Metakaruna in Semarang: Central Java, Indonesia

Andre Pratama pulled up in front of the headquarters of the 4th military regional command of Diponegoro on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Semarang, last week when, on his way from Solo to Jakarta, he decided to take a brief rest after noting an imposing building on the right side of the road about five kilometers before entering Semarang.

He saw, right across from the military headquarters, a tall building, each floor of which had a horse saddle-shaped roof and a lot of statues. Andre and his family left the car just to have a look at the building, whose colors and unique shape caught their attention.

This building is called Avalokitesvara or the Metakaruna Pagoda. As meta, a Pali word means love and karuna, another Pali word, means affection, metakaruna is usually understood to mean loving kindness. So, it is a seven-story pagoda of loving kindness, located in the same compound as Buddhagaya Temple in Watugong. This 45-meter pagoda looms high in the vicinity.

“It is really beautiful. I did not realize that there was a pagoda in Semarang until the building was completed. In fact, I often pass this road,” said Andre, 45, a resident of Solo.

This pagoda is a new landmark for Semarang, after the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Gedung Batu, Simongan, Semarang, the renovation of which was completed in 2005.

In fact, there are several other places of worship that may lure visitors to Semarang. The oldest is Blenduk Church of Emmanuel in Kota Lama, then the Grand Mosque of Semarang, the Sam Poo Kong Temple, Tay Kak Sie Temple and the Semarang Cathedral.

Chairman of the committee for the pagoda construction, Po Soen Kok, said that the pagoda construction began in August 2005 and that some Rp 1 billion had been spent on its construction.

“The construction was planned to be completed in eight months but in fact we needed two more months because many of the building materials and the statues had to be imported directly from China,” he said.

The pagoda, which is open to the public, is actually a special place for those wishing to worship and make a prayer to Kwan Im Poo Sat or the Goddess of Mercy (Kuan Yin).

Well, what is special about this pagoda?

The first impression for a visitor is that it is just like a Buddhist pagoda moved here directly from China. The Chinese ornaments, relief decorations and statues are all imported from China. That is why it looks so unique and attractive in Semarang. In fact, it is home to some 30 beautiful statues.

The highest level of the pagoda is home to four statues of Amitaba or the deities and great masters of the Buddhists. At the very top of the pagoda, you can find a statue of the Buddha, a bodhi tree and a place of worship.
The base of the building is octagonal in shape and measures 15 meters by 15 meters. From the second level up to the sixth you can find the statues of the Goddess of Mercy Kwan Im Poo Sat facing all directions: west, east, north and south. On the first level, you can find four different statues of the Goddess of Mercy. This pagoda has a total of 25 statues of the Goddess of Mercy.

“The statues of the Goddess of Mercy face all the directions so that she can always spread loving kindness in all directions and maintain peace among the residents of Semarang,” said chairman of Watugong Budhagaya Temple Foundation, Halim Wijaya.

A statue of the Goddess of Mercy carrying a lotus flower, for example, is intended for those making a prayer to this goddess in order to find a life-partner. Meanwhile, visitors wishing to have a daughter, for example, will pray to the statue of the Goddess of Mercy carrying a girl. The Goddess of Mercy carrying a boy is for those wishing to have a son. There is also a special statue of the Goddess of Mercy for those wishing to live a long life.

On the first level of the pagoda, there is a big statue of the Goddess of Mercy measuring 5.10 meters in height facing Semarang city. It is placed there so that Semarang residents can be protected against disasters. Then there is another giant statue of Commander We Do, the guardian of the pagoda and the protector of people’s safety.

Why does the pagoda have seven levels?

Level seven is believed to be the highest level of holiness that can be attained by a monk. The pagoda is 45 meters high, a symbol of the achievement of the highest level of material life.

For the Chinese, Halim said, 45 is an auspicious number because when you put together 4 and 5 you get 9, the highest number and therefore the symbol of good fortune and the highest achievement. “That’s why many Chinese businessmen like the figure 9 very much. For this reason, many car plate numbers or cellular telephone numbers end with this figure,” he added.

As it is very high, the pagoda looks narrow. Still, the building has been designed to be earthquake-resistant. Therefore, this pagoda, which was inaugurated on July 14, 2006 by Central Java Deputy Governor Ali Mufiz is safe to visit.

