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Published: February 20th 2012
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JAVA...Erotic Temples. Solo... (Surakarta)...65 kms NE of Yogyakarta in Central Java... known as the Capital of Batik...one of the cradles of Javanese culture...also famous for Javan dance.
It is also the home of "Jamiah Islamiah"...the radical jihadist group responsible for the Bali bombings.
As a result...Joe said...Solo was often avoided by tourists.
The bombing of a Protestant Church in Solo in September 2011...by a suicide bomber...seemingly did not assist the local tourist industry.
But 36 kms East of Solo...on the western slopes of Lawu volcano...are two temple sites that are guaranteed to take your mind off fears of terrorism...and cast your mind to another time and place...unique in Java and S-E Asia...the erotic temples Sukuh and Ceto...one like a Mayan pyramid.
Built in the 15th Century A.D...they are the last Hindu temples built in Java...before Islamist forces took over and deposed the Majapahit kingdom in the 16th Century.
Inscriptions at Candi Sukuh from 1416 to 1459...and at Candi Ceto of 1468, 1472 & 1475 give the age.
When researching for our trip...discovered Candi Sukuh...the erotic temple...and its comparison with Mayan architecture...wondering where Thor Heyerdahl had sailed the Kon-Tiki...wasn't to Java was it..?
Reminded me of primary school...sitting in the demountable library...reading the Abridged Autobiography of Percy Fawcett...his quests to find a lost Inca temple in the Amazon...found by Portuguese sailors centuries before...what probably kicked off my thirst to travel.
O.K...Sukuh is in the Itinerary...a bit out of the way...but not really...I'm the one planning our Itinerary.
At Jakarta Airport...awaiting our flight to Yogyakarta...reading the
"Jakarta Globe"...only reading it as the plane is late...thus discovering an article on Candi Ceto...its near Candi Sukuh...make sure we include that too...glad of this fortuitous find.
Our hotel in Solo...early start...no "egg chef" in the dining room...pan & burner there...not switched on...ask the woman appearing to be in charge
..."Is there some way I can have an omelette please". "No way" clearly expressed...first hotel in Java (and only one it turned out)...that did not offer omelettes for breakfast in Java.
Ahh...there is the waiter who organised last night's dinner...and melon & carrot juice...one girl to peel...one to slice...one to put through the blender...all giggling...presented with panache...enjoying the tip.
"Excuse me...you helped us last night...Is there any chance I could order an omelette..? "No problem...of course I can organise that for you Sir"
Den & I sitting there sipping Javan coffee...most tables occupied...as a line of uniformed trainee girls...like a line of ducklings...carrying eggs...butter...diced onion, tomato, mushroom...one as egg chef...me watching the body language of the woman in charge and my new friend.
"Here you are Sir...enjoy your breakfast". Items packed up...burner off...girls filing out...you are kidding me...I am the only one getting omelette today...my new friend smiling his compliments.
Shake his hand as we leave...feeling the woman's aura at my side...
inner satisfaction...the joy of travelling...often little things.
We drove through dense traffic to exit Solo...pivotal observations that affected our destinations later in the trip...our preference to avoid cities..!
Through lush rice paddies...everywhere in Java...and into the highlands...vegetable terraces...then patchwork fields of glistening tea bushes...in eternal rows...caressing the slopes and bends as we zig-zagged up Lawu...female pickers...headscarves of every colour...mopeds breaking the silence.
Ceto (Cetho) first...1,400 m up...14 terraces...climbing the mountain slope...most accessed through narrow stone gates...vertical inner edge...spiny carved exterior...all in a line...facing West.
About the third level...up steps...through the narrow gate...faced by a mozaic on the ground...with a central massive lingga (phallus)...lying on the ground pointing at us...with a flat tortoise altar...vehicle for the gods...the sun...and a
giant bat...slabs of ancient carvings of 15th century life.
Various wooden thatched roofed altars on other levels...stone deities of
"Bima the blacksmith"...revered in Javanese Hinduism...using power from
"the god of fire"...and on one altar...a vertial lingga...splattered with wax...incence remains and burning.
