I’ve yo-yoed from blind belief to atheism. Honestly, I’ve struggled with faith for a long time. So, when he asked me if we follow any particular religion, I wasn’t sure how to answer his question. Whenever he had an opportunity, he would take a break (with our consent) to pray. Photo PointĮko, our guide, was a devout muslim. The temples are constructed in a mandala (concentric circles) arrangement, but it’s hard to observe this arrangement at ground level. Narrow doorways serve as passageways to dark, mysterious chambers. Walking amid the ruins of neatly stacked stones and discoloured stonewalled temples is an other-worldly experience. The entrance of Candi Sewu is flanked by dwarpalas or guardians - on either side. We passed lush lawns, the Buddhist Temples of Candi Bubrah and Candi Lumbung (not in pictures), and a deer park - before reaching Candi Sewu. It would have been nice to walk to the far end of the complex, but he didn’t think we had time. The evening sun turned the temples into magnificent silhouettes rising from the ground below. There doesn’t seem to be a strict dress code, but it might be thoughtful (as a discerning traveller) to carry a sarong (if you’re wearing shorts) or a scarf - as a sign of respect. Sadly, the temples aren’t functional today. The Prambanan Temple Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and conservation efforts are carried out to restore the ruins of fallen temples. The Mataram Kings kept expanding the temple complex (over 250 temples) before abandoning them in the 10th Century - when the seat of power shifted to east Java. It also explains the presence of Buddhist Temples at the far end of temple complex. Prince Rakai was married into the Sailendra Dynasty - the ruling Buddhist Kingdom in Yogyakarta. It is believed, the Prambanan Temple complex was built by Rakai Pikatan, a Hindu Prince, from the Sanjaya Dynasty (rulers of Mataram), in the 9th Century. I struggled with my notes, the dates, and gave up eventually. We spoke about the Hindu-Buddha period, Mataram-Islamic era, the Portuguese, British rule of Java, and eventually the Dutch colonists. Local folklore prevented any exploration mission before Sir Thomas Raffles (the British ruler of Java) set out to uncover the hidden archaeological gem in 1814. He laughed and said that locals always knew about Prambanan, but they never wanted to disturb the hidden temples. En route, we had time to chat with our guide who had a fantastic understanding of local and national history. It takes about 40 minutes to reach Prambanan from Yogyakarta. Harley-Davidson had sponsored a rock concert on the outer lawns of the Prambanan Temple and a special Batik banner was commissioned at the local museum. Indonesia’s eclectic foreign influence, blended with local techniques, gave birth to patterns inspired from India, China, Japan, and the Netherlands. Brown symbolised the earth: it’s where we come from and will eventually return. Historically, Batik was only worn by royalty (Jogjakarta Kings) and only earthy brown hues were used. It was hot day, but that didn’t deter our young guide from answering our questions and giving us a crash course on the ‘teckniq of Batik’. Visitors aren’t allowed to click pictures inside the main museum. A young girl, who worked at the Museum, gave us a tour of the place. We had a surprise visit to the Batik Museum. I never asked him to join us for another meal after that. On the penultimate day of our trip, Eko explained: we didn’t eat the same meal and that made it awkward for him/them to join us. Eko reluctantly joined us for lunch (whilst Supree ate separately) and it was a charade we played before every lunch. We rarely travel with private tours, but when we do, we prefer to travel with our guides (& drivers) as co-travellers and companions. We asked Eko and Supree to join us for lunch. A small cafe (between the workshop and display area) doubled as our lunch stop for the day. The Borobudur Silver Factory is run by a local businessman who apparently diversified into different verticals. The display centre has a fantastic collection of silver jewellery on sale. Visitors can observe how local artisans transform silver into intricate jewellery. Our first stop was Borobudur Silver Workshop (in Yogyakarta). Eko introduced us to Supree - our driver for the trip. Our guide, Eko, picked us from Adi Sucipto International Airport in Yogyakarta.
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