Choice of Central Java hotels, start from Magelang hotels, Wonosobo Hotel,
Semarang Hotel from very simple hotels, medium class hotels and more higher
class Central Java hotels such as Manohara Hotel Borobudur Complex in Magelang, Gallery Hotel Kresna
Wonosobo, Patra Jasa Hotel and Santika Hotel Semarang. Most hotels in Central Java are located
in tourist resort. Central Java is centrally located in Java Island with Semarang as its capital city.
The first moslem kingdom on Java Island
was founded in 1511 at Demark, about 40 km from Semarang, which became the beachhead from which Islam
spread out throughout the island of Java until to another island in Indonesia.
Borobudur Temple
complex is one of the greatest monuments in the world. It is of uncertain age, but thought to have been
built between the end of the seventh and beginning of the eighth century A.D. For about a century and
a half it was the spiritual centre of Buddhism
in Java, then it was lost until its rediscovery in the eighteenth century. The structure, composed of
55,000
square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular
storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the
form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha. For each direction there are ninety-two Dhyani Buddha
statues and 1,460 relief scenes. The lowest level has 160 reliefs depicting cause and effect; the
middle level contains various stories of the Buddha's life from the Jataka Tales;the highest level
has no reliefs or decorations whatsoever but has a balcony, square in shape with round walls: a circle
without beginning or end. Here is the place of the ninety-two Vajrasattvas or Dhyani Buddhas tucked
into small stupas. Each of these statues has a mudra (hand gesture) indicating one of the five
directions: east, with the mudra of calling the earth to witness; south, with the hand position of
blessing; west, with the gesture of meditation; north, the mudra of fearlessness; and the center
with the gesture of teaching. Besides being the highest symbol of Buddhism, the Borobodur stupa
is also a replica of the universe. It symbolizes the micro-cosmos, which is divided into three
levels, in which man's world of desire is influenced by negative impulses; the middle level, the
world in which man has control of his negative impulses and uses his positive impulses; the highest
level, in which the world of man is no longer bounded by physical and worldly ancient desire. It
is devotional practice tocircumambulate around the galleries and terraces always turning to the left
and keeping the edifice to the right while either chanting or meditating. In total, Borobodur
represents the ten levels of a Bodhisattva's life which he or she must develop to become a Buddha or
an awakened one.
Prambanan Temple
Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Rising above the
center of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the
epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities
(Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them.
Hindu Temple
at Dieng Plateu Four hours from Semarang is the Dieng Plateau. Here are found some of the
oldest Hindu temples of Java. These small monuments which are not more than 50 feet high stand on a
crater floor amidst sulphurous fumes and a shrugged majesty, underlined by the presence of a few of
the starkest Shivaite temples at an elevation of more than 6.000 feet, is impressive. The road to the
Dieng Plateau passes through tobacco plantations and beautiful mountain scenery
Sangiran prehistoric
site. Sangiran is located 15 kms from Surakarta. It is a fossilizes land of prehistoric living
things. In 1891, Eugene Dubois, a French anthropologist discovered fossils of Phitecantropus Erectus,
the oldest Java man known. Again in 1930 and 1931, Ngandong Village, Trinil-Mojokerto, was marked with
the discovery of fossils of a man that belonged to the Pleistocene Period. It revealed human history
from many centuries ago. Prof. Dr. Van Koenigswald in 1936 found more evidence about human evolution.
He discovered some fossils that support the theory of human growth from an apeman to be man as we are
now. Other fossils, which include those of mammoths (pre historic elephant) are now preserved in
Bandung Geological Museum. In mid 1980, scientists were started by the finding of a complete 4 m tall
elephant |
