Molotov

January 23rd, 1968

Wonders of Indonesia - The Temple Complex of Candi Borobudur

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By Todung Siregar, Kompas Travel and History Correspondent

In a new series, our correspondent Todung Siregar travels across Indonesia, to sites of great national and international historic significance.

There are few countries as beautiful as our Indonesia - a land of tens of thousands of islands, and a hundred million citizens. From the mountains of Irian to the coasts of Aceh, from Kalimantan to Bali, we are inheritors of a history and biodiversity unique in the world. The New Order that our esteemed government has founded has thus far been focused on the threat of terrorists and subversives within our young republic.

But the protection of our archaeological and biological heritage is, thankfully, back on the agenda. Thanks to the efforts of renowned archaeologist Dr R Soekmono, the wonders of the ancient site of Candi Borobudur may be restored to their former glory. Over the past few weeks, I have been privileged to travel with the professor to the ancient Buddhist site over a thousand years old, deep in the heart of Java.

It was not an easy feat to arrive at Borobdur, but the long journey was made pleasant by the eagerness and passion of the good archaeologist. Borobdur was, he said, built by the Shailendra Dynasty around 800 AD; a great monument towering over an ancient lake bed. Once, ancient kings and pilgrims from across Asia would have travelled here. With investment, Professor Soekmono assured our group of journalists and enthusiasts, it might become as great a wonder to behold from afar as it once was. In 1965, Indonesia already applied to UNESCO for assistance in funding the restoration work.

The ancient temple complex imagined in it's heyday.

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple site in the world, and at least 1200 years old. Consisting of nine stacked platforms, topped by a central dome, the temple is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa. These reliefs show many different features - from stories of the life of the Buddha, to valuable indications of the history and heritage of the Indonesian people through history, before the arrival of Islam.

Indonesian soldiers of the Shaihendra seen on one relief; on another, the famed Indonesian weapon, the keris, is shown.


Buddhist religious iconography, displaying punishment for sins in the afterlife.

Approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Yogyakarta and 86 kilometres west of Surakarta, Borobudur is located in an elevated area between two twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi, and two rivers, the Progo and the Elo. Once known as the garden of Java, the region is incredibly fertile, and was considered sacred by the Indonesian people in prehistory. Professor Soekmono was quick to remind me of further evidence for this "sacred landscape"; the temple of Borobudur is aligned with the nearby temples of Pawon and Mendut in a straight line running east-northeast.

Fragments of Ancient Indonesia

During our journey around the breathtaking reliefs of Borobudur, I had the opportunity to see for myself many representations of our ancient past. The Indonesians who built this complex shared much in terms of blood, language, culture and way of life with modern Indonesia. A maritime people, they came to prominence through both their proud maritime traditions, and cultivation of the Kedu Plain, sparking a cultural renaissance.

Initially vassals of the Sriwijaya kingdom which ruled much of Indonesia intermittently during the period, by the 9th century, the Shailendra Dynasty who built Borobudur had in 800 AD become the rulers of that realm. They sailed from east to west, north to south, entertaining missions from China and India, and greatly advancing the settlement of the islands. Indeed, they conquered regions of Vietnam and Cambodia, bringing Indonesian civilisation to a renewed peak.

The Shailendra court, as seen on the walls of Borobudur. The king and queen sit surrounded by their subjects.

At the trading crossroads of Asia between India to the west, and China to the north, they were masterful sailors,
traders, and builders. The catastrophic Chola raids from India brought the dynasty's golden age to an end, but our inheritance owes much to their ancient glory.

An Unsteady Future

Unfortunately, as the professor points out, subsidence and decay threaten the complex as much as trophy hunters and looters. Many ancient Buddha statues have been decapitated, while the thousand-year-old drainage system is likewise in danger. "Much as Ankor Wat on the Asian mainland is a symbol of ancient pride that the world must maintain, so too must we maintain Borobudur as a symbol of Indonesia's hallowed past."

