DIENG PLATEAU : MISTS AND MISTERIES
Dieng , a volcanic plateau some 2000 m above sea level, is
the site of a number of 8t century Shivaite Hindu Temle groups. The rim of the
volcano apparently collapsed many ages ago, forming a marshy plain over the old
crater. Here the temples stand, not far from placid lakes, bubbling geysers and
pungent sulphur fumes pouring out of the earth. The plain was once drained by
an underground tunnel ( the remains of which can still be seen)and seems to
have been the site of a temple city whose population consisted mainly of
priests , temple attendants and visiting pilgrims.
All the standing temples have been named after the Pandawa
heroes of the Hindu Mahabarata epic. Scholars generally assume that these names
were given to the temples by the local people several centuries after they had
been erected. The temples are smaller and simpler in ornamentation than in
southern Central Jaya.
Eight temples, perhaps a third of the original number, have
been partially restored. Of special note are the Bima temple in the south and
the group in the centre: Semar , Arjuna , Srikandii, Puntadewa and Sembadra.
The group on the western side of the plateau has also been partially restored.
Traces of a palace can be seen near the centre of the plain,
east of the Semar and Arjuna temples. Further to the west, but now covered by a
mushroom plantation, are the ruins of a monastery.
Close to Lake Warna ( Coloured Lake) on the south eastern
edge of the plateau is the Semar Cave, a holy spot where Javanese come to
meditate. There are pleasant paths leading round the lake. Shady trees and
grassy banks make this an ideal picnic spot.
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