Is Yogyakarta on your must visit list?

Next time when you plan your trip to Bali or Singapore, I highly recommend you to keep Yogyakarta on your itinerary. It is ancient city on the Java Island. It has direct air connectivity from many key South Asian cities.

Why Yogya or Jogjya as the locals stylishly call it? For many reasons. Foremost for an Indian, it has many heritage connecting to our Indian roots. Aside the heritage part, it has many tourist attractions for adventurists. There is a live volcanic mountain nearby. There is a cave tour for adventurists in the midst of thick tropical forest.

Indian Roots

Java islands are completely Muslim dominated today. Almost 90% are Muslims. The city of Yogya is comparable to something like Mysore in size and population. This is a tropical city. Hence you see thick vegetation, thick population & salubrious climate. The roads, traffic, myriad two wheelers, cars, jeeps are very much like India. There is hardly any Indians. Even the Indian tourists are hard to come by. I don’t see any Indian brands also. Comparatively, many European cities have Indians running shops, restaurants etc., But here none. Even the tourist driver also quipped that he has some Srilankan tourists but hardly any Indians.

But we see many brands with Indian names! Ramayana Textiles is very common like Megamart, Big Bazar in our towns. Even in villages as we passed by we saw Saraswathi Tutions!, Pandava Jewellers etc., !! They are all run by Muslims. They say those names are from their ancestors. The people are very friendly. In fact when we went to Borobudur, the students flanked around us to take selfies as we were friendly foreigners! My teenage son was feeling shy and embarrassed but gracefully posing!!

My driver told in highly broken difficult English, that many of the words in Javanese language are common with Sanskrit like Madhu, Kursi, Uthara etc.,! He knew about Sanskrit & Ramayana a bit! He knew about Prakash Padukone while he didn’t know about Deepika though! He knew Nehru & Indira though he didn’t know Modi (about whom I educated him of course!!). He was in late forties & may be had these Indians covered in their school texts those days. I asked about any Indian things covered in their current school texts of his high school daughter. Negative was the answer.

Bollywood is also not common or popular. But few know it. I came across a guy @ our home stay who was very passionate about Bollywood songs and wanted to do a karaoke with us! But couldn’t catch up!

It is amazing to see how our Indians a millennium back had so much connection with these Java islands! The influence is deep in villages. May be the traders brought along the Ramayana, Mahabharata along. The locals were inspired and adopted the stories into their plays and festivities. Even today they say, in their villages some of these plays are played. That is more important to note, than the famous Ramayana Ballet at the backdrop of the Prambanan temple in Yogyakarta city. Because that has some government backing and support to retain the heritage. In the villages they have to do it of their own interest and needs local people backing and finance and a reason to keep it against the mullah’s diktats.

But with the Muslim domination & slow radicalization there, it is very hard for them to sustain and propagate local ancient culture by their generations. When I met the teacher @ the Ramayana Ballet, she was finding it hard to generate interest in the school kids to take up the Ballet. She was confident however & very passionate about the art. When I spoke to her and one of the actor in the Ballet, I found they don’t have the devotional feeling as we have here. They also don’t read it with academic, moralistic depth and interest. But they are passionate to preserve this as an art form.   

The guide I got @ the Prambanan temple was a Hindu. But he also said he declared himself a Muslim in the official records although he skips their rituals in his personal life. So I think the Hindus are suppressed. Some history says, they either converted or congregated in Bali island. In Bali they are in majority and also have kept their rituals alive. Here in Java islands, all temples are bereft of any Hindu or Buddhist rituals.  They just stand as mute testimony of their glorious past. The Dutch who ruled Indonesia over 2 centuries helped retain them as archeological evidences.

Prambanan Temple and Borobudur Temple

Borobudur temple is magnificent. An amazing sight to behold as you approach it. It has 10 stories to climb up to the top. Layer by layer you have stupas all around. All sitting Buddha statues. Many of them are unfortunately beheaded. The top most stupa is huge, impressive and is at the centre! But the Buddha inside is missing. Stolen away or destructed.

This temple is far away from the city of Yogya by about 50 miles. The guide said, it was completely covered in forest when a Dutch explorer chanced upon in his explorations. Then they made it a heritage centre. UNESCO recognizes it as the largest Buddhist temple in the world!! Such richness, harmony they possessed once upon a time!

Prambanan temple is in the city of Yogyakarta. It has 3 very large towers. It is 3 distinct temples for Brahma, Vinshnu & Maheshwara. The centre one is the large one which was for Maheshwara. The main Idol is not there inside. They are about 7 story building height. The Ramayana, Bhagavatha katha and Buddha Charita are carved on the outer walls of these temples. It is very detailed similar to those in our ancient temples in India. The entire temple complex used to house some 2 dozen temples. But not many of them remain now. Years of destruction and apathy has left them in this state. But at least now there is a heritage tag and protection by their archeology department.

In the backdrop of the temple, there is this world famous Ramayana Ballet is performed almost every other evening. We were lucky to witness it the day we went. It is one of the most beautiful Ramayana rendering I have seen. It is most exquisite. It is a world record that the Ballet is continuously been running for many decades now. Hanuman is called the White Monkey. The Lanka Dahan sets the stage afire literally. It is one of the best scenes. In their version it is Kumbhakarna who defects to join Rama.

The photo album of our trip to Singapore and Yogyakarta is here for reference:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/GfCqktGvYFZULVceA

One thing is sure, the ancient Indians surely were more outreaching, confident, explorative, & influential. Unlike Europeans, they went for trade and peacefully did that. They didn't grab anyone's freedom nor looted them. They didn't create inferiority minds there. They created peace & prosperity not just in our lands but in foreign lands.

Today we are down & negligent. But there is light. We are independent now. Slowly we are realizing our potential. India is raising its stature in world stage. We are making our foray through our own peaceful means. Tourism helps. Even middle class people like us can travel & meet the world. Business & trade is there. But most importantly, if we are able to retain & reward our art, culture, heritage then people will throng to India and appreciate our real soul.

Here are few snaps for the article: 

	The magnificent Borobudur temple I met a Tibetan Buddhist there. He was doing Parikrama of the great temple.  He lives in India as part of the contingent sheltered in India from their Chinese occupation and persecution in Tibet
	This is a popular textile chain in Yogya! You find it in every corner of the main town & also along highways outskirts.
	The Prambanan Temple Complex. The main towers are 3 for Brahma, Vishnu Maheshwara. But several other temples also present. Some are destructed.
	Agasthya was popular here too!!  Srivijaya who ruled from here is credited in history to have patronized these magnificent temple constructions.
	A Beautiful carving of Ganesha in one of the temples. No Pooja, no rituals allowed.  Hinduism and Buddhism were most prominent until the Muslims invaded. Probably there was less resistance. And everyone converted to Isalm in Java Islands. And may be some people migrated to Bali and are retaining their Hindu culture there even now.