The Eerie Funeral Rites of Toraja People

In Toraja society, the funeral ritual is the most elaborate and expensive event. The richer and more powerful the individual, the more expensive is the funeral. In the aluk religion, only nobles have the right to have an extensive death feast. The death feast of a nobleman is usually attended by thousands and lasts for several days. A ceremonial site, called rante, is usually prepared in a large, grassy field where shelters for audiences, rice barns, and other ceremonial funeral structures are specially made by the deceased family. Flute music, funeral chants, songs and poems, and crying and wailing are traditional Toraja expressions of grief with the exceptions of funerals for young children, and poor, low-status adults. 

The Independence of Istiqlal Mosque

Istiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal, (Independence Mosque) in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia in terms of capacity to accommodate people and building structure. This national mosque of Indonesia was built to commemorate Indonesian independence, as nation's gratitude for Islam's blessings; the independence of Indonesia. Therefore the national mosque of Indonesia was named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "Independence".

History

Istiqlal mosque under construction. On the right side is the Jakarta CathedralAfter the Indonesian National Revolution 1945-1949, followed by the acknowledgement of the independence Indonesia from The Netherlands in 1949, there was a growing idea to build a national mosque for this new republic, befitting for a country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The idea of constructing a grand Indonesian national mosque was launched by KH. Wahid Hasyim, Indonesia's first minister for religions affairs,and Anwar Cokroaminoto, later appointed as the chairman of the Masjid Istiqlal Foundation. The committee for the construction of the Istiqlal Mosque, led by Anwar Cokroaminoto, was founded in 1953. Anwar proposed the idea of a national mosque to Indonesian President Sukarno, who welcomed the idea and later helped to supervise the construction of the mosque. In 1954, the committee appointed Sukarno technical chief supervisor.

The Stunning of Jakarta Cathedral

Jakarta Cathedral (Indonesian: Gereja Katedral Jakarta) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Jakarta, currently Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo. Its official name is Gereja Santa Maria Pelindung Diangkat Ke Surga (from Dutch, De Kerk van Onze Lieve Vrouwe ten Hemelopneming, in English: The Church of our Lady of Assumption). This current cathedral was consecrated in 1901 and built in the neo-gothic style, a common architectural style to build churches at that time. The Jakarta Cathedral is located in Central Jakarta near Merdeka Square and Merdeka Palace, it is stood right in the front of Istiqlal Mosque.

The literal translation of the church is "Saint Mary Assumed to Heaven" or for short "St. MATH".

ArchitectureThe more than 100 years old Jakarta Cathedral is known to be one of the most graceful and elegant historical building in Jakarta. The plan of the cathedral took form of a cross with length 60 metres, and 10 meters wide, plus 5 metres on each aisle. The church is called Cathedral because it contains "cathedra", the throne of bishop. The main entrance of the building is facing west, in the center of the main portal stood a statue of Our Lady Mary, on top of the portal there is a sentence written in Latin: "Beatam Me Dicentes Omnes Generationes" which means "All generations called me in blessing". On top of the portal there is a large round stained glass Rozeta Rosa Mystica, the symbol of Mother Mary.

The Indonesian's Miniature of TMII (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah)

This idea of building this smaller scale of Indonesia as whole was originally came from former Indonesian first lady, Siti Hartinah or best-known as Tien Suharto. The idea came out at a convention on 8 Cendana Street at March 13, 1970. Through this recreational site, she hoped more people will have more national pride than before. The project called “Indonesian Miniature Project” was started by Harapan Kita Foundation in 1972. The concept of building this recreational area was taken from the fact that Indonesia has richness from many different sources.

TMII was originally located on a public area of 145 ha, as farms and fields. Later, the team was able to convert these fields into a suitable location for the construction. The topography of TMII is rather hilly, consistent with what the builders required. The team claimed the advantage of utilizing this uneven terrain was the ability to create interesting and diverse landscapes and enclosures, as well as reflecting the various characteristics of the Indonesian environment

The Deer of Bogor Palace

Istana Bogor is one of 6 Presidential Palaces in Indonesia. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural, historical, features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens. Istana Bogor was opened to the public in 1968 to public tour groups (not individuals), with the permission of the then President of Indonesia, Suharto. The number of visitors annually is approximately 10,000 people.

