Our Trip In Yogyakarta (posted by Jia Jun)

Our Final Day in Yogyakarta (Day 4)

This is our fourth and last day in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.  We would be going back to Singapore tonight. Initially, the itinerary was to visit Mount Merapi but due to safety reasons, we were advised by the local authorities against it.  I think probably the volcanic activity was too active and its surroundings are quite toxic to our health.  Therefore, our updated itinerary for the day was to visit the local Aircraft Museum and to do some last minute shopping at a local market, Malioboro.

Firstly, we went to visit the Aircraft Museum. It was bustling with activities. We saw many airplanes and helicopters.  Our guide, Pak Sugee, allowed us to enter one of the helicopters and we marvelled at its 'inner beauty’.  I love being in the helicopter but it was steaming hot in there.  We perspired profusely. Some of us grumbled about the heat like an 'erupting volcano'.

Next, we went for our last minute shopping at Malioboro.  It was brimming with throngs of people.  They sold a lot of things at that market, such as jewelleries, hand-made pouches, wooden miniature cars and many more!  I went to the section where pouches were sold.  There were only five hand-made pouches left!  While I was choosing which pouches to bring home for my love ones, Felicia, a trip mate from class 5C, took 2 of them.  So, I immediately grabbed the other 3 pouches that were left.  Luckily I was fast in action, otherwise, they might be taken away by either my friends or tourists there.

In the evening, we headed to the airport to take the flight to Jakarta.  However, the flight was delayed and we needed to wait in the airport for almost an hour.  We chit-chatted with our friends and read our own storybooks while waiting.  Finally, we boarded the plane to Jakarta.  After we had reached Jakarta, we waited for yet another 45 minutes due to another flight delay.  At last, the final plane was here to fly us back to Singapore.  In the plane, I sat with Vernice and Klaudia.  We played some inflight games such as Sudoku, Bowling and Tick-Tack-Toe.  I had a good dinner on board the plane and we looked forward to going back to our hometown.

At Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3, we completed the immigration procedure smoothly, collected our luggage and boarded our school bus which brought us back to school.  I was totally exhausted.  My father came to school to fetch me home.  I was elated to see him after 4 days of absence.

It was a fruitful and educational trip!

~ Kezia Tee (P5B)

More photos of Day 4 found on FaceBook.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Purawisata - Ramayana Ballet

The Ramayana Ballet is performance that is so beautiful because it combines the various Javanese art forms such as dance, drama and gamelan music on one stage to tell the Ramayana story - a legendary epos written by Walmiki in Sanskrit language.

The Ramayana story presented in this performance is similar to that engraved on the walls of the Prambanan temple. The long and straining story is summarized in four scenes, namely the kidnapping of Shinta, Anoman's mission to Alengka, the death of Kumbakarna or Rahwana, and the meeting of Rama-Shinta.

The story begins with Prabu Janaka holding a contest to determine the would-be husband for Shinta, his daughter. The contest was won by Rama Wijaya. The scene is continued with the adventure of Rama, Shinta and Rama's younger brother named Laksamana in Dandaka forest. There, they met Rawana that was eager to possess Shinta since she was considered the reincarnation of goddess Widowati, a woman that he had been seeking for long.

In order to attract Shinta's attention, Rahwana changed one of his followers named Marica into a deer. The effort was successful when Shinta was attracted and asked Rama to chase the deer. When Rama did not return after a while, Laksmana went in search of Rama, leaving Shinta by herself within with a magic protective circle. The protection failed to keep Shinta in the place since Rahwana succeeded in kidnapping her by changing himself into Durna.

At the end of the story, Hanoman, the white, powerful monkey succeeded in taking Shinta from Rahwana. When she returned, however, Rama did not trust her anymore. He considered Shinta disgraced. In order to prove her virginity and holiness, Shinta was asked to burn herself. Shinta proved her holiness when she was not burned at all even she became more beautiful. Finally, Rama accepted her as his wife.

The students' favourite scene was the one with the fireballs stunt when Hanoman was burned fired alive. He used his burning body to set the Alengkadiraja Kingdom alight.

Prambanan Temple

We were glad to see our guide Pak Sukor again!

He showed us around and told us about Prambanan, a ninth century Hindu temple compound in Central Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). The temple compound is located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta city on the boundary between Yogyakarta and Central Java province.

The temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia, and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the towering 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple of ancient Java, and the construction of this royal temple was probably started by Rakai Pikatan as the Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty's answer to the Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty's Borobudur and Sewu temples nearby. Historians suggest that the construction of Prambanan probably was meant to mark the return of the Hindu Sanjaya Dynasty to power in Central Java after almost a century of Buddhist Sailendra Dynasty domination. Nevertheless, the construction of this massive Hindu temple signifies that the Medang court had shifted the focus of its patronage from Mahayana Buddhism to Shivaist Hinduism.

Although it was first built at the site by Rakai Pikatan, it was later expanded extensively by Balitung Maha Sambu the Sanjaya king of the Mataram Kingdom. According to the Shivagrha inscription of 856 CE, the temple was built to honor Lord Shiva and its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva). Some archaeologists propose that the statue of Shiva in the garbhagriha (central chamber) of the main temple is modelled after King Balitung, serving as a depiction of his deified self after death. The present name Prambanan, was derived from the name of Prambanan village where the temple stood, this name probably being the corrupted Javanese pronunciation of "Para Brahman" (which means "of the brahmins"), doubtless an echo its heyday when the temple was filled with great numbers of brahmins.

The temple compound was expanded by successive Mataram kings such as Daksa and Tulodong with the addition of hundreds of perwara temples around the chief temple. Prambanan served as the royal temple of the Hindu Kingdom of Mataram, with most of the state's religious ceremonies and sacrifices being conducted there. At the height of the Mataram kingdom, scholars estimate that hundreds of brahmins with their disciples lived within the outer wall of the temple compound. The urban center and the court of Mataram were located nearby, somewhere in the Prambanan Plain.

In the 930s, the court was shifted to East Java by Mpu Sindok, who established the Isyana Dynasty. While the reason for the shift remains uncertain, it was probably caused by an eruption of the volcano of Merapi located north of Prambanan, or a power struggle. That marked the beginning of the temple's decline. It was soon abandoned and began to deteriorate.

The temples themselves collapsed during a major earthquake in the 16th century. Although the temple ceased to be an important center of worship, the ruins scattered around the area were still recognizable and known to the local Javanese people in later times. The statues and the ruins become the theme and the inspiration for the Loro Jonggrang folktale. After the division of Mataram Sultanate in 1755, the temple ruins and the Opak River were used to demarcate the boundary between Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo) Sultanates.

In 1811 during Britain’s short-lived rule of the Dutch East Indies, Collin Mackenzie, a surveyor in the service of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, came upon the temples by chance. Although Sir Thomas subsequently commissioned a full survey of the ruins, they remained neglected for decades, with Dutch residents carting off sculptures as garden ornaments and native villagers using the foundation stones for construction material.

Half-hearted excavations by archaeologists in the 1880s merely facilitated looting. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918, and proper restoration only in 1930. Efforts at restoration continue to this day. The main building was completed around 1953. Since much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites, hampering restoration and since a temple can be rebuilt only if at least 75% of the original masonry is available, only the foundations of most of the smaller shrines are now visible with no plans for their reconstruction.

The whole temple complex is a model of Hindu universe according to Hindu cosmology and the layers of Loka. Just like Borobudur, Prambanan also recognize the hierarchy of the temple zones, spanned from the less holy to the holiest realms. Both the compound site plan (horizontal) or the temple structure (vertical) consists of three zones:

1. Bhurloka, the lowest realm of common mortals; humans, animals also demons. Where humans still binded by their lust, desire and unholy way of life. 
2. Bhuvarloka, the middle realm of holy people, rishis, ascetics, and lesser gods. People here began to see the light of truth.
3. Svarloka, the highest and holiest realm of gods, also known as svargaloka.

(adapted from Wikipedia)

Krebet Village - Wooden Batik

In the early 1990s, Krebet village has been the pioneer of combining classic batik pattern with wood crafts. The process of batik making can be seen and learned in other places on cloth, but making batik on wood give you different perspective of the traditional art. The process of batik making on this medium requires a lot more care since the pattern is made manually instead of printed like making batik on a printing block.

The village of wooden Batik is located in Sendangsari Village, the Sub district of Pajangan, approximately 5 km to the West of Bantul City. This tourism village produces variety of wooden batik crafts, such as batik masks, jewelry cases, wooden statue as well as puppets.  They are reasonably inexpensive and varied according to the quality and complexity of the making.

