Exotic, unique local customs fill Indonesia, and its location on the equator makes for a year-round good climate. Thus many tourists travel there. The cultural, economic and political center of Indonesia is the island of Java. Besides the world-famous island of Bali, it draws most of Indonesia's tourist visitors.
Sinorama, while visiting Java to report on the activities of the Republic of China agricultural technical mission and of the Retired Servicemen's Engineering Agency in Java, had an ideal chance to stop in on three tourist attractions on the island: the temple complex at Borobudur, the city of Semarang, and the park Mini Indonesia.
The name Borobudur comes from Sanskrit. Boro means "temple," and budur means "above, upper," referring to the way the temple buildings ascend the hillside on which they are set. In fact, Borobudur is not a single temple, but a group of buildings covering the whole hill, with thousands of stone Buddhist images--a magnificent site.
Borobudur has been grouped with the Great Wall of China, the pyramids of Giza, and the Taj Mahal as one of the world's four great ancient edifices.
Borobudur was built in the eighth century of the Christian era, when central Java was a flourishing cultural center. According to Indonesian government spokesmen, the center of Javanese culture later moved to east Java, and Borobudur was comparatively neglected. A volcanic eruption covered the monument with lava and it lay unknown for 800 years. Only in the nineteenth century, when local residents dug there to find carvings to sell, did the (colonial) government take note of the site.
The temple complex is built on many levels; each level has a surrounding wall, and on each wall are carved arch-shaped nooks for Buddhist images. On the walls are depictions of monsters and mythical fairies, exquisitely carved.
On the seventh to ninth levels of the complex are many round altars, each one with an image of the Buddha; each of the scores of images has a different posture. In order to protect the images, the Indonesian government has built bell-shaped covers over the statues, with holes to admit light and allow visitors to view the images. Some visitors try to reach through the holes in the covers to touch the images' bellies in the belief that that brings blessings. But the shells of the covers are far enough from the images to make that difficult. These covers were emplaced just in time. Already most of the images are missing heads, arms or other parts.
The Sam Poo temple in Semarang is dedicated to Cheng Ho and is commonly filled with worshippers, most of them Indonesians of Chinese ancestry.
The Yong-le emperor of the Ming dynasty commanded Cheng Ho to make seven voyages to the Western Sea (meaning South-East Asia) to proclaim the majesty of the empire. Cheng Ho landed on Java in both 1406 and 1416. Later, Chinese settlers arrived on the island. To commemorate Cheng Ho, they named the place where he landed San-pao Lung ("dragon of the Triratna"). In Indonesian pronunciation, this is Semarang.
In 1960, the Chinese-Indonesians of the area opened a temple. The Confucian-Taoist-Buddhist temple is thoroughly Chinese in construction. Inside are Chinese characters, embroidered decorations, and people worshipping amid clouds of incense. Objects of worship in the temple include an image of Confucius, the earth god, and an old anchor. The anchor is rough and coated with rust, and said to be an anchor used by Cheng Ho more than 500 years ago. People worship before the anchor (they used to touch it before temple authorities prohibited that) and then cast small wooden blocks on the ground for divination. All the activities in the temple are genuinely Chinese.
The worshippers too are just as Chinese as the people on Taiwan, but do not speak any Chinese; they talk to each other in Indonesian--an astonishing sight for our Sinorama reporter.
Mini Indonesia Park is about forty minutes from Jakarta, and is a popular spot for residents of the city to visit during their free time. The park gathers together the architecture and other special features of Indonesia's twenty-seven provinces. Each section of the park features one province, complete with replica buildings. The park also has an aviary, which even has a pair of mandarin ducks brought by Premier Sun Yun-suan during his visit to Indonesia in 1981. In the middle of the park is a man-made lake, with islands inside to represent the shape of Indonesia. One can hire a boat and sail, as it were, among the islands of the Indonesian archipelago without leaving Java.
Indonesia is vast, and it is not easy to get from one island to another for the casual tourist. But in Mini Indonesia Park, one can see the buildings of every province, and can buy special products from every island as souvenirs; it's almost like really making a trip all around Indonesia.
[Picture Caption]
Borobudur--one of the world's four great ancient edifices. 1. Borobudur has ten levels ascending the hill like steps. 2. Atop the hill there are many bell-shaped stone carvings. 3. Borobudur is covered with stone Buddhist images, but unfortunately, many have been damaged. 4. Looking at Borobudur from the foot of the hill makes for an imposing view. 5. Every wall at Borobudur is filled with meticulous carvings of Buddhist stories.
Indonesia's famous Mini Indonesia Park. 1.2. The park includes an aviary, sheltering over a hundred varieties of birds from various countries; visitors can enter the aviary to see the birds. 3. In the middle of the park is a man-made lake, in which are many small islands representing the shape of Indonesia; in the picture tourists are voyaging among Indonesia's islands in a motorboat. 4. In the park, architecture from every part of Indonesia is on display, so visitors can appreciate the special features of each region.
1. The Sam Poo Temple is decorated with red banners and candle lanterns; its atmosphere and furnishings are just like those of temples in Taiwan. 2. An old anchor is displayed for worship in the temple; it is said the anchor was used by Cheng Ho when he landed in Indonesia. It is perhaps 500 years old. 3. Outside the temple is a banyan tree with branches twisted like chains; the worshippers say this is a sign of Cheng Ho's divinity.
4. Looking at Borobudur from the foot of the hill makes for an imposing view.
2. Atop the hill there are many bell-shaped stone carvings.
3. Borobudur is covered with stone Buddhist images, but unfortunately, many have been damaged.
5. Every wall at Borobudur is filled with meticulous carvings of Buddhist stories.
Indonesia's famous Mini Indonesia Park. 1.2. The park includes an aviary, sheltering over a hundred varieties of birds from various countries; visitors can enter the aviary to see the birds.
Indonesia's famous Mini Indonesia Park. 1.2. The park includes an aviary, sheltering over a hundred varieties of birds from various countries; visitors can enter the aviary to see the birds.
3. In the middle of the park is a man-made lake, in which are many small islands representing the shape of Indonesia; in the picture tourists are voyaging among Indonesia's islands in a motorboat.
4. In the park, architecture from every part of Indonesia is on display, so visitors can appreciate the special features of each region.
1. The Sam Poo Temple is decorated with red banners and candle lanterns; its atmosphere and furnishings are just like those of temples in Taiwan.
2. An old anchor is displayed for worship in the temple; it is said the anchor was used by Cheng Ho when he landed in Indonesia. It is perhaps 500 years old.
3. Outside the temple is a banyan tree with branches twisted like chains; the worshippers say this is a sign of Cheng Ho's divinity.
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