Hindu and Buddhist values predate Islam’s ascendancy in Indonesia and nowhere is that more in evidence than in Java and nearby islands
Cradle of cultures
Hindu and Buddhist values predate Islam’s ascendancy in Indonesia and nowhere is that more in evidence than in Java and nearby islands
SUPARA JANCHITFAH
It seems you just can’t get enough of Indonesia; every trip there is a revelation.
Travelling there recently for the umpteenth time I was revisiting Borobudur, a ninth century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Yogyakarta, central Java, except this time it was Visakha Bucha Day.
And I was pleasantly surprised watching throngs of people in this predominantly Muslim nation casting aside their religious and cultral differences to celebrate one of the holiest days in the Buddhist calendar.
The throng of monks and pilgrims was moving in one direction - from Mendut Temple to Borobudur, a distance of 3.5kms - at easy pace. This day the US$11 admission fee to Borobudur had been waived, which partly explained the huge turnover of local as well as foreign visitors. Some of them ignored public warnings to reach out and touch the statues of Lord Buddha enshrined in the 72 stupas arranged in a circle around the monument that remained in a state of neglect until 1814 and after that, following a series of painstaking renovations, was declared a World Heritage site in 1991.
Among the visitors that day were a group from Thailand. My mind flashed back to my first visit in 1995 when Borobudur was a rather quiet sanctuary that drew few tourists. Even then I had found the locals friendly, as they we’re this time, but joining their ranks were vendors who spoke broken Thai and flogging souvenirs at exorbitant sums.
“I don’t have money, please help me by buying some,” said one of them and I duly obliged, only to find out later they were overpriced. So much for my generosity!
Seventeen kilometres from Yogyakarta is the temple Prambanan, a Hindu landmark that’s undergone extensive renovation since 1918. It too made the World Heritage list in 1991, but in 2006 the temple sustained severe damage when an earthquake hit Java. Since then it’s been under repair, although some parts are still accessible to tourists.
The twin heritage sites are reminders of the once flourishing Buddhist and Hindu cultures in Java before the ascendancy of Islam in Indonesia.
The next day we flew from Yogyakarta to Surabaya in eastern Java which I had visited before, but this trip would take me beyond its slums to Mount Bromo, an active volcano in the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park.
At the end of the 55-minute flight we hired a van from the airport and three hours later arrived at a town called Pasuruan, our final destination being the village of Tosari, our point of approach to the volcanic crater of Mt Bromo, a further 17kms adrift. There are several other ways you can reach the volcano that last erupted in 2004.
Along the way it rained and the road, narrow, snaked over mountains decked with belts of sunflowers and wild plants. By the time we hit the village it was noon and the cool air smelled fresh and clean.
This village of indigenous Tengger natives sits 2,000 metres above sea level and our hotel atop one of the hills presented a panoramic sweep of the valley clad in mist. For accommodation, it also has guesthouses. Walking to the village market we drew warm, friendly smiles and communicated with the locals using sign language.
Pushy vendors and beggars were conspicuous by their absence. We stopped at a Hindu temple and watched people praying. The presiding priest even invited us to share a meal with them. Their hospitality warmed our hearts. Later we stopped by a food vendor and had fried tofu.
We went to bed early that night as the following day we had to be up at 3am to catch sunrise over the mountain park. At that hour it’s fairly cold and some of us had to hire warm clothes from the hotel (70,000 rupiah for a jacket) before heading to Mt Penanjakan, a dormant volcano and our meeting point, in a jeep that cost us another 250,000 rupiah.
Mt Penanjakan is about 2,770 metres above sea level, surrounded by others of its kind - Bromo, Batok and Semeru. Arriving there at 4:30am we were somewhat disappointed to find others having preceded us. These early birds had taken up the best viewing spots. Not long after, we saw the first rays of the day pierce the sea of cloud hanging over the valley.
Around five o’clock we watched from a safe distance as Mt Semeru, towering 3,676 metres above sea level, sent smoke billowing into the sky from its caldera, a truly extraordinary spectacle that lasted about 30 minutes, a phenomenon, we were told, occurs every day.
Then we left Mt Penanjakan and headed for Mt Bromo. From the desert-like plains between the mountains to the foot of Mt Bromo, I took a horse ride passing a beautiful temple along the way.
Once at the foothill, you need to climb a flight of 250 cement steps to get a peek of the caldera. The higher we climbed, the stronger the stench of sulphur fumes even though I was breathing from a mask. It was so overpowering that, as I was reaching the half way point, I decided to give up.
It was noon when we left the cool climes of the park and headed back to the hustle and bustle of Surabaya, and the contrast couldn’t have been more stark.
Our next destination was Mataram, the largest town on the island of Lombok that is an hour ahead of east Java time. We flew there. I tuned my watch to local time and headed for Senggigi Beach, about 30 minutes’ drive from the airport.
Boasting several hotels and guesthouses, it is a busy beach named after a former princess who lived on the island’s west coast. Lombok is regarded a sister of Bali.
Just 45 minutes’ boat ride from the beach are two smaller islands, Gili Trawangan and Air, both famous for their hospitality and blessed with a crystal clear sea that takes on the various shades of blue and green.
I hired a horse-drawn carriage to explore Gili Trawangan and crossed paths with tourists from Japan and the UK who said the island was a paradise on earth. “It’s my refuge from work,”said a Briton, explaining that the calm atmosphere and clean sea were natural healers, while two young Japanese tourists I met there felt ” as if we own this island and being here is like a dream.”
However, restaurants and vendors on these satellite islands complained of shortage of drinking water. “For drinking water we rely on Lombok, but for other activities we have to make do with brackish water. Fresh water is a very scarce commodity,” lamented a restaurant owner.
Then I returned to Lombok hoping to explore several aspects of life of the local people. I wanted to walk the vast green paddies and study the life of farmers and compare them with their counterparts in Thailand, but the constraints of time held me back.
However, I still managed to squeeze into my itinerary the village of Ampenpan, about 45 minutes’ drive from the airport, where residents continue to maintain their traditional way of life. A majority of them still engage in small-scale fishing and sell dried fish and other fish products for a living.
At the village temple I ran into a family holding Hindu rites for their six-month-old daughter. They invited me to join them, which I gladly accepted and thanked them in return. Incredibly friendly!
If I had spare time I’d have used it to explore Lombok’s other side: waterfalls, wildlife sanctuary and rich bio-diversity. Perhaps next time.
Most of all this trip provided me with a fresh perspective on Islamic Indonesia and its tolerance for people of the Buddhist and Hindu faith where they co-exist side by side in peace and racial harmony.
MORE INFO
Thai Airways International and a number of other international airlines connect Bangkok to Jakarta and Bali.
Travelling from Java to other cities in the Indonesian archipelago you need to take domestic airlines and other local transports.
Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park can be accessed from four points: Probolinggo, Wonokitri, Ngadas and Lumajang. Most visitors come through Probolinggo, a small transit town on the Surabaya-Banyuwangi coastal route. From there, mini buses connect Cemara Lawang, a village three kilometres from Mt Bromo.
Lombok is accessible from Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Bali. A flight from Bali takes about 25 minutes. Bali and Lombok are also connected by ferries which depart every two hours either way.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/
Add comment August 15th, 2008