The National Museum - Indonesia, located in Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, is also known as the Elephant Museum (Museum Gajah, Indonesia) because of the carved stone elephant standing on a pedestal in front of the main entrance. The statue was a gift from King Kittikatkorn I of Thailand in 1871.

The museum boasts one of the world's finest ceramic collections which includes gifts presented by Chinese merchants to the Javanese rulers. The religious art section displays statues and sculptures from Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim sites. There is also a collection of musical instruments from around Indonesia.