Blitar, a charming town of temples and tombs
Blitar, a charming town of temples and tombs
Elvera N. Makki
Contributor/Blitar, East Java
-----------------------------------------------------
Blitar is not just a historical footnote as the ancestral home
and burial place of Sukarno. Thankfully bypassed by the rapid,
unchecked development of other places in East Java, the tranquil
area boasts a refreshing small town charm and the most
outstanding Hindu temple in East Java.
----------------------------------------------
The elderly man prostrated himself in front of the short picket
fence surrounding the tomb. He cried as he whispered a prayer,
scattering rose and jasmine petals into the mausoleum enclosure.
He was just one of the dozens of people visiting the mausoleum
of Sukarno at Bendogerit village in Blitar regency on this
morning. Like the millions who have come before, they pay homage
to the country's founding father. President-elect Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono visited in early October after he defeated Sukarno's
eldest daughter for the country's leadership.
It's not only older citizens reminiscing about a great leader
who make the trip; those intrigued by the enduring legacy of
Blitar's most famous native son, who died in 1970 but is still
identified with Indonesia for many around the world, are also on
hand.
"Blitar has been well developed, so you've come here at the
right time. We have the new Bung Karno Library and the museum
over there," local tour guide pak Eko said, pointing at two grand
buildings next to the grave area.
The museum and library flank a big black statue of Sukarno
sitting on a chair.
For some, Blitar's attractions may well start and stop at the
joglo traditional Javanese pavilion housing the remains.
They would be missing out on quite a bit, for the greenery of
its countryside, with farmers at work in their ricefields, and
slow pace of life (pedicabs and horse-drawn carts rule the clean,
neat streets) are perhaps as good a stress reliever for a harried
city dweller as any pricey yoga class or a trip to a
psychiatrist.
It's old-time Java at every corner, fully encapsulated in the
relaxed, hushed confines of Hotel Sri Lestari, one of the best
places to stay in town.
A boutique hotel, it was originally built in 1850 as part of a
Dutch housing complex, and it continues to offer that 19th
century ambience.
Guests should try to get rooms in the main building, where the
antiques and furniture are different in each room. In the most
expensive and biggest room, where the bigwigs usually stay, there
is a collection of pictures of Sukarno (this is in addition to
about 60 pictures of him displayed on the wall in the main
building and lobby area).
Long before there was Sukarno, his mausoleum and Sri Lestari,
however, there was Penataran Temple, which author Anne R. Kinney
called "the only East Javanese site where the full extent of the
complex is revealed today".
Built over a period of 250 years, Penataran (it is also
spelled Panataran) is usually dated to 1320 AD and was a complex
of state temples of the Majapahit kingdom before Islam came to
Java.
Sir Stamford Raffles, during the short period of British
colonialism in Java in the 1800s, worked with historian Thomas
Horsfield on documenting the overgrown, abandoned temple, and it
is included in his The History of Java.
The complex, lying about 10 kilometers north of Blitar on the
lower slope of Mt. Kelud, does not get as much attention as its
Central Java counterpart Prambanan and the Buddhist Borobudur.
Nevertheless, it is a stunning complex that has undergone several
renovations and is now well maintained by the local government.
There are three courtyards on the 12,946 square meters, home
to candi induk (the Main Temple), the Dated Temple (so called
because of the date engraved on its front) and the roofless Naga
Temple, which Kinney, in her copiously researched work Worshiping
Siva and Buddha: The Temple Art of East Java (University of
Hawaii Press, 2004), lauded as one of the most beautiful and
unique temples in East Java for its mystical serpent decorations.
There are also a couple of well-preserved bathing places and
the story of the Ramayana told in more than 100 fascinating
reliefs.
Unfortunately, like other temples in the country, many of its
statues and objects have been plundered over the years. Even so,
this calm spot of historical significance is well worth a visit
during a journey to East Java.