Visitors coming to this pagoda can admire the stone staircase in the shape of nine dragons, the dragon lamps, the dragon pool, the dragon fountain and even the statues of a phoenix and a Chinese mythological animal that looks like a lion. All the stone has been imported from Fujian province while the copper from Tung Guan, China.

Po Soen Kok added that the building of this pagoda, the most imposing to date in Indonesia, is expected to unify people of various faiths to achieve religious harmony.

“It is a religious teaching that can create interfaith harmony. In turn, religious harmony will lead to lasting peace in Indonesia and in the world,” he noted.

Po also expressed the hope that this pagoda would become a tourist site, just like Borobudur Temple. Those wishing to pray there or just look around are free to come and go. However, there is one place that the public are barred from entering, that is Kuti, which is where the Buddhist monks sleep. Buddhist monks are Buddha’s disciples so not everyone is free to enter their abode.

It is very likely that this pagoda will become a tourist site especially because Sangha Therawada Indonesia, one of the main Buddhist groups in Indonesia are planning to observe four holy days there.

The first holy day is Maghapuja, which is observed in March. About 1,250 Buddhist monks will gather to pray to Lord Buddha. Then Waisak in May, which is always observed on a full moon. When observing Waisak, Buddhists observe the birth of Buddha, His achievement of perfect enlightenment and His demise or His going to Nirvana.

The third holy day is Ashada, which is observed in July. On this day, Buddhists observe the first day Buddha taught his five disciples after he achieved enlightenment.

The fourth holy day is Khatina in October. Actually, the Khatina is originally observed during winter, when Buddhist monks perform wasa or live in the temple for two or three months. During their wasa Buddhist monks stay in the temple to meditate and study Buddhist teachings.

Besides these four Buddhist rites, there are also three other rites to be observed in this pagoda (all in the Chinese lunar calendar): 19th of the second month, which is the birthday of the Goddess of Mercy, 19th of the sixth month, which is the day when the Goddess of Mercy achieved enlightenment, and 19th of the ninth month, which is the day when the Goddess of Mercy went to Nirvana.

Central Java Governor Mardiyanto in his written address in the ceremony marking the inauguration of this pagoda stressed that the pagoda, the first in Indonesia, was expected, along with the Borobudur Temple, to be able to unify all Buddhist sects in Indonesia.

“The fact that there are 30 Buddhist sects in Central Java may cause differences although all these sects are based on Buddhism,” he noted.

Suherdjoko

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indonesian art:wayang kulit

Puppets range from 10 to 30 inches high (25 to 75 cm). A basic village set has over 100. There are up to 500 in a palace set. Important characters are represented by several different versions in a set.

Hide is scraped thin to make it even, then cured so it will not warp. The best puppets are made from young female water buffalo parchment and the curing can take up to ten years. Village puppets use thicker water buffalo or goat hide, sometimes sticks and rice straw or even cardboard or scrap metal.

The puppet maker, using a template as a guide, scratches the outline and guide lines for details into the hide. He cuts the body free plus separate pieces for the arms. The details are punched with a wooden mallet and sets of metal punches and chisels. In a fine puppet, this takes weeks.

Figure 1: Unpainted puppet shows the finely punched detail in her stylized clothes and the graceful curve of the horn handle. She may represent Srikandi, one of the wives of Arjuna. Her dodot skirt train hangs to the side in the Jogjakarta style.

Puppets are fitted with long polished buffalo (kebu) horn or bamboo stick handles. The leather arms are hinged at the shoulders and elbows with metal, bone or bamboo studs, then fitted with sticks for the dalang to move. Expensive puppets made for display even have gold studs set with diamonds.

Better puppets are painted with traditional pigments including powdered burnt bone for white, lampblack, indigo, yellow ochre and cinnabar mixed in fish glue or egg tempera mediums and accented with gold leaf. Cheaper puppets are finished with store paint and gilt. Children often do the painting and the inked details so they will learn the different characters. Some characters are partially identified by their color: Vishnu is black; Siva has a gold face. Red shows a fiery temperament, white represents innocence or youth.

The puppet characters range between alus (extremely refined) and kasar (rough and crude). Refined, virtuous characters have small bodies, slitted oval eyes with pupils like rice grains, pointed noses and a modest downward gaze to delicate feet. More vigorous characters look up.

Middle size characters may be strong like good kings or princely warriors. For example, this puppet of Karno, one of the hundred Kurewas princes opposing the virtuous Pandawa princes.

Figure 2: (Above) Karno is one of the "bad" princes, but has many characteristics of the princely alus style.

More aggressive characters are physically bigger. Their noses and eyes get larger and rounder. Their teeth may show in a snarl. Some large puppets represent physically strong, but virtuous characters. Characters like ogres have only one arm.

Figure 3: Dursosono, displays traits considered kasar or crude.

Shadow puppets may have came from India with traders and priests who used them to explain the Hindu religion; however, they could predate Hindu influence as all the terms are Javanese. Puppet theater was established in the royal courts by the 1st century A.D. The first documentary evidence appears in the 11th - 13th centuries.

The highly stylized form of Javanese puppets is usually considered to be Islamic, but a similar style also appears on earlier Hindu carvings at Candi Panataran. Balinese shadow puppets are more naturalistic.

Besides the characters of humans and gods, there are puppets of birds, all kinds of domestic and wild animals like elephants, tigers and horses, even sets of weapons. Some puppets like the Batara Buru, equated with Siva standing on a bull, are powerful and seldom seen. Every set must have one, but it is kept in a special bag to protect it.

The puppets are always evolving, especially the clowns who sometimes ride motorbikes and smoke. The most important clowns are the Panakawan, who may represent pre-Hindu, Javanese guardian spirits. They do not appear in the Indian versions of the Ramayana or the Mahabharata, but are among the more important characters in the Javanese versions.

They act as advisors and supporters of the aristocracy in the puppet plays, but they represent the village and also the spirit of the land itself. They are buffoons and jesters, sensual and erotic, yet they are also the voice of common sense. Semar, the leader and most beloved of the Panakawan clowns, is sometimes referred to as a grand dalang, who mediates between the commoners and the gods.

Figure 4: Semar personifies the undivided whole of common and divine. He displays a broad range of behaviors and traits, some male, some female, some clowning or coarse, some wise. He upholds what is right for the long term well-being of all of Javanese society.

Wayang kulit puppets are produced in workshops. The palaces (kratons) employ groups of highly skilled artisans. A village has a family that makes puppets for local use. Extended families produce puppets to sell.

A puppet maker we knew in Jogjakarta had been a dalang before WWII. After the war, he had nothing left except some clothes. He took his long trousers, cut them into bookmarks, painted them with the most popular of the wayang characters and sold them in the markets.

From this new beginning, he gradually worked up to a sprawling puppet workshop with dozens of rooms that spilled down the hillside to the river. Every little courtyard, even the pathways, were crammed with his relatives and other workers producing puppets. The top floors had large, airy performance rooms with puppet screens and gamelons. The street level had showrooms selling thousands of puppets of all kinds from the most expensive custom orders to tourist souvenir bookmarks.

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Es Cendol Recipe

SUBSTANCE :

30 sheet of leaf suji (Pleomele angustifolia n.e.brown), boxed with together
5 sheet of leaf [of] screw pine till become 150 ml irrigate the leaf suji
2 green colour drip
100 gram hunkue
1 Tbs of whitewash sirih (Piper betle L.)
1 / 2 tsp salt
2 sheet of screw pine leaf (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.)
Ice water to soak

COCONUT MINK GRAVY :
1 litre [of] coconut milk from 1 coconut item
1 tsp salt
2 sheet of screw pine leaf

SYRUP SUBSTANCE :
300 gram demerara sugar (In Indonesia calling red sugar), fine foothed comb
300 ml water
2 sheet of screw pine leaf
10 eye fruit-tree (Artocarpus Integrifolia), cut to pieces

WAY OF MAKING :

1. Swirl the water, water the leaf suji, green colour drip, hunkue, whitewash sirih, and salt. Braise [is] at the same time poked at jell and to explode.
2. Including into printing; mould cendol. Depress the dough till fall into water contain the ice water.
3. Braise the substance of gravy [of] coconut milk [is] at the same time swirled till boil, lift [is] then made cool.
4. Braise the syrup substance jell, lift then filter.
5. Present the cendol with the sugar and coconut mink gravy. Spreading matured cutting a fruit-tree.

