Archive for July 31st, 2006
A number of possible routes lead from Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo) to East Java. The fastest and busiest follows the course of the Solo River, through Sragen and on to Ngawi, passing to the north of Mt Lawu. A southern route from Solo skirts the south side of the mountain and leads to Ponorogo. A third possibility, but only for strong motors, is the scenic mountain pass, which winds up through Tawangmangu and crosses the border at Cemara Sewu. From here the road descends to the picturesque lake resort of Sarangan and continues to Magetan and Madiun.
We chose the fourth possibility, the southern route from Yogyakarta, which passes through Wonosari and across the arid region of Gunung kidul (the southern mountains). The border crossing is at Donorejo, a village famous for its agate cutting tradition. Stone working and polishing is a popular home industry here, since the raw material is in plentiful supply. Large lumps of unworked agate, quartz and other semiprecious stone can be seen on display outside the numerous small production centres. The exact age of this craft is impossible to determine, but there is good reason to believe that it stretches back for millennia. Stone tools along with other evidence of human settlement dating from at least 10,000 B.C. have been discovered in the nearby coastal district of Pacitan, suggesting that the craftsmen of Donorejo may possess one of the longest continuous artistic traditions known to mankind.
Besides agate cutting, Donorejo is also well known as one of the last surviving centres for an ancient form of the wayang theatre. Wayang beber is related to the popular wayang kulit, or Javanese shadow play. Instead of using the flat,
leather puppets, however, the dalang, or puppetmaster, narrates a wayang story painted on a long scroll, rather like reading a comic strip. The scroll is unrolled slowly, one scene at a time. Characters and events gradually come into view on the right hand side of the picture, while the ‘past’ is rolled up on the left. The dalang sings the narrative and plays the part of each character.As a living art, wayang beber has all but vanished today, proficient dalang being probably a rarer species than the Javanese tiger. Some ancient scrolls, however, may still be seen at Donorejo. Considered sacred, they may only be opened at certain times, following the performance of a special ritual.Before descending to Pacitan Bay, where we were to spend the night, we stopped to visit Tabuhan Cave, where for a small fee guides displayed their musical talents, using the natural stalagmites as instruments, producing strange, unearthly melodies, not unlike the music of the gamelan.
sources : www.eastjava.com
July 31st, 2006
Anyone travelling on a clear day across the narrow strait separating East Java and Bali will almost certainly be impressed by the two towering mountain peaks dominating the Javanese horizon. These are the summits of Mt Merapi and the crater rim of Ijen, just two points lying on the edge of a vast caldera, which at its widest point is some 20 km in diameter.
The Ijen plateau lies in the centre of the Ijen Merapi-Maelang Reserve, which extends over much of the mountainous region directly west of Banyuwangi and borders on the Baluran National Park in the north east. As at Bromo, the caldera is best viewed from the air.
Fortunately, almost all commercial flights operating between Denpasar and Surabaya, Yogyakarta or Jakarta usually fly, if not directly over, then close by the Ijen plateau, where the seemingly luminous blue/green crater lake forms an unmistakeable landmark. The lake lies at the far eastern end of the plateau and is without doubt among the most impressive of East Java’s natural wonders. Despite the long and arduous journey along punishing roads (a four wheel drive vehicle is essential), the trip to Ijen is more than worth the effort and is sure to prove an unforgettable experience for anyone who makes it to the end of the trail.
Kawah (crater) Ijen can be reached from either the east or the west. The latter is the more popular approach, since the climb from the road’s end to the edge of the lake is only one and a half hours. The road from Banyuwangi, on the other hand, involves a six to seven hour trek from the village of Licin. The western route starts from Wonosari, a few kilometres outside Bondowoso, the town famous for its bull fights. A narrow road, full of potholes, runs east and up from Wonosari, rapidly deteriorating into bone shaking loose rock and gravel. Seemingly endless hairpin bends ascend into forests of casuarina (cemara) trees, giving way to pine forests and coffee plantations. The temperature drops. At night, near the crater rim, it can fall to about 5 degrees celsius. The road ends at Jampit, where very basic shelter is available. It is also possible to sleep in the old vulcanology station further up the hill, now used by sulphur collectors, but permission must be obtained in advance.
July 31st, 2006
Day 1 We left Ketapang shortly after sunrise. The weather was perfectly clear and the summit of Mt Merapi stood out sharply against the blue sky. To the west, in the distance, the jagged crater rim of Mt Raung was visible.
