Story of Bali, Indonesia

On the Dieng plateau, to the south-west of present-day Semarang, here are several tjandis, amongst the most ancient in Java, presumably erected in tile eighth or ninth centuries A.D. It is not improbable that of them at least were erected during the dynasty preceding that of the Sliail6ndras; this is also indicated by the fact that these tjandis are all Shivaist.

They are not large -monuments: on the average they are not more than about 50 feet high. As far as any general impression can be formed from the ruins, these monuments were fairly compact,.with sparse

Ornamentation. The kalamakara motif is to be found over the entrance-gate and sometimes over the recesses in the temple itself.

On one of these sites (Tjandi Bima) there are also recesses on the top of the temple with sculptured heads of human beings in them.

Because of its many sulphur springs the Dieng plateau is not a particularly attractive district and it is therefore at first sight striking that there should be so many tjandis there. But an area where the mysterious forces of nature manifested themselves in such a remarkable way was probably regarded as particularly appropriate for seeking to establish contact with one's ancestor.

Kalasan is the oldest tjandi to which a date can be set namely 778 A.D. This monument is situated south of the volcano Merapi on the left bank of the river Opak, and was created by the first prince of the Shailendra dynasty it is therefore Buddhist. It was dedicated to the Buddhist goddess Tara, and was apparently designed as a sepulcher for the prince's consort. The kalamakara motif is to be found both above the entrance as well as above the reccsses, and its ornamentation is magnificent.

In the interior there must have stood large bronze statues, amongst them a huge one of the goodess. But they are no longer extant, having disappeared along with so many other treasures of the Hindu-javanese era when the Madjaspashit kingdom collapsed and Java became the battleground in violent struggle for hegemony.

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