Borobudur

Borobudur, the Biggest Buddhist Temple in the Ninth Century

Who does not know Borobudur? This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in its complex. Millions of people are eager to visit this building as one of the World Wonder Heritages. It is not surprising since architecturally and functionally, as the place for Buddhists to say their prayer, Borobudur is attractive.

Borobudur was built by King Samaratungga, one of the kings of Old Mataram Kingdom, the descendant of Sailendra dynasty. Based on Kayumwungan inscription, an Indonesian named Hudaya Kandahjaya revealed that Borobudur was a place for praying that was completed to be built on 26 May 824, almost one hundred years from the time the construction was begun. The name of Borobudur, as some people say, means a mountain having terraces (budhara), while other says that Borobudur means monastery on the high place.

Borobudur is constructed as a ten-terraces building. The height before being renovated was 42 meters and 34.5 meters after the renovation because the lowest level was used as supporting base. The first six terraces are in square form, two upper terraces are in circular form, and on top of them is the terrace where Buddha statue is located facing westward. Each terrace symbolizes the stage of human life. In line with of Buddha Mahayana, anyone who intends to reach the level of Buddha's must go through each of those life stages.

The base of Borobudur, called Kamadhatu, symbolizes human being that are still bound by lust. The upper four stories are called Rupadhatu symbolizing human beings that have set themselves free from lust but are still bound to appearance and shape. On this terrace, Buddha effigies are placed in open space; while the other upper three terraces where Buddha effigies are confined in domes with wholes are called Arupadhatu, symbolizing human beings that have been free from lust, appearance and shape. The top part that is called Arupa symbolizes nirvana, where Buddha is residing.

Each terrace has beautiful relief panels showing how skillful the sculptors were. In order to understand the sequence of the stories on the relief panels, you have to walk clockwise from the entrance of the temple. The relief panels tell the legendary story of Ramayana. Besides, there are relief panels describing the condition of the society by that time; for example, relief of farmers' activity reflecting the advance of agriculture system and relief of sailing boat representing the advance of navigation in Bergotta (Semarang).

All relief panels in Borobudur temple reflect Buddha's teachings. For the reason, this temple functions as educating medium for those who want to learn Buddhism. YogYES suggests that you walk through each narrow passage in Borobudur in order for you to know the philosophy of Buddhism. Atisha, a Buddhist from India in the tenth century once visited this temple that was built 3 centuries before Angkor Wat in Cambodia and 4 centuries before the Grand Cathedrals in Europe.

Thanks to visiting Borobudur and having supply of Buddha teaching script from Serlingpa (King of Sriwijaya), Atisha was able to improve Buddha's teachings after his return to India and he built a religion institution, Vikramasila Buddhism. Later he became the leader of Vikramasila monastery and taught Tibetans of practicing Dharma. Six scripts from Serlingpa were then summarized as the core of the teaching called "The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment" or well known as Bodhipathapradipa.

A question about Borobudur that is still unanswered by far is how the condition around the temple was at the beginning of its foundation and why at the time of it's finding the temple was buried. Some hypotheses claim that Borobudur in its initial foundation was surrounded by swamps and it was buried because of Merapi explosion. It was based on Kalkutta inscription with the writing 'Amawa' that means sea of milk. The Sanskrit word was used to describe the occurrence of disaster. The sea of milk was then translated into Merapi lava. Some others say that Borobudur was buried by cold lava of Merapi Mountain.

With the existing greatness and mystery, it makes sense if many people put Borobudur in their agenda as a place worth visiting in their lives. Besides enjoying the temple, you may take a walk around the surrounding villages such as Karanganyar and Wanurejo. You can also get to the top of Kendil stone where you can enjoy Borobudur and the surrounding scenery. Please visit Borobudur temple right away...

Source : www.yogyes.com

Kekayon Museum

Kekayon Museum, Turning On the Record of Indonesian History

The video recording describing the history of Indonesian nation may be seen often, but a recording in the form of a replica accounting for Indonesian history from old time to the independence proclamation is rarely seen, moreover a recording containing the history of the puppet art from the sixth to tenth centuries. Kekayon museum presents the rare recording in the location of its foundation, around 1 kilometer of the East Ring Road.

The museum that describes the history of Indonesian nation as well as the puppet history was founded on 23 July 1990 by Soedjono Prawirohadikusumo, a specialist doctor of mentally sick people. He believed that the art of leather puppet was able to bring someone to understanding of knowledge and manners to come to maturity in the sense that one can transform his knowledge to the next generation.

