Istana Relik, a religious tourism spot

Istana Relik, a religious tourism spot

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The owner of Istana Relik (The Palace of Relics) Deddy Yuwono
could not hide his gratitude at being entrusted by the highest
Buddhist priest in Vax Boowon Temple, Bangkok, Thailand, with the
care of Buddhist relics.

"I'm the first Indonesian to earn this trust," Deddy, whose
Chinese name is Liem Ji Sioe, said at a ceremony marking the
opening of Istana Relik here recently.

Apart from looking after the Buddhist relics from Vax Boowon
Temple, Deddy, who is a Buddhist, also obtained some from the
Museum of Relics in Rangoon, Myanmar.

Deddy has collected about 1,000 relics since January 2002,
including from Kondannya, Upali, Sivali, Bakkula, Mongallana,
Sariputta, Ananda and Anaruddha.

The relics are now kept at Istana Relik, a building he erected
at the Go Skate Area, Surabaya. Every day, people go to the
building to show devotion to the relics in the hope of receiving
a blessing

"We receive an average of 10 to 20 people a day," an attendant
at Istana Relik told The Jakarta Post.

It is not just Buddhists who visit Istana Relik. Muslims who
believe in Javanese mysticism also regard the collection as
worthy of honor. Like Buddhists, the followers of Javanese
mysticism believe the act of venerating the relics is rewarded
with success, prosperity, safety, wisdom or good health.

Hasan, a follower of Javanese mysticism from Semarang, Central
Java, who believes the Buddhist relics possess magical powers,
said he was taken aback by the thousands of relics at Istana
Relik.

"When I read a report about the place in the newspaper, I
immediately left for Surabaya to see the relics," he said.

At first, he said he did not believe it because, to the best
of his knowledge, Buddhist relics were kept only in the temples
of Thailand and Myanmar. In Indonesia, Buddhist relics are found
at Borobudur Temple.

In Buddhist terms, a relic is the physical remains of someone
believed to have reached the highest level in Buddhism. A relic
can be a hair, a tooth, a nail, a bone or even the ashes of a
cremated body.

According to Buddhist teaching, the emergence of a relic is
something beyond reason. Buddhists believe that a relic is formed
from a mass of energy, the source of which is someone applying
the teachings of Buddha through meditation.

The energy is absorbed by the person meditating and when he
dies a relic appears by itself in the form of a crystal.

"I'm sure that Istana Relik will be a good asset for Surabaya
because thousands of Buddhists from across Indonesia will come to
this place for worship," Deddy said.

In Surabaya, there are several Buddhist prayer houses, namely
in Sanggar Agung, which is located in Ria Kenjeran Beach,
Surabaya.

In Sangar Agung Surabaya you can see the gilded Four-Faced
Buddha Monument, which, at nine meters high, is reportedly the
world's largest four-faced Buddhist statue.

Meanwhile, the tallest Sleeping Buddha statue is found at
Hatyai temple in Thailand. The statue is 25 m long and 15 m tall.

Unfortunately, although Surabaya is home to many potential
religious tourist spots, the local administration is yet to tap
this potential to promote the region's tourism.

Ria Kanjeran Beach, for example, has been neglected in spite
of its significance to Buddhists.