of the Keraton. It is not too far from the Wijilan, the most known street for Gudeg in Yogyakarta.

Unlike the North Square which is usually busy during certain events, ceremonies or celebrations, the South Square is looks much more busier on daily basis. For example, you can find tens of merchants with their stalls and carts selling anything from food, beverages, toys, clothes and souvenirs starting from around 5:00 PM. The closer it gets to night, the more crowded the area gets. At around 7:00 sometimes you can even find merchants renting vehicles such as double bicycle, mini APV and mini motocross vehicle.  Just across the square, are kept 2 elephants owned by the Keraton. During riding hours, visitors may have a ride at the elephants for a cheap price. The foods and beverages, on the other hand, are mostly what people call traditional food and beverages, such as ronde, wedang, chicken opor, and many other Indonesian typical food.

Despite the busy activities of merchants and visitors, the main attraction at the South Square has nothing to do with Food, Beverages or Elephant rides. The main attraction has something to do with the two Banyan Trees standing in the middle of the square. The attraction is called Masangin. Masangin is the term used for anybody who tries to walk through the two banyan trees from a distance of 20-50 meters, BLINDFOLDED. For the attraction to take place, one must have their eyes closed using merely a square cloth or anything to cover the eyes. If you are short of a blindfold to cover your eyes, there are many merchants specifically renting blindfolds for visitors who are interested to try the Masangin.

Like mentioned before, Masangin is the activity of walking through the two Banyan Trees while blindfolded from a distance of 20-50 meters away from the trees. The attraction was actually derived from a ritual named “Topo Bisu”. The ritual is held on the night of the 1^st of Suro. During the ritual, officials of the Keraton would walk around the complex in Javanese Traditon Suit without saying anything at all (the term “Bisu” is translated as “mute” or “silent” in English). One of the area to walk through was between the two Banyan Trees at the South Square. According to Javanese myth, whoever walks across the two Banyan Trees in South Square will have their wish fulfilled and have a fortunate event and full of blessings. It is also believed that there is a Guardian Spirit between the sacred trees that have protected the Keraton Soldiers and Officials from hazard. And thus from this belief was the Masangin tradition created as the development and beliefs of society has become more advanced than before. The social development has made the sacred ritual become merely a “game” for most residents who doesn’t really recognize the true meaning of the ritual.

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