Yogyakarta and the myth of Borobudur Temple

Indonesia is a beautiful country that I regularly fly to. Whether it’s for the bustling city life in Jakarta or the serene Balinese islands that constantly lure my physical and spiritual self to visit, I love Indonesia and never fail to recommend it to people who want an experience of a lifetime. But for seasoned travelers who have been to Indonesia and want an out of the ordinary vacation, why not take an hour’s flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta and visit the Borobudur Temple?

Also known as Candi Borobudur, this magnificent temple was literally carved out of volcanic stones during the reign of the Sailendra dynasty, which is estimated to be around 700-850 AD. Historians are clearly awed at the majestic structure but was baffled as to how and why the temple was erected. They were also puzzled how the temple was abandoned and was consecutively covered by thick layers of ashes (there were lots of volcanoes in the area). The Borobudur temple was rediscovered by the British as they came to Indonesia for the first time in the 1800’s.

The temple featured 9 separate levels leading to nirvana, or rather, the top of the temples for those who are still living on Earth. As you get to the last 4 levels, you will encounter ornate stupas, little effigies of Buddha in a sitting position. It is interesting to note also that some of these statues were purposefully built to contain the ashes of revered high priests. Should you not be able to make it to the higher levels, you can still obtain a beautiful view of the scenic temple compounds and feast your eyes at the wall carvings and ornate inscriptions upon the walls. I find that a postcard of the Borobudur Temple as well as carefully taken photographs is a must-have to commemorate your trip there.

Nearby Borobudur, you can travel a short distance to Prambanan where you can see many more temples. In the olden days, Prambanan was a kingdom that belonged to King Baka and his daughter, the beautiful and virtuous Princess Lara Djonggrang. However, the king was tragically slain by the evil and conniving Bandung Bondowoso, who wants more than anything to make Lara Djonggrang his queen. The princess refused, because which woman in the right mind would marry her father’s killer? She could not refuse the forceful wishes of Bandung Bondowoso but she could set one impossible task for him as a condition to the marriage – building 1000 temples in one single night!

Of course, the cunning Bandung Bondowoso hired demons to help him build the structures and when the princess thought that they had almost succeeded, she quickly asked her maids to start a fire and pound the rice in the paddy fields. Thinking that the light of the fire was the rising sun and associating the pounding with morning activity, the roosters wasted no time crowing. The demons were then fooled into thinking that time was up and they fled, leaving Bandung Bondowoso only with 999 temples, angry and frustrated. He then cast a spell on Lara Djonggrang and turned her into stone.

The story does not quite end there. To commemorate the incident the temples around the area were inscribed with the tale of the tragic kingdom and the stone princess. Out of the 999 temples, only 50 or so survived the test of time. You can check them out the next time you visit Yogyakarta and Prambanan!