The gardens of the palace have an area of 284,000 square metres (28.4 hectares).

History

The original colonial building on the site of Istana Bogor was a mansion named Buitenzorg (also Sans Souci), which was built from August 1744 as a country retreat for the Dutch Governors, including also during the period of British administration. Notable occupants of the mansion include Herman Willem Daendels and Sir Stamford Raffles.

The Haunted of Lawang Sewu – Semarang

The place is famous for the Thousand Doors and windows and the fascinating stained glass windows representing the Dutch Symbolism of the places like The Hague and Rotterdam and also the Royal family. The building has numerous long winding corridors which open out to the offices on one side of the office and the other end of the building on the other hand. It is a famous landmark in the region of Semarang and a pride for Java.

The place was actually built as the main colonial office for the Dutch and was then taken over by the Japanese government. This place was important because it was the main military hub for the Indonesians and was used for giving shelter to the soldiers and army men here. The place was often considered to be haunted place as many truly and sincerely believed that the place was inhabited by spirits and ghosts and thus many people used to feel scared to visit the place fearing the obvious. However later the place was converted in to a heritage site and many came to visit the place during their holidays or vacations while coming to visit the Semarang. There are other places also which deserve mention but Lawang Sewu stands out among the rest.

The Golden Flame of Monas

The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called, is one of the monuments built during the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. The top of the National Monument (Monas) is Freedom Square. It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945. The 137-meter tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the top, which offers a bird's eye view on the city and the sea.

Go early to beat the crowds and the haze. It is easy for the less physically able as lifts take visitors to the top. The diorama exhibition in the basement gives such a distorted view of Indonesian history - thanks to the dictator Suharto wanting to brainwash the nation - it's amusing. This imposing obelisk is Jakarta's most famous landmark. Construction started in 1961 under President Soekarno but was not completed until 1975, under President Soeharto. The monument houses a couple of museums. The Freedom Hall depicts Indonesia's struggle for independence through a series of dioramas, whereas the Hall of Contemplation displays the original Declaration of Independence document and a recording of the speech. An elevator takes one to the observation platform, which commands a bird's-eye view of the cityscape.

Source: http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/jakarta/monas.html

Picture Source: http://zhadiz.student.umm.ac.id/2010/07/28/monas/

The Legend of Prambanan Temple

Prambanan Temple (built 9th century)

Candi Prambanan is the grandest temple in Java apart from Borobudur. Located on the Prambanan plain, this sprawling temple complex sits majestically in an open area about twenty kilometers south of Mount Merapi, which dominates the horizon. The temple was constructed in the early ninth century by the Sanjaya dynasty, a flourishing Hindu kingdom that shared the island with the Buddhist Saliendra dynasty that built Borobudur. The relationship between the two dynasties is not clear, but one theory maintains that the Sanjayas constructed Candi Prambanan as a symbol of dynastic power in response to the construction of Borobudur. However, the Sanjayas do not seem to have been particularly antagonistic toward the Buddhist faith of the Saliendras—indeed, the temple complex is located just a few hundred meters south of Candi Sewu, a once awe-inspiring marvel of Buddhist art.

Whatever their motives, the Sanjayas certainly constructed Candi Prambanan on a grand scale comparable to Borobudur. In its original form, the temple complex contained over 250 large and small temples. From afar, the temple probably resembled a small city, with a towering core of central spires surrounded by hundreds of subsidiary structures. At the center of this "city" is a square-shaped terrace surrounded by a heavy wall. Gates in the wall are oriented to the four cardinal directions, leading into a middle courtyard surrounded by a much wider wall. Within this zone were once 224 nearly identical temples, each measuring 6 x 6 x 14 meters. Beyond the middle wall was an even larger outer wall that was skewed at an angle to the inner walls. No traces of this wall remain, though parts of it existed as late as the 19th century.