Joe puts on a dance show in a gate...others gathering...photo opportunity...French couple joining us...Joe explaining...in French of course...a man of many talents.
Near the top...a flat topped, square, stone building...wrapped in the Indonesian flag...supposed to also be unique in Java...shape not memorable.
Out a side stone gate...up a steep track through jungley trees...another level...believed to possess supernatural powers...watch a Hindu father blessing his wife and four children in front of a fancy altar...Den keeping watching youngsters quiet...in respect to this time of prayer.
Now for Sukuh...500 metres below Ceto...5 kms by zig-zag road...in a neat village called Berjo...on the side of Lawu...views to forever.
I had expected it to be in a jungle clearing...with fig trees & snaking tree roots...but with most places you visit...the reality is a surprise.
Greeted by a smiling cop...waving to a passing police car...as he poses for me...and the most elegant willowy Javanese man...dressed to the nines.
Sukuh...only three terraces, compared to Ceto's 14...stone entry gate...up steep steps...second level...like an ante lawn...up several steps...voila Sukuh...flat topped pyramid...comparison to Mayan unmistakable.
In days past this first sight would have been even more memorable...for anthropologal reasons of course...as there used to be a 1.82m (6 ft) lingga on top of the pyramid...now in Jakarta Museum...making the erotic nature of this temple unambiguous.
That lingga carries an inscription:
"the sign of masculinity is the essence of the World."
Javan tradition is that men & women are equal...obvious as we dance through this exotic isle...so this inscription must be read in a 15th Century context...possibly a declaration of power of an empire under attack.
And in the grounds...Javan participants in a special celebration...for the blessing of the kriss...the knife a symbol of kingship...and of Bima the blacksmith and kriss maker.
Sukuh's temple carvings portray themes of
"life before birth and sexual education"...including what would be regarded as explicit in uneducated circles...phew...educational...time to be educated.
Line of carved animals in order of size...to bullock and elephant...slabs of exquisite bas-reliefs of 15th Century village life...palm trees...housing styles...Hindu but very Javanese...lining the perimeter.
Ganesha to our right...elephant ears...unfortunately headless...flat tortoise altars...some sensational bas-reliefs of single
or numerous stones...and carved stone genitalia said to be unique in Java...or anywhere probably.
Climb the steep central stairs of Sukuh...disappear inside...then emerge on the roof...enjoying the expansive views...a basket of flower petals...a tiny altar...still warm.
Emerging from the stairs...a beautiful women with three men in tow...part of the celebration group...distinctive apparel.
Lighting candles...then incence...held by the woman...blessing the kriss...unperturbed by our presence...quite surreal.
Exiting the site...invited to join them for a feast...blessed food...interesting but an aquired taste...more than happy to pose for portraits.
Long drive to Yogyakarta...lunch at an elaborately carved warung in picturesque fields...unbelievably spicy...driving through the mountains...very lush...signs of habitation everywhere...occasional Hindu temple...stones black and grimey.
Then it rained...not just rain...the heaviest we had seen in Java...water bucketting off rooves into ditch drains...roads like massive puddles...others like brown rivers...us planing through...spray flying...mopeds...some riders dressed for wet weather...others not.
I love travelling...love the groove...the surprises...the people we meet...sharing a moment.
Tonight the Ramayana Ballet at Prambanan...tomorrow...train to Surabaya...then Bromo...step by step...enjoying Java...you truly are a revelation.
Relax & Enjoy,
Dancing Dave
***WARNING...Some images in this blog may require parental discretion if you do not want children to view them...they are presented as stone art from a unique location...the erotic temples of Java.***
****Scroll to the base of the page and left click "Next" for further pages of photos****
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Snap Shot Stacey
Snap Shot Stacey
Portraits
I love your portrait photo's! They're quite natural. How did you get people to be comfortable in them when they knew you were taking the pic? Did you ask first?