The vehicle of Indonesia's history - the seagoing trading ships of the Shailendra, shown on a relief at Borobudur.

I was saddened to leave the complex, when we did. But sources close to the government I spoke to since my return indicate a renewed appreciation of the importance of the monuments. Perhaps soon, Indonesian and world experts might cooperate on attracting visitors from across the globe to our archipelago. With the enthusiasm of Professor Soekmono, it is not an impossible task.

June 4th, 1968

Wonders of Indonesia - South West Java

This week, our travel correspondent Todung Siregar writes of another wonder of Indonesia - the Ujung Kolon National Park.

It is the wish of many Indonesians to visit some of the natural wonders of our country before they die. But, this has not always been easy. In the case of the Ujung Kulon National Park - location of the mighty volcano Krakatau - I had several times sought to visit myself, but found time off my regular work, the weather, and difficult terrain obstacles in my path. I am delighted to report, after the generous assistance of the Indonesian government and Ujung Kolon National Park Authority, that I finally succeeded in my desire. Without doubt, as I hope my report will make clear, it was beyond my wildest imagining.

Ujung Kulon (west end in Indonesian) National Park sits, as the name suggests, on the south-westernmost tip of Java. As the most populous island on earth, Java in general is an island with millions of souls and thousands of settlements. But this is a tranquil and near-untouched spot of the fifth most populous country in the world.

As a result, it provides a haven for wildlife and nature. Following decrees in the past year, the park covers not only one thousand square kilometers on the mainland, but also several islands in the Sunda Strait, such as the famous Krakatoa island group. The government has already stated it's intent to boost tourism to the area, freeing up more money for reinvestment in conservation and jobs for the locals who do still live here. But, during my own time, I saw precious little of that, beyond the foundations for several piers. It was from one of these that we sailed for perhaps the most infamous volcano in South-East Asia.

The sight of Krakatau's smoking islands was near supernatural. They were without doubt breathtaking - and it is terrifying indeed to think of the ruin and destruction the volcanic eruption caused nearly a hundred years ago. But terrible as the eruption was - with nearly forty-thousand killed - it has had another effect. Few indeed are the people who live in this remote corner of Java, surely the most populous island on earth. This allows the wildlife to flourish, and continue - even the megafauna now extinct across most of Indonesia. Over lunch, we were gifted with a sight of mangroves and lowland jungles on the shore looking much as they did thousands of years ago. I was almost disappointed to leave our offshore vantage point; little did I know that the best of the trip was yet to come, when we chanced upon one of the rarest large herbivores on the planet.

Rummaging through the undergrowth on the other side of the river from where we landed, stood evidence of why we must preserve this corner of wild Java - the Javan Rhinocerous.

Once widespread across South East Asia, the Javan rhino is attested even in the time of China’s T’ang dynasty, when Indonesia was noted for her rhino horns. During the Dutch era, rhinos were so numerous and damaging to the agricultural plantations that the coloniali government paid a bounty for every rhino killed, bagging five hundred within two years. Even today, for their horns, and due to the chaos of the Vietnam War, their numbers have plummeted on the Asian mainland. Java is their last stronghold.

Other animals too, are protected in our wild areas. The false gharial; the silver gibbon; the Javan mouse-deer; the Sumatran dhole; the Javan Leopard; and Banteng cattle, perfectly adapted to our climate, and semi-wild. All these and more are part of the government's new strategy on biodiversity. Over three days camping across the western end of the peninsula, I was fortunate to see several such animals. But as to the postcard favourite, the Javan Tiger? That shy giant, my friends, I did not see, beyond tracks approaching our camp on our last morning. But I am told that here, and in Baluran National Park, the government is working to ensure these populations survive.

All in all, dear readers, I think I shall be returning to Ujung Kulon - and I would heartily recommend it to all Kompas readers.

The above trip was kindly part-funded by the Ministry for Tourism and the Environment.