Entering the yard of the museum, you begin to turn on the recording of the Indonesian history. At the left, front corner of the museum, there is a building complex of the ancient human beings describing the origin of Indonesian people. Not far from it, an Austronesia complex describes the entrance of the new civilization to Indonesia so that agriculture and trading developed, especially thanks to the arrival of Chinese people.

At the front part of the museum, there is Borobudur lion statue, symbolizing the entrance of Hindu Buddha culture in the first - seventh centuries with Borobudur temple being the top of their culture. Water tower complex with the roof forming a temple lies at the right, rear of the museum, describing the triumph of Majapahit that succeeded in uniting almost all Indonesian current areas, even up to the current Malaysia and Thailand.

The symbol of Islam civilization advancement as the next historical scene in Indonesia after the triumph of Hindu Buddha is symbolized by Kudus Tower. Meanwhile, Pancuran Bidadari complex that is located at the left, center of the museum symbolizes the influence of the Dutch nation that colonized Indonesia for 350 years. The two complexes reflect the events taking place in Indonesia in the sixteenth century.

Replica of one scene of leather puppet art development is also made, in the form of Gunungan Kartasura that is located at the left, rear of the museum, describing the completion puppet stories in the eighteenth century by an artist of Surakarta Kingdom named Yododiupro from Kakawin Ramayana to become Serat Ramayana. Baleranu Mangkubumi complex, Japan statue and Proclamation statue symbolize the scene of Indonesian history before the independence.

Entering the room of the museum consisting of 4 parts, you will see collection of various leather puppets owned by Soedjono. There is a collection of the oldest leather puppets, namely wayang purwa or the first leather puppets that were performed since the era of Kediri Kingdom. The available wayang purwa are those made from buffalo skin with and without accessories. Room 1 and 2 are the places to keep the puppet collection.

Room 3 keeps other kinds of puppet, for instance Wayang Madya that existed in Kediri-Majapahit time, telling the time after Bharatayudha war.

Besides, there are gedhog puppets telling the story of Dewi Candrakirana, klithik puppet telling Damarwulan and Minakjinggo, Dupara puppet telling the struggle of Diponegoro and Suluh puppet that tells the struggle of Indonesian people to get the independence.

What is unique is that this museum keeps Wayang Kancil telling the legendary story of a mouse deer that stole cucumber, a puppet story that was adapted to become a famous story among old and young people. There are two kinds of Wayang Golek originating from West Java, and statues of some puppet characters such as Dewi Shinta and Rahwana.

In this museum, you can match your zodiac with the characters in the puppet world and foresee your character through a poster hanging on the wall that you can read clearly. There is another poster describing the war strategies used during Brathayuda war, by both Pandawa and Kurawa, which were successfully implemented to defeat the enemy. Some of the strategies are lobster pincer and elephant strategies.

You do not have to spend much to visit this museum. The entrance ticket is IDR 3,000 and additional IDR 2,000 for guidance book. Before begin your exploration, a guide will explain to you about the history and parts of the museum. Public transportation is easy to find to reach this place.

Text: Yunanto Wiji Utomo
Photo & Artistic: Agung Sulistiono Mabruron
Copyright © 2007 YogYES.COM

Tour de Djokdja

Tour de Djokdja No. 21 / I: Arts Museum in Yogyakarta

Being a culture city, Yogyakarta becomes the growing place of various arts, from batik, painting, puppets and so on. The variants of those arts often cannot be seen directly since some of them are difficult to find. Tour de Djokdja this edition takes the theme of "Arts Museum in Yogyakarta" to invite you to explore some arts museums as the place to document the great arts works.

The exploration begins from Ullen Sentalu Museum in Kaswargan Park as the documentation room for the works by the Kingdom ladies. Then, it continues to Affandi Museum containing some works of the Indonesian painting maestro, Affandi. Finally, Tour de Djokdja invites you to Kekayon Museum presenting record of Indonesian history and Puppet Art.

Bon Voyage!

• Ullen Sentalu Museum, Reflection of the Kingdom Ladies' Beauty

Poem, batik, clothes and paintings of the ladies of Yogyakarta Kingdom, Surakarta, Mangkunegaran and Pakualaman, are all presented beautifully in Ullen Sentalu museum. A museum seemingly becomes the reflection of the kingdom ladies' beauty.

• Affandi Museum, Visiting the Palace of a Maestro

Affandi museum is all part of Affandi's life as a painting maestro. At the bank of Gajah Wong River, Affandi used to live, work, and transform his knowledge and now he lives in his eternal home there.