To 5 portion

Tips :

1. Let the cendol remain to be underwater before served.
2. Mingle the other cendol substance and so will be presented.

Source : Beginning Special, Magazine Sedap Sekejap, Edition 3/I/2001

Jalan Polowijan, Yogyakarta, Central Java

Getting around Yogyakarta is easy and cheap. Becaks are the best way. The young fellow was curious as to why I was taking his foto. On Jalan Polowijan is located Pasar Ngasem - the infamous Bird Market.

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gado Gado Recipe

View Photos (1) Image © 2003 Habeeb Salloum

Serves 8 to 10

1/2 pound extra hard tofu, diced in 1/2 inch cubes, then slightly fried in a little oil until they begin to brown
2 cups very paper-thin sliced or grated carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 cups snow peas
1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts, washed
1 medium boiled potato, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
lettuce leaves
Sprigs of watercress
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Sambal Kacang - Peanut Sauce (see recipe above)

In a mixing bowl, gently combine all vegetables, except lettuce, watercress and eggs, then set aside. Arrange the lettuce and watercress around the edge of a serving platter, then place the mixing bowl contents in middle of platter. Spread egg slices on top of the mixed vegetables, then cover salad with Sambal Kacang peanut sauce or serve with each diner adding sauce to taste.

Note: If desired, the mixing bowl contents can be stir-fried, then the remaining procedures followed.

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Nasi Kuning Recipe

Image © 2003 Habeeb Salloum

Serves 10 to 12

3 cups rice, rinsed
3 cups coconut milk
2 cups water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh lemon grass
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon, ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter

Place all ingredients, except butter, in a saucepan, then bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat or until all liquid has been absorbed, stirring a few times. Turn off heat and cover, then allow to stand for 20 minutes. Add butter and fluff, then place on a platter and serve hot.

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Perkedel Recipe

Perkedel - Meat and Potato Patties.

The Indonesian cuisine is a rich and complex blend of many cultures. Chinese, Indian, Arab, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and British influences have influenced the development of the country's present-day foods. Above all, the cooking of South East Asia has had a profound impact on the cuisine of the country. In the larger cities of the Indonesian Archipelago one can enjoy the chili peppers, peanut sauces and stewed curries of Thailand; the lemon grass and fish sauce of Vietnam; the intricate spice combinations of India and the endless foods which are a combination of these dishes. This culinary world of succulent delights reaches its epitome in the Rijsttafel - the crown jewel of the Indonesian kitchen.

Indonesia, the fourth-most populous nation in the world, consists of some 13,000 islands which stretch from the island of Sumatra in the east to Australia in the east. For many centuries, the Indonesian islands have been renowned as the center of a rich international trade, especially in spices. For hundreds of years, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg, and black pepper drew traders from India, China, Africa, and the Arab world. Later, European explorers and colonists from the Netherlands, Portugal, and England came seeking these spices and stayed on to colonize the land.

By the end of the 16th century, European colonial conquests had left the Archipelago a collection of weak, disconnected fiefdoms, which were conquered by the Dutch within the next two centuries. Modern Indonesia only came into being after the Second World War.

An exotic nation, the country offers beautiful landscapes, a variety of natural wonders, ancient cultures, a fascinating mixture of people, and delectable local cuisines, reflecting the country's complex cultural history. A combination of many different influences, its world of cooking is somewhat different in the various regions and provinces - the most famous being the Javanese and Sumatran dishes.

Indonesian food, with its distinctive taste and style of cooking and its wide selection of ingredients and spices, is considered to be one of the finest cuisines in the world. Strange as it may seem, cloves, mace and nutmeg, for hundreds of years the basis of the spice trade, are rarely employed in Indonesian culinary art. Coconut milk, used in beverages, sauces, soups and rice gives a distinctive taste to a good number of dishes. However, the fundamental spices of the country's cuisine are coriander, pepper and garlic. These are often enhanced by basil, bay leaves, cardamom, cassia, chilli, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, peanuts, saffron, scallions, shallots, soy sauce, star anise, tamarind, turmeric, shrimp paste and dried anchovies.