The types of wood used is also very diverse each producing different results.  Usually the wood used is a soft wood like sengon and mahogany as the results obtained better and more vivid color than those made from hardwood such as teak.

The choice of wood is partially influenced by the composition of the forests in the area so that they spend on production costs rather than on transportation of raw materials.

Batik Wood is still made using traditional methods and tools so that the results obtained is very naturalistic and very unique.  Designs are made by craftsmen usually centered around a main motive of a flower.  The designs are usually drawn on the wood using a pencil and then “Malam”, batik wax in the liquid state is used to finalise the designs where the coloured dyes would not go.  The wax is heated in a small skillet.

Once the design has been waxed on, they are brought to the person in charge of colouring.  During coloring process, the dyes and pigments should not be exposed to direct sunlight as it would cause the color to fade.

The drying process done simply in an open space under direct sunlight before the final finish with a layer of "laker".

Learning About The Arts (Day 3)

Day 3 started with a scrumptious buffet breakfast at the hotel Coffee House. This was followed suit by a visit to Krebet Village where we learnt how traditional batik was made.  Unlike the usual and boring batik on fabric, what we saw amazed us.  The people there were making batik on wooden crafts! We saw many different work stations where the workers either washed, waxed, carved or painted the wooden crafts. We also got to buy some crafts at souvenirs.

Next, we visited the Cemeti Art House. We saw a modern form of visual art by different famous local artists in Yogyakarta. The arts were abstract and they provoked our thoughts. It was indeed interesting.

We had lunch at a beautiful restaurant.  We are told that this restaurant is owned by a relative of the Sultan!

After lunch, we went to Kota Gede Silversmith to see how silver is made into silver wire and then twisted by skillful hands into various ornaments. Some were moulded and carved.  The works were intricate and tedious.

In the evening, we went to Prambanan Temple to see another UNESCO Heritage Monument. We saw that the temple was ruined by earthquakes. Restoration work only managed to restore and preserve parts of the monument.

Then it was dinner time.  We had dinner at yet another beautiful.. in fact it was picturesque restaurant which had the Prambanan Temple set as its backdrop.  The dinner was decadent!

After dinner, we went to watch the Ramayana Ballet.  We enjoyed the outdoor show under the stars. We marvelled at the spectacular fire scene. It was a memorable day.

~ Denver Tong (P5C)

More photos of Day 3 found on FaceBook.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Borobudur

Our guide, Pak Budi told us so many things about this magnificent temple, but we could not remember everything, so we have to resort to Wiki-ing.  To our surprise, most of the stuff found in Wiki was mentioned by Pak Budi.

Borobudur is a 8th-century Buddhist monument in Central Java. There is no written record of who built Borobudur or of its intended purpose. The construction time has been estimated by comparison between carved reliefs on the temple's hidden foot and the inscriptions commonly used in royal charters during the 8th and 9th centuries. Borobudur was likely founded around 800 AD. This corresponds to the period between 760 and 830 AD, the peak of the Sailendra dynasty in central Java, when it was under the influence of the Srivijayan Empire. The construction has been estimated to have taken 75 years and been completed during the reign of Samaratungga in 825.

The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa.

The monument is both a shrine to Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. The journey for pilgrims begins at the base of the monument and follows a path circumambulating the monument while ascending to the top through the three levels of Buddhist cosmology, namely Kāmadhātu (the world of desire), Rupadhatu (the world of forms) and Arupadhatu (the world of formlessness). During the journey the monument guides the pilgrims through a system of stairways and corridors with 1,460 narrative relief panels on the wall and the balustrades.

Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the 14th-century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth. The facts behind its abandonment remain a mystery. It is not known when active use of the monument and Buddhist pilgrimage to it ceased. Sometime between 928 and 1006, King Mpu Sindok moved the capital of the Medang Kingdom to the region of East Java after a series of volcanic eruptions; it is not certain whether this influenced the abandonment, but several sources mention this as the most likely period of abandonment. The monument is mentioned vaguely as late as ca. 1365, in Mpu Prapanca's Nagarakretagama written during Majapahit era and mentioning "the vihara in Budur". Soekmono (1976) also mentions the popular belief that the temples were disbanded when the population converted to Islam in the 15th century.

