Tracing Yogyakarta's legendary path
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
With bamboo torches in their hands, the figures pass one by one through the imposing stone gates of the Thousand Hills.
Even in the dim pre-dawn light, it is a stunning sight.
These hardy tourists have risen from their campground at 3am to trek up Mount Tugel and witness a spectacular sunrise over the ancient palaces and temples of Yogyakarta.
Legend has it that the temples were built in a single night by the lovelorn Bandung Bondowoso, son of Ratu Boko, the Queen of the region.
Bandung, a valiant young man who was blessed with magic powers, became infatuated with a young woman, Roro Jonggrang, and proposed marriage.
She was reluctant, and told Bandung she would become his wife only if he could build a thousand temples in one night.
Enlisting troops of spirits to help him, Bandung worked through the night. As dawn approached, he and the spirits completed the 999th temple.
But Roro Jonggrang was too smart for him. Assisted by her maids, she created an artificial sun, prompting the cocks to crow. The spirits, afraid of being exposed to the sun, left Bandung alone with his unfinished work.
After learning he was tricked, angry Bandung turned Roro Jonggrang into a statue to serve as the 1000th temple. Now the temples are known as Candi Sewu (A Thousand Temples).
The legend inspired dozens of tourists who recently took part in the Great Keraton Boko's Adventure and Cultural Trekking Tour.
With torches in their hands, the intrepid visitors left their camping ground at 3am were keen to welcome the rising sun. They struggled along a difficult rural path and up the Thousand Hills to get to Ratu Boko Palace at the top of Mount Tugel, about 4 km away from the Boko Temple area.
Mount Tugel caps the Thousand Hills, about 230m above sea level in Prambanan district, Yogyakarta. In the Javanese language, the word tugel means broken.
Indeed, the mountain looks like it has been cracked open. The valley is steep and offers an enchanting panorama.
Rice fields and a village extend to the east with Mount Lawu as the background, while to the north Mount Merapi gracefully rises above the city of Yogyakarta.
A thin layer of mist blankets the area before slowly opening up, revealing the burning red sky at the far end of the horizon and soon, the morning sun perches atop of Mount Lawu.
"The sunrise scenery from the top of Mount Tugel is no less beautiful that in Mount Bromo, East Java. In Bromo we can see a great extent of sea sand, but here, in Mount Tugel we can see masses of green rice fields," says Cristian Awuy, one of the key figures in Yogyakarta's tourism, who pioneered trekking tours of Mount Merapi. This particular morning he guided the Boko trekking tour.
On their way up the mountain, the tourists pass the ancient Tjo Temple, the Barong Temple and other archaeological sites, all still in their original state.
In the Tugel Temple area, for example, a statue of Andhini is still intact amid slabs of mountain stones.
"Considering the position of the Andhini statue along with the position of stones and scratches in its surrounding floor, I suspect this place used to be where our ancestors lived. And it's possible because there are many archeological sites found in this area," says Dwi Prasetyo, an archaeologist from Yogyakarta who also took part in this Boko Trekking Trip.
Today, the management of Borobudur, Prambanan and Boko Temple Tourism Parks are just beginning to market the beauty of the area and its wealth of archeological sites.
"We have been successful in selling Sunrise from the Top of the Borobudur Temple so now we are working to sell Sunrise from the Boko Temple. This tourist package does not only cover sunrise moments but includes spending the night at Boko Temple," said Guntur Purnomo Adi, head of PT Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan and Ratu Boko.
The package, which costs US$15 per person and for at least two person, includes witnessing sunset from the western part of Boko's top, tent facilities, raw food materials and trekking gear.