• Kekayon Museum, Turning On the Record of Indonesian History

A recording of Indonesian history in the form of a replica signing each scene of its development can bee seen in Kekayon Museum. Included in it is the history of the world-known puppet leather.

Source : www.yogyes.com

East Borneo

GEOGRAPHICALY
East Kalimantan is the widest province in Indonesia, broadly region is about 245237,80 Km2 or about one a half point of Java Island and Madura or 11 % from Indonesia region wide total. This province abuts on direct with neighboring state, that is Sabah and Serawak, East Malaysia.

ADMINISTRATIVE
Based on the government region, this province is divided into 4 municipal administrations, and 9 regencies and 122 Districts, 1347 villages and 191 sub-districts.
East Kalimantan Province has 13 Regencies and Cities

1. Berau Regency
2. Bulungan Regency
3. Kutai West Regency
4. Kutai Kartanegara Regency
5. Kutai East Regency
6. Malinau Regency
7. Nunukan Regency
8. Pasir Regency
9. North Penajam Paser Regency
10. Balikpapan City
11. Bontang City
12. Samarinda City
13. Tarakan City

DEMOGRAPHY
East Kalimantan Resident in 2004 amount to 2.750.369 men in 2005 East Kalimantan residents is predicted amount to 2,8 million men. It is compared to region wide, East Kalimantan Province has low density, that is mean about 11,22 men per Km2.

INVESTMENT
The main result of this province is mining products like oil, natural gas, and stone smoldered. Other sector being grow is agricultural and tourism.
East Kalimantan has some tourism objects such as;

1. Derawan Archipelago in Berau,
2. Kayan Mentarang National Park
3. Batu Lamampu Beach in Nunukan
4. The Crocodile Breeding in Balikpapan
5. The Deer Breeding in Penajam,
6. Dayak Pampang Kampong in Samarinda,
7. Amal Beach in Tarakan city

PROVINCE

• Papua
• West Papua
• North Maluku
• Maluku
• West Sulawesi
• Gorontalo
• South East Sulawesi
• South Sulawesi
• Central Sulawesi
• North Sulawesi
• East Kalimantan
• South Kalimantan
• Central Kalimantan
• West Kalimantan
• East Nusa Tenggara
• West Nusa Tenggara
• Bali
• Banten
• East Java
• DIY Yogyakarta
• Central Java
• West Java
• DKI Jakarta
• Riau Archipelago
• Bangka Belitung Archipelago
• Lampung
• South Sumatra
• Jambi
• Riau
• North Sumatra
• Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

NANGGROE ACEH DARUSSALAM

Aceh, generally anglicized as is a special territory of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Nanggröe Aceh Darussalam. Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin.

It is thought to have been in Aceh where Islam was first established in Southeast Asia. In the early seventeenth century the Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated state in the Malacca Straits region. Aceh has a history of political independence and fierce resistance to control by outsiders, including the former Dutch colonists and the Indonesian government. Aceh has substantial natural resources, including oil and gas - some estimates put Aceh gas reserves as being the largest in the world. Relative to most of Indonesia, it is a religiously conservative area.

Aceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which triggered a tsunami that devastated much of the western coast of the region, including part of the capital of Banda Aceh. 226,000 Indonesians were killed or went missing in the disaster, and approximately 500,000 were left homeless. with these casualties particularly pronounced in Aceh. This event helped trigger the peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), mediated by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, with the signing of a MoU on August 15, 2005. With the assistance of the European Union through the Aceh monitoring mission as of December 2005, the peace has held.

Source : Wikipedia

NORTH SUMATRA

North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java.

Geography and population

The province of North Sumatra stretches across the island of Sumatra between the Indian Ocean and the Strait Malacca. It borders Aceh province on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra provinces on the southeast. It has an area of 70787 km². The province contains a broad, low plain along the Strait of Malacca coast; the provincial capital, Medan, is located here. In the south and west, the land rises to the mountain range that runs the length of Sumatra; the mountains here are dominated by Lake Toba, formed from the caldera of an ancient volcano. Several large islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra are part of North Sumatra, most notably Nias, and the Batu Islands.
North Sumatra has a population of approximately 11.48 million (As of 2000 census).

Agriculture and economy

Sumatra Mandheling and Sumatra Lintong coffee beans are grown in North Sumatra and largely exported to the U.S. Mandheling is named after the similarly spelt Mandailing people located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The name is the result of a misunderstanding by the first foreign purchaser of the variety, and no coffee is actually produced in the "Mandailing region". Lintong on the other hand, is named after the Lintong district, also located in North Sumatra.

Source : Wikipedia