Blitar: A charming town of temples and tradition

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 the province.

The elderly man prostrated himself in front of the short, ornately decorated 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 Sukarno's 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: 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.