Our destination was Sadengan, a wildlife reserve about one and a half hour’s drive to the south. Sadengan itself covers just a small part of the 60,000 hectare South Banyuwangi National Park, located on the Blambangan Peninsula in the extreme south east of the island. This is perhaps the best place to observe the banteng, or Javanese wild ox (bos Javanicus L.). Banteng resemble domestic cattle generally but are somewhat larger in size. The males are dark brown, almost black, while females are yellowish brown in colour. Both have a large and distinctive white patch on the rump. In East Java today, the only places where they are still found in any significant numbers are in the reserves at South Banyuwangi and at Baluran in the north east of the province.
Aside from the banteng, the peninsular abounds in various species of native fauna. There are jungle fowl (ayam hutan), macaques, leaf monkeys, leopards, wild pigs, as well as two species of deer, the rusa (cervus timorensis L. ) and the muncak, or barking deer (muntiacus muncak L. ). Here, too, is one of the last places in Java supporting numbers of wild dogs (cuon alpinus L. ). Known locally as asu ajak, or ajag, these animals are related to the Indian dhole. Hunting in large packs, they live primarily on muncak and wild pig, though they are not averse to killing the odd sea turtle, many of which come to lay their eggs at night on the surrounding beaches.
Our first stop was at Banyuwangi, which is far eastern Java’s principal town. It lies just 8 km south of Ketapang, the small fishing village and port which services the arrival and departure of ferries travelling to and fro across the Bali Strait.
A legend recounts how the town of Banyuwangi got its name. Based on a traditional Javanese poem, or kidung, which was probably composed sometime during the 14th century, the story is about the ill fated lovers Sidapaksha and his beautiful wife Sri Tanjung. One version from Banyuwangi goes something like this: Sidapak she, a nobleman in the service of the king of Sindureja, married a woman of lower caste named Sri Tanjung. The union, however, was unacceptable to Sidapaksha’s mother, who felt that her son had married beneath him. In order to destroy the relationship, therefore, she arranged with the king to have Sidapaksha sent away on a long and difficult mission to Mt Ijen. His task was to search for a legendary flower, possession of which would grant eternal youth to its owner. Sidapaksha was to bring back the flower and present it to the queen. Sadly but dutifully the young man obeyed the king’s command, knowing that he would probably be away for a long time and would thus be unable to witness the birth of his first child.
sources : www.eastjava.com
July 31st, 2006
Just about the only buildings remaining from the Hindu/Javanese period are the sacred shrines and bathing places, known as candi. These were built to last, whereas most other structures were made from perishable materials, such as wood or bamboo. Most of the shrines which are found scattered throughout the central part of East Java were monuments to past leaders, heroes and their families.
According to the prevailing custom, when a king or important royal personage died, funeral ceremonies were carried out, the ashes of the deceased being scattered in the ocean or river, after which a temple was built to house an ‘ideal portrait statue’, usually an image of a god or the Buddha, whom the departed leader had represented on earth. Thus Airlangga was portrayed as Vishnu, Kertanagara as Shiva/Buddha and so on.The temples themselves were often very finely decorated with relief carvings, telling well known stories, usually based on Hindu or Buddhist legend. Javanese architecture from the period was exceptionally refined; as an eminent scholar once remarked, ‘the Javanese took the best from India and improved on it’.
While the historical periods of Central and East Java overlap, there are some quite distinct differences between the two artistic styles, which tended to grow further apart as time went on. Summing up, one could say that the temples of Central Java are refined, static and, ultimately, remote. In East Java everything is on a more human scale. The artistic style is more dynamic, the character more essentially ‘Javanese’, the gods approachable.
ÂÂ
At the very end of the Hindu period the temples of East Java probably looked much like those found on the island of Bali today; that is, a series of separate enclosures, with the holiest part of the temple furthest from the entrance and closest to the mountain, where the gods were believed to well.
Indonesia began to come under the influence of Hindu and Buddhist civilization during the early years of the Christian era, through direct contact with India and the south east Asian mainland. In the following centuries small Hinduized states arose in Java, the earliest known being the 5th century kingdom of Taruma, situated near present day Bogor in the western part of the island. An inscription dating from A.D. 760 mentions a kingdom of Kanyuruhan, located near the city of Malang. Discovered at Dinoyo, the inscription is believed to be connected with Candi Badut, the earliest surviving Hindu temple in East Java.
Although East Java possesses nothing to match the scale of the enormous monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan, near Yogyakarta, the province is exceedingly rich in temple remains; what it lacks in size, it makes up for in strength and quality of artistic style. Furthermore, whereas the active period of temple construction in Central Java lasted for little more than 200 years, the building of Hindu/ Buddhist monuments continued in East Java until the 15th century.