Some of the well known Indonesian dishes are gado-gado (vegetables with peanut sauce), nasi goreng (fried rice with meat or seafood), sambals (various types of spice relishes), sateh (grilled skewers of meat served with a peanut sauce) and soto (soup). For the ordinary people, a meal usually includes soup, salad, and a main dish which often consists of rice and dried fish. This is always accompanied by one or two sambals.

For a gourmet Indonesian meal, steamed or boiled rice is always the centrepiece. This is accompanied by numerous dishes of beef, chicken, duck, goat, all kinds of seafood and vegetables. These can be boiled, grilled or roasted, steamed, stir or deep fried, and served with several kinds of relishes and sauces.

Different areas in the Archipelago offer their own distinctive dishes. In West Sumatra, the Minangkabau region is well-known for it's Padang spicy style food of Indian origin, featuring plenty of lamb curries and hot chilli. In this region of Indonesia, restaurants usually display cooked food, prepared in the style of Padang, on some 10 different plates and bowls in a glass box at the entrance. After visitors sit down to dine, the waiter brings a plate of rice, along with a plate of each of the dishes displayed, but the diners are only charged for the food they have eaten.

Javanese dishes features delicate grilled and steamed seafood, and Bali is famous for its tasty dishes, some cooked with pork - the only part of Indonesia where visitors can find this meat. There are two excellent Balinese dishes that a traveller should not miss. Bebek betutu, a delicious duck specialty, slowly baked in banana leaves together with various herbs and spices; and sateh lilit, made from minced prawns and fish. These are served with nasi kuning (yellow rice).

The Dutch ruled Indonesia, once the richest agricultural region in the world for 320 years. The Moluccas, a part of the Indonesian archipelago, were the original Spice Islands, suppling the entire world with black pepper, nutmeg, mace and cloves. These centuries of Dutch rule left an indelible mark on the country's cuisine.

They are responsible for the Rijsttafel (rice table) which originated with Dutch plantation owners who liked to sample selectively from Indonesian cuisine. It became a kind of tradition, and the Dutch because of their fondness for Rijsttafel, introduced it into the Netherlands. Today, in both Holland and Indonesia, the Rijsttafel is a real culinary pleasure.

Called a forerunner of the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, Rijsttafels, at times featuring more than a 100 dishes, are a great way to sample numerous Indonesian dishes in one meal.

From among the many dishes served are nasi kuning; loempia (egg rolls); sateh; perkedel (meatballs); sateh lilit; gado-gado; daging smoor (beef with soy sauce); babi ketjap (meat in soy sauce); kroepoek (shrimp toast), serundeng (fried coconut); roedjak manis (fruit in sweet sauce); and pisang goreng (fried banana); along with a number of sauces.

Rijsttafel is eaten by first placing a little of the hot rice in a soup bowl, then surrounding it with a little of the side dishes, as well as a small quantity of sambal on the edge of the plate to season the food. Each side dish has a special flavor of its own and, hence, one should not mix the side dishes with the rice because the fine taste of the side dishes will be lost.

For the uninitiated, the mini Rijsttafel, which we have prepared below, will be an exciting journey into the world of Indonesian food. For most of the recipes, I have substituted hard-to-find Indonesian ingredients with easy-to-find ingredients in most parts of the world.

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tumpeng

tumpeng,,
obne of the indonesian kuliner
originated from central java
usually used in cultural ceremony and birthday event

Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail: Yogyakarta, Central Java

There is no doubt that the beauty, glory, and magnificence of the world heritage site, Borobudur temple, is well known not just across Indonesia but also around the globe. Yet, little may be known about the surrounding areas that are no less interesting destinations and can be enjoyed while visiting Borobudur — the largest Buddhist temple in the world built around the 7th and 8th centuries, located some 60 kilometers north of Yogyakarta.

Among the human achievements are beautiful natural landscapes, the exoticness of traditional Javanese communities tending to their daily activities, and the uniqueness of traditional cuisines and rituals.

“Riding a horse-drawn cart through the traditional villages indeed offers a different experience of enjoying a visit to the temple, making it even more meaningful to visitors,” heritage activist Laretna T. Adishakti said recently.

Laretna, also called Sita, is a lecturer and researcher at Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Heritage Conservation.

