Tracing Yogyakarta's legendary path

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.