Aside from Candi Badut (and Candi Songgoriti at Batu), there is not much other material evidence from this early period. It is not until the 11th century, during the reign of King Airlangga, that building in stone appears to have begun again on a large scale. We have already mentioned the bathing places of Belahan and Jolotundo on Mt Penanggungan, built just before or during Airlangga’s reign. This period also saw the flowering of some of Java’s greatest classical literature, adapted from Indian epic poetry. One of the most famous and best loved stories,the Arjuna Wiwaha, can be seen carved in stone on the walls of a cave hermitage near Tulungagung. Known as Gua (cave) Selomangleng, the man made cave probably dates from the late 10th century and is similar in age and appearance to Gua Gajah at Bedulu in Bali.
sources : www.eastjava.com
July 31st, 2006
The sea crossing from East Java’s mainland to the small island of Madura takes just half an hour. A regular ferry service transports cars and passengers across the narrow strait between Surabaya’s harbour of Tanjung Perak and Kamal on Madura’s south west coast. Measuring some 160 km in length and about 40 across at its widest point, Madura supports a population of close to 2.3 million inhabitants, most of whom are farmers or fishermen.
Although the island is a part of the province of East Java, it is home to a completely separate ethnic group, which has its own language and customs. Renowned over the centuries for their sailing prowess, the Madurese are a tough, high spirited people, whose character appears well suited to the harsh climate and dry landscape.
Madura’s most famous attraction is the annual bull racing (kerapan sap)), which takes place during the dry season in August and September. These exciting and colourful tournaments consist of a race between two pairs of bulls, each team pulling a rider and sled. Following a series of heats, which take place in different parts of the island for some weeks, the highlight of the season occurs when the finals are held in Pamekasan, Madura’s capital. Recently a new bull racing stadium has been built in Bangkalan with the object of attracting more tourists to the island.
Madura is not so large and it is possible to travel the whole way round it in a couple of days. However, there is quite alot to see and more time is needed to explore even the major places of interest.
Starting at Kamal and moving along the souther coast, the first stop is the town of Sampang, nea r to which lies Camplong Beach. The best time to be here is shortly after sunrise or at dusk, when the blue sailed Madurese fishing boats (prahu are either arriving or setting off. The air is cleare at these times and from the beach there is a Good view of the mountain ranges on the mainland to the south.
Just over 30 km beyond Sampang is the capita; city of Pamekasan. There is not much for the visitor to see here unless it is bull racing season The town of Sumenep on the north eastern end of the island, while smaller than Pamekasan, is more vibrant and has some interesting historical sites as well as some good beaches nearby. The city’s old palace (kraton) and museum are worth visiting, as is the large Jamiq mosque with its green tiered roof. Above the town is the royal mausoleum called Asta Tinggi, from where there are good views of the town and coast beyond.
Sources : www.eastjava.com
July 31st, 2006
Raden Umar Said, later to become known as Sunan Muria, is usually considered to have been the son of Sunan Kalijaga. His field of operation lay chiefly in the area surrounding Mt Muria, including towns like Pati, Juwana, Kudus and Jepara. He is said to have been a loyal supporter of the kingdom of Demak and assisted in the construction of the Great Mosque. As to his character and teaching methods, Sunan Muria is reputed to have preferred moving among the lower stratum of society, often travelling far away from major towns to preach in isolated areas. His sympathy towards many elements of traditional Javanese culture, some of which, like the gamelan orchestra, he adapted and used in the course of teaching, won him both popularity and respect.
sources : www.eastjava.com
July 31st, 2006
As an historical figure, Sunan Kudus is difficult to pin down. An inscription discovered above the mihrab in the Al Aqsa Mosque in Kudus reveals that the building was founded in 956 H (A.D. 1549) by Ja’far Shodiq, who is generally identified with Sunan Kudus. The names ‘Ja’far Shodiq’ and even ‘Kudus’ itself, however, have puzzled historians, since the former was the name of an 8th century Persian Imam (Muslim spiritual leader), and Kudus (Arabic Al Quds = Holy City) was the ancient name for the city of Jerusalem. What, if any, are the connections ? Local Javanese sources state that Sunan Kudus was a man of great learning, as well as a poet and philosopher.
The son of Sunan Ngudung of Jipang, he was a great religious teacher and is said further to have commanded the forces of the kingdom of Demak, before founding the city of Kudus sometime in the mid 16th century. Sunan Kudus is believed to have died around the year A.D. 1550.
July 31st, 2006