Over the Chinese New Year long-weekend, we took a trip to Yogyakarta in Indonesia. Yogyakarta is situated in the Central Java region and was the capital of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945-1949. It is considered to be the centre of classical Javanese culture, but for us, the main reason for visiting Yogyakarta was to visit two important temples - Borobudur and Prambanan. We had wanted to visited both these temples last year when we were in Bali (we were thinking of taking a day trip from Bali), but the timing didn't work out, so we decided to make a separate trip there. Both temples did not disappoint and we had a very relaxing and enjoyable trip.
Borobudur Temple
Situated about 40 kms from the centre of Yogyakarta, is Borobudur, the biggest Buddhist temple in the world. It was built in the 9th century and is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. Borobudur's name originated from the words "Boro" meaning temple or shrine from sanskrit "Byara", and "Budur" coming from the Balinese word "Beduhur" meaning above the hill. In Indonesian, ancient temples and structures are known are "Candi", so Borobudur is locally referred to as 'Candi Borbudur". Borobudur was first discovered by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1812 and at that time it was in poor condition, covered by volcanic ash, vegetation and bushes. The uncovering of the temple began and was continued by Cornelius in 1814. It was only in 1835 that the overall magnificence of the temple was revealed. From 1907-1911, Theodore Van Erp conducted the restoration of Borobudur. In 1973, the Indonesian government together with UNESCO, conducted a major restoration which took 10 years to complete. Today, Borobudur is surrounded by a 210 acre park (built during the 1973 restoration project) and is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.
The temple itself is beautiful - from a distance it has the shape of a stupa (a mound-like structure), but as you get nearer two distinct architectural styles become apparent. The upper part does indeed have the shape of a stupa (based around three round kernels), but the lower part, comprises six square platforms. Visitors are encouraged to enter the temple from the East and then to circle the temple clockwise three times. This Buddhist tradition of circumambulating is called Pradaksina and is undertaken as a sign of respect for the temple.
What makes this temple so spectacular are the 1460 reliefs on the walls (they really are magnificent and reminded us a lot of Angkor Wat) and the 504 Buddha statues scattered all around the temple. The main dome at the very top is also surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, seated inside perforated stupa. Unfortunately we didn't have direct access to the top three platforms, as this area was closed to visitors, but we were able to get a glance of the Buddhas in the perforated stupa.
Mount Merapi
Mount Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and the most recent eruption occurred on the 25th October 2010. Fortunately seismic activity had started in September already, so authorities were monitoring the situation and were able to issue evacuation warnings to over 19,000 villagers living on the slopes of the volcano. Many people left, but some decided to stay and about 350 people lost their lives. Our driver took us to the site where the volcano did the most damage and it is hard to imagine what was once there, as there is very little remaining (a sign of how powerful nature is). It is good to know that the Indonesian government has stepped in to help those that lost their homes and possessions.
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan is a Hindu Temple that was built during the 9th century. It is situated about 18 kms east of the centre of Yogyakarta and is today a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in South East Asia. Prambanan temple consists of three temples and is dedicated to Trimurti, the expression of God as the Sustainer (Vishnu), Creator (Brahma) and Destroyer (Shiva). Shiva is the tallest of all the temples (reaching a height of 47 metres) and is situated in the centre. Prambanan is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture. The reliefs of Prambanan are also beautiful and they tell the story of Ramayana (one of the great epic poems of ancient India that recounts the life of Rama, Prince of Ayodhya).
Sewu Temple
Situated 800 metres north of Prambanan, Candi Sewu is actually a Buddhist monument, though it was built by the Hindu King, Rakai Pikatan who was married to a Buddhist. The Candi Sewu (Thousand Temple) complex consists of 240 shrines situated around a central temple that is 30 metres high. The entrance way is guarded by huge stone dwarapala (temple guardians) armed with clubs. The symmetrical configuration was intended to ensure harmony in the universe. Another beautiful temple that was pretty deserted when we visited.