Sita was in Borobudur to guide a group of visitors on the “Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail“, a special tour that incorporates cultural landscape surrounding the ancient temple.

Some 70 participants had joined the tour, which was jointly organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Jakarta, and Jogja Gallery.

The tour group comprised of journalists as well as senior and junior high school students, while the same tour was held previously for a group of senior high school teachers.

“Borobudur has been overburdened with thousands of people visiting it every year,” said Sita, underlining the importance of introducing the cultural attractions around Borobudur to the greater public.

This way, according to Sita, the surrounding communities would benefit financially from tourists visiting the heritage site, and Borobudur could be preserved at the same time.

At least five sites, including the temple, were on the tour’s agenda that day, which was conducted mostly via andong — horse-drawn carts — with three to four participants to a cart.

The other sites were the villages of Tuksongo, Tanjungsari, Karanganyar and Candirejo.

Tuksongo was on the tour program for its traditional production center of pati onggok — sago palm flour — and glass noodles.

Tanjungsari is known for its tofu production while Karanganyar is a center of traditional earthenware.

Participants gathered at the Borobudur Tourism Information Center, a kilometer to the east of the temple, where they were divided into two smaller groups so the andong caravan would not stretch out too long en route to the scheduled sites. The two groups were assigned separate trails, and the tour was off.

The first group took a route through Tuksongo, Tanjungsari, Karanganyar, and Candirejo; the other started at Karanganyar then continued through Tanjungsari and Tuksongo, to regroup at Candirejo.

A feeling of exotic nostalgia arose once tour members boarded their andong and rolled to the clopping rhythm of the horses.

The leisurely tour revealed views of traditional kampongs with shady trees — mostly fruit trees — lining the village roads, with grinning children and villagers waving or nodding their heads in greeting, and traditional houses with spacious yards.

“Hellooo!” several children cried as they ran alongside the carts as the tour passed them.

“The residents here are used to having tourists visiting their villages like this,” Yusuf, an andong driver, commented spontaneously.

Yusuf, 60, said he had frequently taken tourists to areas around Borobudur, adding that tourists were welcome to join the villagers in harvesting rice and vegetable crops, as well as pick fruits grown in private gardens.

“But you have to tell them prior to the visit so that they can arrange that for you,” he advised.

Enjoying a panoramic view of the temple atop its hill, creating a backdrop to a green expanse of rice fields as farmers tended to the harvest, adds another level of excitement for visitors on the heritage tour.

“This is truly something that we could never enjoy at the temple,” said Ratna, a journalist on the tour. “From here, the temple looks much more glorious and magnificent to me.”

At strategic points where photographic opportunities were evident, participants were indeed welcome to alight from the andong to take pictures or simply to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

“I will surely come back here later and bring my family to enjoy all of this. I might even spend a night or two here,” Ratna added.

Visitors can stay in the area at local accommodations for a night or more to further explore the surrounding area. Candirejo village, only some 3 kilometers to the south of Borobudur, has 50 or so home stays open to visitors.

Over the past four years, the village has been developed steadily into a tourist destination, and offers several different tour packages, including a cooking class on traditional cuisines and snacks.

Candirejo was also where that day’s Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail participants stopped by for a rest and lunch.

From there, the andong journey continued to Borobudur. Upon ascending the temple’s steps, tour participants were able to recognize the places they had just visited. And from the temple’s many relief panels, they were able to learn about daily life in the past, which made the visit much more meaningful.

On the return trip to Yogyakarta, this time on buses, participants were taken for a short visit to a nearby river to trace the remains of a prehistoric lake believe to have once surrounded Borobudur temple.

Geologist Helmy Murwanto of the Yogyakarta-based UPN Veteran’s University accompanied this part of the tour, explaining his recent scientific findings on the existence of the lake.

The findings and ongoing research on the lake has inspired heritage activists to design possible trails for special-interest groups, keeping in mind the benefits to local communities and heritage conservation.

“Heritage conservation is not romanticism of the past. In fact, it is for developing the future by sustaining the potentials of the past toward select development today,” Sita said.

As regards Borobudur in terms of heritage conservation, she continued, it was not just about the monument’s physical structure but also its intangible aspects, including culture, potentials and the daily life of surrounding communities.

