Knapsack Treks
  • Detian Waterfall Then & Now
  • Good Vices
  • NDP – National Day Pendaki
  • Trip Reports
    • Australia
      • Aussie Odyssey Part 1, Uluru, Kata Tjuta
      • Aussie Odyssey Part 2 Kings Canyon
      • Aussie Odyssey Part 3 Kangaroo Island
      • Dunes Downunder Part 1
      • Dunes Downunder Part 2
      • Dunes Downunder Part 3
    • Climbing Tianyou Peak 天游峰 @ Wuyi Shan 武夷山
    • Europe
      • My Greek Odyssey (Athens & Acropolis)
      • My Greek Odyssey (Delphi)
      • My Greek Odyssey (Meteora)
      • My Greek Odyssey (Mt Olympus)
      • My Greek Odyssey (Pella – birthplace of Alexander the Great)
      • My Greek Odyssey (Thessaloniki)
    • India
      • A Tale of Two Jahans
      • Akbar The Great
      • Dungeshwari – where mistakes are made and corrected
      • Horriday In India – Trains
      • Sarnath – first lesson
      • Shimla – legacy of British India
      • Taj Mahal
      • The Mahabodi Temple, Bodhgaya
      • Varanasi, a city as old as time
    • Indonesia
      • Beautiful Bali 2019
        • Batur Mountain & Lake
        • Kuta Sunset
        • Marvellous Munduk
        • Nusa Penida 1
        • Nusa Penida 2
        • Tirta Gangga
      • Dieng Antiquities
      • Gedung Songo
      • Gunung Lawu 2019
      • Sex & Temples
        • Candi Kethek & Ceto
        • Candi Sukuh
      • Back In Mt Bromo With A Kid In Tow 1
      • Back In Mt Bromo With A Kid In Tow 2
    • Magical Myanmar 2019
      • Hsipaw Trek
      • Paya Ko Thaung
      • Pining For Pyin Oo Lwin
      • Sunset In Sittwe
      • The Goteik Viaduct
      • Yangon Memories
    • Nepal
      • Tilicho Lake
      • Annapurna On Wheels With Two Kids In Tow
      • Gosainkund Winter Trek
      • Lost In Lumbini
    • The Water Curtain Cave
    • Kunming, Dali With A Kid In Tow
  • Wacky Workouts
    • Climb Stairs
    • Great Body Weight Exercise
    • Metabolic Principle – Fat Burn
    • Metabolic Principles – Muscles
    • Pull Ups Step By Step
    • Push Up Variations
    • Pushup Variations
    • Working With Elastics
  • About The Author
  • Knapsack Books
  • Fighting Fit
    • 1000 Squats
    • Alternatives For Prevention of AMS?
    • Buffering Your Blood
    • Carbo-loading: The Real Thing
    • Cold Dips
    • Fluid Replacement
    • Food For Hikes – Sweet Potatoes
    • Healthy Coffee?
    • High Altitude Diarrhoea
    • Jumpstart Cream
    • L-Carnitine
    • Low Carb Myths & Risks
    • MacRitchie To Bukit Timah Hike
    • Preventing Blisters
    • Sandfly Bites
    • Cheating AMS
  • Gear & Stuff
    • Choosing Footwear
    • Cooking Set
    • Cushion Gloves
    • Dressing Right For The Himalayas
    • Gelert Boots
    • High Fashion (Frogg Toggs)
    • Hiking Footwear Cheap & Good
    • How To Clean Mouldy Slides
    • My Neat Knapsack
    • New Hiking Boots From Decathlon
    • The Humble SAF Combat Boot
  • The Aging Adventurer
    • Bye Bye Bunions
      • 6 Weeks Post-op
      • Day 1
      • Day 2
      • Day 7
      • One Month Post-op
      • Trying On My Boots & Thongs
      • Week 3
    • Clogged Arteries: everyone has them!
    • Don’t Lose That Muscle
    • Foot On Ice
    • How Exercise Affects Blood Pressure
    • Keeping Fit Past 70
    • Secret To Burning Fat
    • Stairs Workout
    • Strength Training
    • The Best Doctors In The World
    • Toes & Poles
    • Too Old To Run?
    • Training For Seniors
  • Legends
    • Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922)
      • The Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
    • Gigi The Bikini Hiker
    • Khoo Swee Chiow – K2, the ultimate peak
    • Xiao Peng 小鹏
    • Yu Chun Shun 余纯顺
    • Lei Dian Sheng 雷殿生
      • Horsehair & Blisters
      • Trust & Kindness
  • Other Sites by Chan Joon Yee
    • Chan Joon Yee On Homecooking
    • Chan Joon Yee On Social Issues

Login

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Tweets by toothfully
Follow me on twitter

Uncategorized

Candi Plaosan 1997

by admin July 3, 2019 No Comments

I’m often intrigued by Javanese antiquities. Constructed out of precisely formed stones stacked several stories high without the use of cement, these monuments are testimony to the skill of these ancient builders.

Over the eons, the faith of Javanese has changed. The ruins of these shrines are the ghostly remains of an era long gone. The Prambanan Plain is one area in Central Java where a cluster of ancient Hindu temples have been discovered.

Built in the 10th Century, the main temple complex comprises lofty conical structures. The largest temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Two others beside it are dedicated to Brahma and Vishnu. There are 4 other temples and 2 shrines within the main symmetrical compound. The 4 gates here open into a larger symmetrical compound housing 224 shrines. The entire complex is designed like a mandala.

And that is the main draw on a day trip to Prambanan. This massive project was initiated by the Sanjaya Kingdom as a Hindu answer to Borobudur, built by the Saliendra Kingdom some 30km away. However, within the vicinity of Prambanan, is a rather impressive Buddhist temple called Candi Plaosan.

Technically, Buddhist temples do not belong to the Prambanan complex. Sitting in the midst of rice and tobacco fields, Candi Plaosan is easy to miss out. I’m not sure if there is a proper path leading to the temple now. When I visited Candi Plaosan in 1997, I had to ask around and walk through a couple of fields before I could find it.

IMG_0002

Does it remind you of Borobudur? This is actually a temple comprising two identical “towers”. Each one housed a viharn or prayer hall. They are 3 stories high, the sculpted components all stacked together without cement. The open area between the two towers was for monks to congregate.

IMG_0001

Another notable Buddhist temple in the area is Candi Sewu. It is believed to be dedicated to Bodhisattva Manjusri and was originally surrounded by more than 200 shrines, many of which are virtually non-existent today. Notice the symmetry, the intricate design and the technical precision of the builders who did Candi Sewu. In it’s heyday, it was the second largest Buddhist monument in Java after Borobudur.

From these ruins, one can imagine how glorious this place must have been 1,000 years ago; the result of Hindu and Buddhist builders who tried to outdo one another.


Check Out Knapsack Books by Chan Joon Yee

  • Previous Yearning For Yangon?3 years ago
  • Next Begpackers3 years ago

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Knapsack Books

2022 Knapsack Treks. Donna Theme powered by WordPress