Ngawen temple victim of artifact theft

Ngawen temple victim of artifact theft

Text and photo by Bambang M.

MUNTILAN, Central Java (JP): Central Java has long been known
for its temples, evidence that the province was a center of human
civilization many centuries ago.

Borobudur, one of the world's wonders, is the most famous
temple but some others, including Prambanan, Dieng and Mendut,
are also tourists destinations.

As well as the more famous temples, Central Java also has the
Ngawen temples, which are relatively unknown compared to the big
names above.

The temples are located in Ngawen village, five kilometers
south of Muntilan. Built on a 3,556-square-meter site, Ngawen
temples are sandwiched between agricultural land and residential
areas.

Coconut palms stand around the compound which consists of five
small temples. Even during the holidays and peak season, only a
few visitors are seen in the vicinity of the temples. Except for
two guardians, only some village boys were spotted playing in the
grounds of the temple's.

When visiting Ngawen village, tourists won't only see the
beauty of the temples but they can also enjoy the panorama of
village life. They can watch villagers going about their
activities, such as boys herding ducks, farmers working in the
rice fields, or people amusing themselves in the cold, clear
river which runs not far from the temples.

The main reason for tourists not visiting the temples is
because they are difficult to find. They must ask people several
times upon arriving in Muntilan. There are no directional signs
on the narrow and bumpy road from Muntilan to Ngawen.

"Ngawen temples have yet to become a tourist destination,"
said Susriyono, an official of the Central Java Archeological and
Historical Preservation Office.

"Local people have known about Ngawen temple since the Dutch
days," said Ngawen subdistrict head Sulistyo, referring to the
first observations conducted by Dutch archeologist Holpermand in
1874.

After Holpermand, many Dutch archeologists tried to solve the
mystery of the temples. In 1911, Van Erp said in his commentary
that the Ngawen temples were destroyed as the result of a Mount
Merapi eruption.

When they were first found, the temples were covered with
thick sand of up to two meters in depth. The theory made sense as
Borobudur, which is located near Ngawen, was also covered with
sand as the result of an eruption.

Another Dutch archeologist, PJ Perquin, studied Ngawen in 1925
and successfully managed to restore one of the five temples. It
is called the second Ngawen temple. The other four temples up to
today are in ruins with only their bases still standing.

All of the five temples stand in a north to south line, based
on numerical order, and face toward the east. Water from a spring
in the temple grounds emerges not far from the temples.

The second temple measures 13 meters by 12 meters, and is
seven meters in height. Despite its good appearance from the
outside, there's a gaping hole in the roof.

Statues

The temple itself has statues at the entrance depicting
Makara, a beast combining the form of an elephant, crocodile,
snake and lion.

Every corner of the temple is decorated by lion statues
standing on their hind legs, while the walls display kinari
reliefs of a goose with a man's head.

In the middle of the temple lies the statue of a crossed-
legged man. But the head of the statue has been stolen. There is
another headless statue in the ruins of the fourth temple.

History experts -- Zainul Arrah, Sugito and Sunardi -- have
concluded that the temple is Buddhist based on their observations
last year, saying that the statues in the second temple were
Dhyani Budha Ratna Sambawa and Dhyani Budha Amitabha. Zainul
wrote that based on the Budha Mahayana religion, the statues
actually depicted the Dhyani Budha, the rulers of the
five directions.

They are the ruler of the West, Amitabha, Ratna Sambawa for
the South, Aksobya for the East, Wairocana for the Zenith and
Amoghasida for the North. But the last three statues have been
lost from the Ngawen temples.

"Based on the religion, the temples were built in the eighth
or ninth century to honor the five Dhyani Budha," she said.

Susriyono said the office was still collecting stones from the
temples, which are lie scattered throughout the compound, as part
of the effort to restore the other four temples. The restoration
can only go ahead if 80 percent of the stones are found.

However, the office is still facing a serious problem of
looting at the site although it has tried hard to stop it. The
looting started in the 1970s when some people stole two statue
heads.

Lack of security is blamed as being the main cause of the
looting. While the temple compound is surrounded by barbed wire,
the gate is usually open and the grounds are not guarded,
especially at night.

Susriyono claimed that his office had deployed a night
watchman, but village head Sulistyo denied this.

"We have proposed that they employ a night watchman but there
has been no response," said Sulistyo, adding that looters had
increased their activities in 1999.

Reports say that the stones are available on the black market
and that the price can reach millions of rupiah. It is definitely
a good business for the looters.

If the office doesn't take any serious action to address the
problem soon, its desire to restore the temple will be to no
avail.