In line with this thinking, the Borobudur Fun Heritage Trail is available to everyone who wishes to enjoy the cultural landscape of Borobudur Temple.

The five villages visited above are just a few of the tour’s attraction.

Cultural landscape heritage, or pusaka saujana as it has been popularized by local heritage activists, is defined as a mix of natural and cultural heritage within a unity of place and time.

“Unfortunately, the preservation of the cultural landscape here is not yet fully understood, regardless that Indonesia possesses one of the world’s largest mosaics of cultural landscapes,” said Sita, and that it was time for the government to start adopting the concept as part of its development policy.

Sri Wahyuni

bali from atlas

geographical maps of bali
taken from click here

maps

bali from sky,,
taken from wikimapia.org

kerupuk eating contest

kerupuk eating contest
usually held on national day, 17 of august
this game was originated from indonesia











this picture was taken from another site,
serched by google

Bajra Sandhi: Bali

Many Balinese scholars have admitted openly that the esthetic and religious philosophy of Ida Wayan Oka Granoka Gong is simply far beyond their comprehension. His verbose sentences and
esoteric vocabulary — pairing Sanskrit words, modern scientific terms and sacred mantras in one sentence — have only further confused his listeners and readers.

The late Prof. Dr. I Gusti Ngurah Bagus, one of the brightest Balinese minds of the 20th century and Granoka’s professor, once said: “I have to concede that for a layman, like myself, trying to understand Granoka’s ideas and esthetic experiments is a super-difficult thing to do.”

Born 55 years ago into a Brahmin family in Budakeling, East Bali, Granoka spent most of his childhood playing gamelan or sleeping next to the musical instruments. Soon he was nicknamed “Gong”, after one of the instruments, and was acknowledged as the child prodigy of Balinese traditional music.

In his youth, Granoka immersed himself in the philosophical and religious treatise of Siwa-Buddha, a Hindu school of thought that is heavily influenced by Mahayana Buddhism tenets.

In 1991, Granoka founded Bajra Sandhi, which on the surface looks and operates like an artistic troupe; close observation, however, has revealed that it is more than a performing arts group.

It is an esthetic and spiritual community that uses the arts as a medium to reach enlightenment. In Bajra Sandhi, Granoka trains his pupils — initially his children and later, the children of his supporters — to be experts in various forms of traditional music and dance, as well as in challenging yoga techniques.

Soon, Bajra Sandhi began presenting their unique performances of ritual art at various temple festivals. It quickly rose to fame as a model of the devotional nature of Balinese traditional arts.

“I believe that, to a large extent, the Balinese audience is astonished by the level of expertise and discipline displayed by the members of Bajra Sandhi,” cultural writer Wayan Westa said.

“The audience simply finds it amazing that these little boys and girls could play different instruments flawlessly, perform difficult yoga positions and have the energy and attention to present a three-hour performance.”

A typical Bajra Sandhi performance involves 24 musical instruments and three separate cosmic dances: the Baris Sankalpa, Barong Sandhi Reka and Legong Lalana Awaduta. The performances are always conducted on a mandala that represents sacred space and offerings.

The influence of native Mahayana texts, such as Sutasoma and Sanghyang Kamahayanikan, are quite obvious in this esthetic repertoire.

“Bajra Sandhi is a unique phenomenon. In Bali, arts are created and nurtured for purposes of either tourism or temple festivals. Bajra Sandhi creates arts solely for the purpose of personal contemplation and expression,” said Prof. Edi Sedyawati, a prominent arts scholar.

For Granoka, that personal contemplation has a single core: the enlightenment of man.

He argues that today’s civilization, “modern man”, had substituted material possessions for spiritual advancement.

“Greed has replaced purity, and the whole universe is in suffering because of that,” he said.

By introducing the purity of sound through Bajra Sandhi’s Pakarana ensemble, the purity of action through its cosmic dances, and the purity of thought through its yoga techniques, Granoka aims at gradually taking the world back onto the path of purity.

Noted philosopher Mudji Sutrisno commented: “I don’t believe that Granoka’s philosophy is difficult to comprehend. All you have to do is watch the performance with an open heart. There, you will see that these children are celebrating the purity of life.

“Granoka is a wonderful, compassionate artist who has turned the wheel of Dharma for all of us.”

– I Wayan Juniartha

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