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One
odd day at work and I happened to glance through the Jakarta
Post where a story about hidden temples in West Java caught
my eye. Like a daft bastard I didn't keep the story, neither
did I downlads the info from their webpage in those short
few hours they keep the stories on line.
As
can be expected I forgot about it for a while until I decided
what I really needed was a day out.
In
and around the kampung of Batujaya are believed to be dozens
of temples lying just beneath the sawah waiting to be discovered.
For now Candi Jiwa is about all that can be seen and by itself
can be pretty uninspiring, especially for those who have seen
the spleandour of Borobodor, Taj Mahal or Angkor Wat. What
inspires is the beauty of the place and the mystery of what
lies beneath the paddy.
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Candi Jiwa is the one temple that has been restored |
Beneath the serene sawah lie many more temples and
relics |
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This
apparent pile of rocks is currently being put back
together. Once upon a time there was a small hill here.
Before that was a temple... |
Who knows what stories of the
past lie under this copse
This cannon spent 300 years
lying under the Java Sea...The guide said it was Portuguese
but with a date of 1700 on the cannon could it be Dutch?
There is a
small museum with a few labelled, in Indonesian, displays as
well as a couple of cannon. The guide who shows you round
what there is to see, admittedly not a lot, is a helpful
chap and he will take you to the museum. He is also the
caretaker and doesn't work for the government. Hence he's
helpful!
Getting There
Batujaya
lies just 80 miles or so from Jakarta as the crow flies yet
unfortunately crows didn't design the Indonesian road network.
By public transport get
thee to Karawang, by train or bus. From there pick up an
angkot to Rengasdenklok. Get another angkot on to Batujaya
and say you want to see the Candi.
If driving then much the
same. On the way back there is a back woods route that takes
you through shitty roads to Cilincing, North Jakarta. Not
for sedans as my back is currently telling me! The ferry
takes you, and your car, across the Citarum.
Either way by car takes
about 2 and a half to 3 hours! Public transport would take
yonks!
Don't go in
the rainy season! See
this
story...
Sources:
Indonesian Language .PDF document |
