We had a magnificent morning in Prambanan last Thursday. We woke up early and beat the crowds and heat of the day and had an excellent tour of the ancient temples with our guide Tis Lingga. Prambanan represents the full glory of the royal power of the Hindu kingdom of Mataram at its peak.
In contrast to the glories of Mataram, yesterday we traveled high into the mountains above the city of Surakarta to see the last of the Hindu temples in Java, Candi Sukuh and Candi Cethu. Here we had, Pak Juno, an expert in the temple history and symbolism, give us a tour of the temples. Candi Sukuh, he explained, was not built to honor any Hindu gods, rather it was a return to the ancient animism that existed in Java before the arrival of Hinduism. These last temples of the Majapahit kingdom are linked to the Hinduism in Bali. Remnants of the kingdom fled to Bali and established cultural practices which have been passed down in Bali to the present day.
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