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.