Tales from my feet: The Jewels of Yogyakarta

Batik making (Photo/Grace M. Avanzado)
Batik making (Photo/Grace M. Avanzado)

THE island of Java in Indonesia has a not-quite-hidden secret.

Its name is Yogyakarta and it was our choice for our annual group trip.

By 4:30 a.m. on our first morning there, we were making our way to the Manohara Entrance Gate of the Borobudur Temple Complex and met Jamal, who made this tour an unforgettable experience.

A sunrise tour of this huge complex can be quite a challenge. Flashlights guide your way up a multitude of steps, of varied heights and widths. Jamal knew how to pace us, guiding us up a set of steps and then taking us on a walkabout to recover our breath before we went up again.

At the Eastern side of the temple, we were told to sit and wait. We became restless as fog blocked our view, but our guide was very confident, and how right he was! When the fog lifted, we were treated to a magnificent sunrise. A huge crowd was gathered, and yet, what made it breathtaking was the stillness surrounding us. The rising sun revealed so much beauty; before us were candy-colored clouds, a volcano in the horizon and trees that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Behind us, there was a moon that was setting and a temple unveiling itself in natural light. Borobudur is splendid because it is not just ruins you see, but also a well-maintained, intricately-carved complex with stories bouncing off its walls.

Borobudur was abandoned during the 14th century decline of the Hindu kingdoms in Java. It was rediscovered by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, in 1814. Preservation was done through restorations between 1975-1982 by the partnership of the government and the Unesco World Heritage Committee.

After lunch, we decided to attend a batik making class, visit the Pawon Temple and a Luwak Coffeeshop. I have never been drawn to batik products and always wondered why they were so expensive! After learning the tedious process of drawing the design in pencil, to mastering how to trace the lines using hot wax without dripping, to shading areas evenly, up until dye bathing, I now have so much respect for this art form.

The next day, we visited the Prambanan Temple Compound. Built in the 10th century, it is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. This complex has 508 stone temples of various shapes, sizes and states. Rediscovered in the 17th century, restoration has been done from 1918-2006 with great care. In its centre are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the famous epic of Ramayana, dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

We climbed the main temples to peer at statues of sacred deities immortalized within. From my previous experiences with temples and shrines of similar significance, we were very lucky. There was no ban on touching, sitting and even climbing these sacred stones. Such an honor it was indeed.

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