Loro Jonggrang

Candi Prambanan is often called Loro Jonggrang temple after the local name of the Durga statue enshrined in one side of the Shiva temple (Loro Jonggrang means "Slender Virgin"). The substitution of Durga for a more locally-derived god occurred through the fame of an ancient legend. According to legend, the statue of Durga is actually the petrified body of Loro Jonggrang, the daughter of King Ratu Boko. When prince Bandung Bandawasa asked for her hand in marriage, the king answered that he could have her only if he could kill him in battle. In the ensuing fight, the prince killed Ratu Boko. Loro Jonggrang did not wish to marry the murderer of her father, so she asked of him an impossible task: build 1,000 temples in one night. If he fulfilled the task, he could marry her.

The Beauty of Borobudur Temple

Borobudur is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world. Founded by a king of the Saliendra dynasty, it was built to honour the glory of both the Buddha and its founder, a true king Bodhisattva. The name Borobudur is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit words vihara Buddha uhr, meaning the Buddhist monastery on the hill. Borobudur temple is located in Muntilan, Magelang, and is about 42 km from Yogyakarta city.

This colossal temple was built between AD 750 and 842: 300 years before Cambodia's Angkor Wat, 400 years before work had begun on the great European cathedrals. Little is known about its early history except that a huge army of workers worked in the tropical heat to shift and carve the 60,000 m³ of stone.

At the beginning of the 11th century AD, because of the political situation in Central Java, divine monuments in that area, including the Borobudur Temple became completely neglected and given over to decay. The Sanctuary was exposed to volcanic eruption and other ravages of nature. The temple was not rediscovered until the 19th century. A first restoration campaign, supervised by Theodor van Erp, was undertaken shortly after the turn of the century. A second one was led more recently (1973-82).

A harmonious marriage of stupas, temple-mountain and the ritual diagram, this temple complex was built on several levels around a hill which forms a natural centre. The first level above the base comprises five square terraces, graduated in size and forming the base of a pyramid. Above this level are three concentric circular platforms crowned by the main stupa. Stairways provide access to this monumental stupa. The base and the balustrades enclosing the square terraces are decorated in reliefs sculpted in the stone.

They illustrate the different phases of the soul's progression towards redemption and episodes from the life of Buddha. The circular terraces are decorated with no fewer than 72 openwork stupas each containing a statue of Buddha.

Stylistically the art of Borobudur is a tributary of Indian influences (Gupta and post-Gupta styles). The walls of Borobudur are sculptured in bas-reliefs, extending over a total length of 6 km. It has been hailed as the largest and most complete ensemble of Buddhist reliefs in the world, unsurpassed in artistic merit, each scene an individual masterpiece. The narratives reliefs on the main walls read from the right to left, those on the balustrade from left to right. This was done for the purpose of the Pradaksina, the ritual circumambulation which the pilgrims make moving on the clockwise and keeping the sanctuary to the right.

The Karmawibangga reliefs on the hidden foot are devoted to the law of karma. The Lalitavistara series do not provide a complete biography of the Buddha, from the Hushita heaven and end his sermon in the Deer Park near the Benares. Jataka are stories about the Buddha before he was born as Prince Sidharta. Awadana are similar to Jataka, but the main figure is not the Boddhisatva, and the saintly deeds are attributed to other legendary persons.

The stories are compiled in the Dvijavadana (Glorious Heavenly Acts) and the Awadana Sataka (Hundred Awadanas). The first twenty panels in the lower series of the first gallery depict, the Sudhanakumaravadana. The series of reliefs covering the wall of the second gallery is devoted to Sudhana's tireless wanderings in search of the Highest Perfect Wisdom. The story is continued on the wall and balustrade of the third and fourth galleries. Its depiction in most of the 460 panels is based on the holy Nahayana text Gandavyuha, the concluding scenes being derived from another text, the Badracari.

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/592