Yogyakarta - Traveling Thru History

Things to Do in Indonesia

Erin — Sat, 23 May 2020 07:34:03 +0000

Looking for things to do on your next trip to Indonesia? Check out the activities recommended by travel bloggers for the best things to do in Indonesia. #TBIN

The post Things to Do in Indonesia first appeared on Traveling Thru History.

Top 10 Ruins of Southeast Asia

Erin — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 01:51:31 +0000

One of my most favorite things in the world would be ruins. I just love them. There’s such a sense of mystery to ancient structures that makes them so incredibly fascinating. What did they actually look like when they were first built? What did they look like all decked out for the rituals and ceremonies that were held there? How long did the ancient inhabitants plan the structures before building them? Why did they stop using these structures? What would they say now, if they could see the hundreds of thousands of people who come to gawk at the ruins now? With all of the amazing ruins around Asia, I decided to narrow it down to Southeast Asia, since that is where I spent most of my time, and to pick the best ruin from each country. Some countries have soooooooooo many to choose from and some are limited in their offerings. That doesn’t make the ruin any less intriguing. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Courtesy of Flickr Site: Ross Island Church Location: Ross Island, Port Blair Built: Late 1700s or mid-1800s Restored: No Cambodia Site: Angkor Wat Location: Siem Reap Built: 12th Century Restored: Partially Indonesia Site: Borobudur Location: Yogyakarta, Central Java Built: 750-825 AD Restored: Yes Laos Courtesy of Flickr Site: Buddha Park Location: 15.5 miles (25 km) southeast of Vientiane Built: 1958 Restored: Maintained Malaysia Courtesy of Flickr Site: Bujang Valley Location: Merbok, Kedah State Built: 6th century Restored: Excavation and restoration underway Myanmar Site: Bagan Location: Bagan Archaeological Zone Built: 11th-13th centuries Restored: Some of the temples have been restored while some don’t need to be and others are waiting to be restored Philippines Courtesy of Flickr Site: Paoay Church Location: Marcos Ave, Paoay, Ilocos Norte Built: 1694-1710 Restored: Partially Singapore Courtesy of Flickr Site: Fort Canning Location: Fort Canning Hill Built: 1859 Restored: Partially Thailand Site: Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Location: Ayutthaya Built: 1357 AD Restored: Partially Vietnam Courtesy of Flickr Site: Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary Location: Duy Phú, Duy Xuyên, Quảng Nam Province Built: 4th-14th centuries Restored: Partially

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Candi Mendut

Erin — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 00:30:01 +0000

Candi Mendut is a 9th century Buddhist temple located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is one of three temples along a straight line that are of religious importance to the Javanese people, but the exact relationship between the three has been lost. All that is known now is that Candi Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon were all used for a combined religious ritual. Candi Mendut, more commonly known as Mendut, was built in the early 9th century, sometime before or around 824 AD. Dutch archaeologist JG de Casparis believes the temple mentioned in a Karangtengah inscription dated 824 AD is Mendut temple and has presented enough evidence to back up his claim that the archaeological community concurs. It is unknown how long Mendut was in use or what caused it to be abandoned, but in 1836 the temple ruins were discovered among an overgrowth of trees and bushes. Archaeologists began restoring the temple in 1897 after careful research and completed their restoration work in 1925. The stones used in the restored temple are mostly the same as were at the site when it was found, but there are not enough stones to complete the restoration. Off to the side of Mendut is a field of stones. These stones are those that remain of the rest of Mendut. The parts of the temple that are missing are the pinnacle on top, the walls of a front chamber and the roof of the front chamber. The stones are laid out in the positions they would be in had the remaining stones been on site. Mendut may be small and unassuming, but it has some beautiful bas-reliefs and stone carvings. These depict Boddhisattvas (Buddhist divinities) and other Buddhist figures. The Kejawen Buddhists of Central Java who practice mysticism or Buddhism believe that praying at Mendut will bring about the fulfillment of wishes. This bas-relief in particular is important to childless couples. They pray to this depiction of Hariti for children since Hariti is the symbol of fertility, the patroness of motherhood and protector of children. Inside the temple, you will be greeted by a small room filled with three figures. The central figure is Dhyani Buddha Vairocana. He represents liberation from bodily karma. To the left is Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara. She (some sects depict Avalokitesvara as male, others female) represents the liberation from the karma of speech. And the statue on the right is Boddhisatva Vajrapani. He represents liberation from the karma of thought. While Mendut is not a temple of popular use, it is once again being used for certain rituals. Aside from praying for certain wishes to be fulfilled, Buddhist devotees come to Mendut during the full moon of May or June to observe Vesak by walking from Mendut to Borobodur. Devotees take part in mass prayer while walking around the temples.

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