Relax - Mystic temples, exotic palaces

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Mystic temples, exotic palaces

By Joy Fang, my paper | Thu, Oct 29 2009

Visitors to Yogyakarta and Bali find key to past cultures in historically rich monuments.

Keywords

temples

architecture

A COUNTRY teeming with rich culture and history on its 17,508 islands, Indonesia is considered by some to present many exotic and wondrous sights.

Boasting temples and palaces which hold hundreds of years’ worth of intriguing stories, Indonesia is a delight for visitors who seek clues to past cultures.

The first stop for many would be Yogyakarta on the island of Java.

Jetsetter Derice Sumantri, 30, director of marketing and sales in a real-estate company, said her favourite sites there are the Borobudur temple, which is 40km north-west of Yogyakarta, the Prambanan temple and the Kraton palace.

The Borobudur temple is an immense monument built in the eighth century, while the Kraton, or Sultan’s Palace, was built in 1775 and has elegant Javanese architecture. The Prambanan temple is a ninth-century Hindu temple and a Unesco World Heritage Site.

“These sights are grand, full of history, and not like anything else you can find in the world,” says Ms Sumantri, who was born in Sydney but lived in Indonesia for 18 years and Singapore for four years.

Borobudur temple is especially close to her heart.

“I’m Buddhist, so I can see so many symbols of my religion in one location. It is a spectacular place that represents thousands of years of Buddhist history,” she says.

Indonesia is a very culturally rich country with more than a thousand tribes. Visits to monuments like temples and palaces help visitors gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the country’s history and people, she adds.

A spokesman for the Visit Indonesia Tourist Office also recommends that visitors drop by the Pura Besakih in Bali, a city known as the Island of the Gods.

Pura Besakih, also called The Mother Temple, was built in the 14th century and consists of 22 Hindu temple complexes.

The Prambanan temple, in Yogyakarta on the island
of Java, Indonesia, is a ninth-century Hindu temple
and a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Besides the historical value and great architecture, such sites hold a certain mystic air which cannot be found in other destinations, says the spokesman.

Autism therapist Stephanie Phan, 25, who was born in Jakarta, agrees.

At the Pura Besakih temple, she says, you get to “see ritual dances and people dressed in traditional headgear, or with flowers in their hair”.

A tip for tourists though: wear modest clothing when visiting temples and palaces.

Ms Sumantri recommends wearing T-shirts with sleeves and knee-length shorts, sarongs or pants when visiting, as a sign of respect. Wearing overly revealing outfits outside of beach areas is considered disrespectful.

Also take along sunscreen, drink lots of water and be sensitive to the culture of the country you are visiting, she suggests.

For more my paper stories, click here.