Around the World - Part 6 - Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia

We left the island of Bali and flew to the island of Java and to the city of Yogyakarta---say jog (long o) ja karta or just Jogja.

Prambanan Temple is Hindu and was erected in the 10th century. It consisted of three main temples surrounded by many smaller ones. When first rediscovered in the 1700s, it was only about one-fourth of its original height but archeologists have reconstructed much of it using the original materials. An earthquake in 2006 did some damage and work is still progressing. We entered one small temple to see the statue of a bull and made several photos around the exteriors of other structures. As the temples are empty and/or not stabilized, we declined to enter others. After leaving that temple area, we took a tram through the park passing another temple so damaged that reconstruction is impossible. We made a photo stop at Sewu Temple, a Buddhist temple whose names means one thousand. Legend says that an Indonesian princess told a suitor she would marry him if he could erect one thousand temples in one day; he failed even with supernatural help because she tricked him and he cursed her by calling her "the one thousandth temple."

Sultan's Palace. This is the ceremonial residence of the Sultan, the 10th of the dynasty; he has no son to succeed him. Typical Indonesian architecture consisting of a series of pavilions arranged within a compound made the palace interesting. In Yogyakarta, the Sultan serves as governor and the position is hereditary and not elective.

The Water Palace erected in the 1700s consists of a series of swimming pools. A pool on one end served for the Sultan's daughters while a larger pool in the center was for Sultan's wives. An apartment with a viewing post for the Sultan stood at the end of that pool. When the Sultan chose the wife he wanted for that particular time, she and he used a private pool on the other side of the apartment. [Some young women were washing their faces in this pool because legend says those who do "will be forever young.] There was also a bed in the Sultan’s apartment.

It was 3:51 a.m. as we drove out of the hotel grounds and pitch black. We arrived on the grounds of Borobudur Temple before five o'clock. It didn't take long for us to be outfitted with sarongs and small flashlights. We waited a few minutes before beginning the walk along the paved pathway through the dimly lighted grounds. The leisurely walk brought us to the base of the temple, rising like a stone mountain in the dark; as we turned and looked toward the East, we could see dim outlines of two volcanoes on the horizon. The 9th century temple was restored by the Dutch in the early 1900s and UNESCO in the 1980s. It is divided vertically into three parts: Hell; Earth; Heaven. Hell, or the lustful life, is the bottom portion but the carvings on it are totally encased in a seven-meter-thick wall which serves as a buttress to brace the temple. Restorers think early builders thought the structure too vertical to be stable and added it soon after construction was completed. We began our climb up a tall and steep stairway. The first level was fairly easy because the steps had a regular tread and a short rise. The second portion was more difficult as the staircase narrowed and the rise of the steps was taller. The third portion was even narrower with a tall rise, but this portion had handrails. It was about 5:40 when we reached the top level and took our seats to await the sunrise. Watching the gradual lighting of the sky provided a calming experience. When the sun finally rose between the two volcanoes, it flooded the valley below with light. We enjoyed the experience and the fact that the temple wasn't overcrowded. After sunrise, we walked around the top level while our guide explained the structures and their restoration. The same happened on each of the two other levels. The double frieze on the middle level tells Buddha's life. Only a few panels on the southeastern corner of the bottom level are uncovered for viewing; the others are under the buttressing wall for protection.  

 

A mortise and tenon joint in stone.

Model of Borobudur Temple 

Candirejo Village is an insight into Javanese village life. We took a horsedrawn cart through the village, stopping first at the village hall, a three-hundred-year-old pavilion with a packed earthen floor. We saw some examples of crops: papaya; chili; pepper; corn; guava; cassava; peanuts. At a farm, we saw how the farmer had a catfish pond; cow and calf; two goats; some chickens. We did a trek down an overgrown pathway to the confluence of three rivers before getting back on the cart

We stopped to learn how they grow mushrooms in containers.

 

Passing Mendut Temple, a small structure, we stopped at Pawon Temple to see the 3 statues of Buddha inside; one shows him seated as if on a throne.

 

In the distance, we could see Merapi Volcano and began the drive toward it. We learned that the lava usually flows down the riverbeds and that the last eruption left some 3+ centimeters of ash. We began to see the damage along the roadside. Once at the final driving point, we got out and looked at the explanations of how the volcano erupted in 2006 and 2009 and of the damage and loss of life.