West Java has its own Hindu monument<\/p>\n
By Michael Upton<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If you're in the Bandung area and you've had
\nenough of hot springs, volcano craters and jeans shops, there's a
\nworthwhile sightseeing spot only an hour or so away that will
\nprovide a complete contrast -- in fact it's unique in West Java.<\/p>\n
On the road to Tasikmalaya, there's a village called Leles,
\nwhere the province's only remaining Hindu shrine (candi) stands.
\nSo I took the toll road to the southeast of the city and followed
\nthe Tasikmalaya signs through Cicalengka, a town I found rather
\nless exotic that its name suggests, crammed full of lime green
\nand yellow minibuses. Girls crossed the road in droves, jilbab
\n(Muslim headdress) fluttering in the wind.<\/p>\n
Further on, the route straddled ridges and valleys formed no
\ndoubt by ancient volcanic activity and subsequent erosion. The
\nroad bucked and swerved constantly and I wondered whether
\nbreakfast would still be with me at my destination. Then after
\nentering a deep cleft, I emerged above the next valley. Far below
\nthere were glimpses of neat paddy fields glinting through air
\nnewly washed by a shower of rain. Finally, the road bottomed out
\non to a plain (alluvial? -- I wish I knew more geography) and
\nfrom there on it wasn't far to Leles.<\/p>\n
After the level crossing, you need to take a left turn off the
\nmain road. Not expecting anything as informative as a sign, I
\ntook a likely looking track too soon, and had to stop for
\ndirections. It's always a pleasure to make such enquiries in
\nIndonesia. I've found the villagers invariably friendly and
\ncheerful and their advice generally reliable, though distances
\ntend to be elastic. And there's the added satisfaction of seeing
\nthe surprise on their faces when an orang bule (white man) gets
\nout of the car (it's considered rude just to wind down the
\nwindow) and their confusion when they hear a recognizable though
\ncrude form of bahasa Indonesia issue from his lips.<\/p>\n
In fact, the correct turn has the sign CANGKUANG painted in
\nlarge letters on the adjacent wall. (I'll resist the temptation
\nto say You can't miss it.) The narrow road was full of pony-and-
\ntraps waiting to take visitors to the shrine for a few thousand
\nrupiah, and indeed that's the best way to get there. Sitting in a
\ncar will cut you off from the ambient smells and flavor of the
\nplace, and it's a hot walk to the candi if the sun's out, as it
\nwas on the day I visited. The paddy fields were glowing gold,
\npart of a rich and fertile landscape dotted with men and women
\nfrom the village harvesting an abundant rice crop with sickles.
\nFurther on, a lone farmer doggedly hacked at the moist black
\nearth, turning the stubble over to lie for a while before being
\nplanted with the next crop. Ducks waddled noisily along the
\nditches.<\/p>\n
When you reach the site of the shrine, the lake setting alone
\nmakes the trip worthwhile. The approach swings around an outcrop
\nand the visitor arrives at Situ Cangkuang (situ is Sundanese for
\nlake) partly covered with lilies, beyond which a tree-covered
\nisland rises out of the water. Through the foliage, the stone
\ncandi standing at the highest point of the island is just visible
\nfrom the shore. The scene could only have been improved by the
\nsilencing of the tediously repetitive chimes of the ice-cream
\nvendor.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, \"island\" is something of a misnomer as
\nthe shrine is now linked to the shore by a swampy isthmus. It's
\nreached by taking a flat bamboo raft across the lake. (For
\nsweating cheapskates who have walked from the main road instead
\nof hiring a pony-and-trap, this is the chance to cool off and
\nsave a further Rp 2,000 by wading across -- the lake is shallow
\nenough for that.) Each craft has a long central catwalk to keep
\npassengers' feet above the water lapping over the bamboo deck.
\nThe inordinate length of the raft serves only to give the boatman
\na chance to get his stride in as he works the pole.<\/p>\n
The candi is surrounded by tall rain forest trees, but as you
\napproach, its fine silhouette of stone finials pierces the
\nskyline in a manner now reminiscent of Balinese architecture.<\/p>\n
Under a pyramidal stone roof, a statue of the goddess Siva
\nsits in the chamber facing east -- or she would if some vandal
\nhad not decapitated her. The date of the structure is not
\ncertain, but it's possibly associated with the ancient Sundanese
\nkingdom of Galuh, which was centered near present day Ciamis to
\nthe east.<\/p>\n
Cemetery<\/p>\n
Most of the island is a cemetery. But there are a few living
\nsouls in residence, for below the shrine nestles a tiny hamlet of
\nsix houses whose residents are said to abide by some rather
\nstrange customs such as not entertaining visitors on Wednesdays
\nand never striking a gong. One suspects these are not nowadays
\ntaken very seriously, but certainly the devotions at the grave of
\nCangkuang's most distinguished resident were devout enough on the
\nday I visited. Located hard up against the south side of the
\ncandi, Mbah Arif Muhammad, a soldier from the predominant 17th
\ncentury central Javanese kingdom of Mataram lies buried.<\/p>\n
He found a good spot.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/west-java-has-its-own-hindu-monument-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }