Straight Outta Indiana Jones

Olivia (OH-LIV-EE-UH) Salas, temple visits, 21.01.14

Hello wonderful readers, it's Olivia! In our treks throughout Indonesia I have witnessed some of the most breathtakingly beautiful sights I have ever seen. From jungles thick with palm trees to white sandy beaches, from chaotic cities whose buildings fit together like the worlds most complicated jigsaw puzzle to small villages that boast a handful of brightly painted homes, Indonesia is chock full of amazing sights. In fact as I write this on our way to our next obligation, I can hear the exclamations of my peers, marveling at this evening's glorious sunset.

All that being said, nothing could've prepared me for our visits to the temples yesterday. In the areas we have visited or driven through, it is rare to see a building taller than the local mosque's tower. With the exception of some of the bigger cities, most buildings barely push four stories. In fact, trees often dwarf the buildings around them. It is with this observation that I waited in anticipation to see the Prambanan Temple through the thick palm trees as we wound through the countryside. Without catching so much as glimpse, we exited the bus and entered the area.

Upon entry, we were given black and white sarongs to wear in order to give extra coverage so as to not offend the gods (yes, we looked pretty awesome and touristy). Our enthusiastic tour guide led us along a muddy pathway up to our first view of the temple. The temple, simply put, is incredible. It looks like something one would expect to see Indiana Jones exploring. It is a collection of a bunch of tower structures, each housing at least one statue honoring the glory of at least one Hindu god. Unfortunately some of the structures were damaged In a recent earthquake. Nevertheless, we had the opportunity to explore them thoroughly. For the main temple, we were given hard hats to protect us from any falling stone, but frankly I was quite satisfied with their ability to keep me from knocking myself out every time I smacked my head on a low entryway. Each structure would have a flight of stairs (each stair being about a foot and a half tall) going to a sort of wrap around balcony that was decorated with beautiful carvings, and a second flight of stairs leading to a dark chamber with a statue of a god (or in one case a bull). The structures are all made up of interlocking stones, carved artfully, and ingeniously set.

After about an hour and a half of exploring the Prambanan Temple, we reloaded into the bus and took off for the Borobudur Temple. This temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, boasting over 500 statues of Buddha. While it has been painted and then restored over the ages, the stone and general aesthetic of it was very similar and just as awesome as the last temple. It is of Buddhist convention that one walks clockwise around the temple and you work on ascending the 142 (huge) steps to the top. All the while, the walls are carved with the tales of Buddha's life, and the outer perimeter has a Buddha statue about every couple meters. In the uppermost level, there are about seventy statues of Buddha in stone bells (stupas), each with a different hand position. Once at the top, it is customary to circle the level three times clockwise, at a minimum.

All in all, the day was incredible. Even though it was one of the stickier, sweatier days we've experienced in a while, and the stairs were an amusing struggle (when climbing stairs that tall, one can not help but feel like a toddler trying to climb up stairs), it was one of my favorite. I ate up the impressive temples with my eyes, exploring as much of the structures as I could, all while the Indiana Jones theme song tumbled through my head. The temples are truly gifts left behind by an ancient, incredible culture and people, and I hope they continue to stand the test of time to be treasured by generations to come.

 

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