Exploring lost great kingdoms in East Java province

Exploring lost great kingdoms in East Java province

By Simon Marcus Gower

MALANG, East Java (JP): The great temple sites of Central Java
are well known, even world famous. The abundance of structures at
the Hindu complex of Prambanan, the monumental vastness of the
Buddhist Borobudur temple and the remarkable landscape and
setting of the temples situated on the Dieng Plateau are,
rightly, much respected and honored architectural and religious
sites. But East Java, too, has its share of ancient temples and
shrines; and though perhaps not as large or famous as those of
Central Java, they are the last structural reminders of the great
kingdoms that once ruled these lands.

Whilst these sites may not have the scale of the likes of
Borobudur or Prambanan they are nonetheless significant. Visiting
them one may encounter some remarkable stone structures,
sculptures and carvings; and one may even begin to get an inkling
of what the long lost kingdoms that created them might have been
like.

From a base in Malang it is possible to visit with ease some
of the many ancient structures that proliferate in East Java. On
a small road out of Malang, in a village called Tumpang, stands
Candi Kidal. (It is worth taking a moment out here to explain
what a candi is. A reasonable definition would be "ancient
shrine". Javanese candi are, then, shrines but also temples of
worship to Gods. As will be seen, many of East Java's candi seem
to have served as places that honor both heavenly Gods and
earthly humans.)

Candi Kidal is a single tower construction now surrounded by
village houses. It was built in the middle of the 13th century as
a memorial to King Anusapati and, doubtless, in those far off
times and lost kingdoms a tall building such as this -- it stands
perhaps 15 metres in height -- would have been a focal and
domineering point in the lives of the local people. Its stone
carvings add to its impressive nature. In particular, the
fearsome Kala heads (death and blackness images) that gaze down
from above the tower's doorways are liable to give a fright.

On to Candi Jago and again one encounters an ancient shrine in
the midst of modern day Indonesia. This shrine has a local school
as a neighbor and consequently among the visitors to this site
are school children on their breaks. Climbing precariously all
over the monument, however, they may not be the most welcome of
visitors.

Jago is a funeral monument to King Vishnuvardhana of the
Singasari kingdom. Built in the latter half of the 13th century
it is now somewhat ruined, but running around all five of its
levels are quite remarkable relief carvings, telling a
combination of Buddhist, Hindu and local legends.

Moving on from Candi Jago one may go on to Singasari. This is
a tower of similar "Javanese" design to that of Kidal, but is
perhaps a little taller with less relief carving and signs of
craftsmanship. It is a powerful structural entity and, once
again, aggressive Kala heads gaze upon the visitor as they have
done for centuries.

The tower was constructed around 1300 as a monument to
Kertanagara, the last king of the Singasari kingdom and nearby
stand two giant (more than 3-metre tall) stone-carved monsters
(Dvarapala) at what once must have been the entrance gate to the
Singasari kingdom. Resting on their knees and clutching enormous
clubs, one is almost in fear as one approaches them. Though of
solid stone, the skill of their carving creates the feeling that
at any moment they might come to life, rise up and crush all
before them. In the dark days of the 13th and 14th centuries one
can well imagine the fear and awe such figures must have created.

Leaving Singasari one may head for the hill resort of Batu.
There, amongst the holiday homes, hotels and swimming pools, lie
the tiny remnants of Candi Songgoriti. Little is left of this
candi other than a few statues and ruined stones that suggest
that a larger building once stood there. The principal
feature of this site is a hot spring well that bubbles up
immediately below the temple's remains.

Oldest

On the road back to Malang a stop may be made at Candi Badut.
This plain, box-like structure, (along with the remains of
Songgoriti) is the oldest candi in East Java, dating back to the
8th century.

It is a Hindu temple built in honor of Gajayana of the
Kanjuruhan kingdom. Standing among rice fields and on the edge of
urban development, perhaps the most unusual aspect of this candi
is its name. Badut is usually translated as "joker" or even
"clown", which seems an unusual title for a place of worship.

In nearly all of these stones shrines there is a combination
of Buddhist and Hindu design that tells of the remarkable
assimilation of faiths that ancient Javanese kingdoms were able
to accommodate. (Such assimilation is, perhaps, something that
modern Indonesia could do with in these troubled times of
religious conflict.)

But ulterior motives may have been at work in 13th and 14th
century East Java. A Singasari king, for example, may have been
considered an incarnation of a Hindu God such as Vishnu, but
would simultaneously hold Buddhist beliefs. Thus many such kings
would have been manipulating the religious beliefs (whether
Buddhist or Hindu) of their people to bolster their sovereign
status.

Many of the carvings, then, depict kings as players in the
religious stories being represented. Portrait sculptures and
carvings place these monarchs into the myths and legends being
depicted. In this way the link between gods and monarchs was
being made directly, and consequently the kings were being
deified to become god-kings.

The Majapahit kingdom was, perhaps, the most successful of
these East Javanese kingdoms. Traveling from Malang to Blitar
allows one to see the most significant candi in all of East Java
-- Candi Panataran. This is a Majapahit development and it is the
most extensive temple/ shrine in East Java.

The sleepy little town of Blitar's main claim to fame is that
it was the birthplace of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno,
and it is where his mausoleum now stands. But just a short drive
out of town brings you to Panataran. This is a complex of various
structures that range from tower forms like those at Kidal and
Singasari to the box-like, tiered structures of Jago and Badut.

To the rear of the complex there is even a pond, now occupied
by numerous fish, in which crystal clear water stands. The extent
and variety of structures and sculptures suggest that Panataran
may have been more than just a temple or shrine to a god or king.
The finery of the carvings hints at the importance of this
place within the life of a successful Kingdom.

Donation

Relatively little of these ancient kingdoms remains now, but
perhaps something of the spirit and respect for those kingdoms
lives on. Upon leaving all of these sites one is obliged to make
a small donation. The etiquette of visiting these sites seems to
include signing the visitors' book and leaving some money that
may help maintain the buildings etc ... though there is always
the fear that such a donation may in fact be cigarette money. At
Candi Panataran, however, a different experience awaits.

An elderly lady may be encountered sweeping the stones of the
monuments. She will speak her age, though her dialect and a
speech impediment make understanding difficult. However, one
instinctively knows that in giving her a donation for the upkeep
of the candi one is almost certainly donating to a descendant of
those long lost kingdoms -- the very spirit of the place.

The prosperity and success of these kingdoms adds to the
significance of these monuments. The Majapahit kingdom grew to be
a large and important player in the life of early Southeast Asia.
With relative sophistication in politics, diplomacy, literature
and arts it rose to form a major empire. In the field of commerce
it grew to such an extent that it could attract trade from across
South and East Asia -- from India to the Siamese and Khmers
across to the Chinese mainland.

These lost kingdoms still occasionally feature in modern
Indonesia. Famous names from these kingdoms, such as Hayam Wuruk
(Majapahit king 1350-1389) and Gajah Mada (Majapahit leader 1331-
1364) have given their names to roads in Jakarta and many other
major cities. The numerous candi of East Java are a testimony to
the fact that these kingdoms may be lost but are still with us.