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Borobudur and Shadow Puppets

Travels on the islands of Bali & Java

Annette
2005-08-29 22:29:32

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In contrast to Bali, neighboring Java is mercifully devoid of dogs. Not a bark to be heard in Yogyakarta, the cultural heartland of Central Java. "Yogya" is a bustling university town with endless streams of mopeds rolling down main street, night markets that never seem to close, vivacious young Indonesians with long hair dancing to popular American music in front of large posters of the ruling politician of the time. Against this backdrop, there are thousands of Becaks - the bicycle rikshas of Java-; the Bird Market, where the Javanese love of songbirds finds its expression, and the Kraton palace, where to this day the Sultan of Yogyakarta makes his home.

At the Kraton as well as in the city's residential neighborhoods, shadow puppet plays can be seen any day. There are local all-night versions or two-hour abbreviated plays put on by the Sonobudoyo Museum. Even television caters to this Javanese pastime by offering a long rendition each Saturday night. The plays depict the epic 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharata' and are a means of preserving the Hindu heritage of Java. It is fascinating to observe the members of the Gamelan orchestra accompanying the 'Dhalang' (story teller). Everyone surely has seen each play a dozen times and knows each character and all the plots by heart. Yet musicians as well as the audience seem to get drawn in by the Dhalang, who lends color and style through his personal interpretation and skills. An accomplished puppeteer will captivate his audience and invite laughs, sing-along and all-round good cheer. If he has a bad day, though, you can find the audience restless, bored or even taking naps. Regulars of the genre recognize a talented Dhalang just as elsewhere, one might appreciate a good actor.

Only a short distance from the heart of Java's traditions in Yogyakarta are the many antiquities of Central Java. The 8th and 9th centuries brought forth several Hindu and Buddhist sites in this area. The most hauntingly beautiful and serene of these is Borobudur. It is one of the greatest Buddhist relics of Southeast Asia. Soon after its completion around 850 a. D. it was abandoned. Buried under volcanic ashes for a thousand years, it was cleared in 1915. A major restoration project between 1973 - 84 brought it back to the condition visitors enjoy today. Seen from a bird's eye view, this monument with its 200 square yard base is literally 'wrapped' around a hill. Six square terraces are topped by three circular ones. The famous bell-shaped, latticed stupas are situated on the top three levels. Reliefs of astounding sculptural detail decorate the lower walls. Over 400 Buddha statues calmly look out over the volcanoes and valley beyond. Standing behind one of the statues early in the morning, you can watch the mist lift off the countryside below and imagine the timelessness of this monument as worshippers long ago passed along the same narrow corridors.

The giggle of school children on a field trip soon cuts through my reverie, and I find myself surrounded by eager teenagers practising their English skills with me. The girls in their Moslem headscarves form an interesting contrast to the Buddhist backdrop. Indonesia is a melting pot, an assemblage of myriad islands of rich traditions and a cross-cultural heritage. Fire dance and puppet theater, temple ceremonies and calls to prayer, beach resorts and Borobudur, songbirds and stray dogs merge to make colorful, precious memories.

(October 1997)

Photos & Text by Annette Solyst

copyright 1997-2003 Annette Solyst