The monument was not forgotten completely, though folk stories gradually shifted from its past glory into more superstitious beliefs associated with bad luck and misery. Two old Javanese chronicles (babad) from the 18th century mention cases of bad luck associated with the monument. According to the Babad Tanah Jawi (or the History of Java), the monument was a fatal factor for Mas Dana, a rebel who revolted against Pakubuwono I, the king of Mataram in 1709. It was mentioned that the "Redi Borobudur" hill was besieged and the insurgents were defeated and sentenced to death by the king. In the Babad Mataram (or the History of the Mataram Kingdom), the monument was associated with the misfortune of Prince Monconagoro, the crown prince of the Yogyakarta Sultanate in 1757.[28] In spite of a taboo against visiting the monument, "he took what is written as the knight who was captured in a cage (a statue in one of the perforated stupas)". Upon returning to his palace, he fell ill and died one day later.

Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, then the British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations.

The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak Day at the monument, and Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction.

(adapted from Wikipedia)

Kraton - The Sultan's Palace

Kraton lies between Tugu as the north border and Panggung Krapyak as the south border, between Code River in the east and Winongo River in the west.  It is also between Mt Merapi and the South Sea.

Kraton is defined as center of the world that is described as center of the universe.  Yogyakarta territory was given to Pangeran Mangkubumi. To run his governance, he built a palace in 1755 in Hutan Beringan area flanked by two rivers that protect it from being flooded. The first king of Yogyakarta Palace was Pangeran Mangkubumi with the title Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I (HB I).

Kraton, originates from the word ke-ratu-an that means the place where the king lives.  Kraton is physical symbol and the King is the symbol of the real soul that presents into the physical body.

Hit by the earthquake in 1867, the Sultan Palace was severely damaged.  During the reign of HB VII in 1889, the building was renovated.  The Tugu monument and Manguntur Tangkil hall or Bangsal Kencana (where the king is seated), are straight in a line. This means that while sitting on his throne and looking toward the Tugu monument, he will always remember his people.

The sacredness of each Palace building is indicated by the frequency and intensity of Sultan activities in the location.  Sultan only visits the Square, Pagelaran, and Siti Hinggil three times a year, namely during the events of Pisowan Ageng Grebeg Maulud, Sawal and Besar and other very special, incidental events such as coronation of the Sultan and the crown prince or Pangeran Adipati Anom.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Domes Village

Tourists call them "Teletubby houses" - a field of white domes in the village of Nglepen have become an unintended tourist attraction.  We were here to see it for ourselves.  More than 70 dome homes were built to replace housing flattened by the giant earthquake across Java's Yogyakarta region in 2006 which killed almost 6000 people and damaged more than 200,000 homes.

We gathered in the community hall where Pak Sugiyorno told us more about the village.

Nglepen's sci-fi looking landscape stands out against the traditional rural landscape, but it is a result of a desparate responses to the quake which measured a mere 6.3 on the Richter Scale, far less of a magnitude compared to the recent Japanese earthquake.

Most of the survivors remained near their destroyed homes.  The communities and households given cash to rebuild.  When we met Pak Sugiyorno, he told us that unlike in the tsunami-hit province of Aceh, most victims in the area have been rehoused within 12 months.

Residents say they have become accustomed to their new-look homes which were built from a concrete frame by the US-based Domes for the World.  The one-piece, monolithic domes can withstand earthquakes and winds of up to 300kmh.  Each home costs about US$4,000.

We were told that the traditional practice of housing their livestock around and inside their homes are banned as it could deter the growing influx of tourists.  However, they grow fruits and vegetables in their backyard which they harvest for their daily needs.

Advantages of Dome Construction:

• Domes use half as much concrete and steel as traditional buildings.
• The curved shape of the dome makes it resistant to wind and storm damage.
• During earthquakes the Domes move with the ground instead of collapsing.
• Domes cannot be damaged by fire, rot, or insects.
• The thermal mass of the concrete walls makes Domes energy-efficient.

How the Domes are Constructed:

1. A circular concrete slab floor is reinforced with steel bars.
2. Vertical steel bars are embedded in the outer edge of the foundation to support the dome.
3. Blower fans inflate an Airform made of PVC coated nylon or polyester fabrics.
4. The Airform swells to assume the shape of the structure.
5. A grid of vertical and horizontal rebar surrounds the exterior of the Airform.
6. 2 or 3 inches of concrete is applied over the rebar grid.
7. After the concrete is dry, the Airform is removed from the inside. 
8. The Airform is re-used to build the next dome.