SUKUH & CETHO TEMPLE
High on the mountains near Solo in Central Java, the temple of Candi Ceto is sited. Candi Ceto is situated further up the Candi Sukuh temple in the mountains. The temple is at an elevation of five hundred meters or 1630 ft above the sea level. One can get a splendid view of the city from the temple. Located high up on the mountains one will certainly enjoy the nip in the air.
Inscriptions found here is evidence to the fact that the Candi Ceto temple dates back deep into history. Some of the dates found inscribed here are AD 1468, 1472 and 1475.then continue to Candi Sukuh popularly known as the Sukuh temple is situated at Desa Berjo, Karangpandan and stands at a height of 910 meters on the slopes of Gunung Lawu.
The temple stretches from the East to the West and the main gate of the temple lies to the West. The construction of the Candi Sukuh is pre historic and reminds one of the Meghalitic eras of Punden Berundak (terrace graves). Candi Sukuh can be considered to be one of the interesting Hindu temples in all of Southeast Asia. then proceed to Solo city for having lunch continue to Museum Radya Pustaka.
It was built in 1890, located at JL. Slamet Riyadi. The statue of Ronggowarsito, a Kraton poet of the past stands in the front yard. It has a good collection of antiquities, gamelan, keris, puppets, scroll of wayang beber, some Javanese and Dutch books continue to Sangiran Museum and Early Man Site, Solo is a popular tourist spot near the city, which attracts tourists from all over the world. Sangiran Museum and Early Man Site is actually an archaeological excavation site located in the island of Java in Indonesia. The site covers a area of about 48 square kilometer and it is only 15 km away from north of Surakarta in the Bengawan Solo River valley.
Sukuh temple is located in Berjo Village, Argoyoso district, in the slope of mount Lawu 35 Km east of Solo at a height about 910 m above sea level. The temple stretches from the east to the west with the main gate in the west. Sukuh Temple is decorated with wayang stone carvings of Hindu origin, the only erotic temple in Java. The stepped pyramid is like the ones in South America of the Maya culture. The temples are distinctive compared with other ancient temples in Central Java such as Borobudur and Prambanan, and its uniqueness lies in the landscaping, statuettes, and relief. The temples occupy an 11,000m2 area and consist of three terraces, each connected with an ascending alley. The most influential part is the last terrace, at the very back of the compound. At this very sacred area, once erected a homogenous phallic statue, which is now displayed at the National Museum, Jakarta. Another interesting and controversial factor of this historical site is the artistic relief on its floor, which depict male and female organs symbolizing the birth of life. This kind of construction is common in prehistoric time, especially in the megalithic era of pundan berundak (terrace grave). The temple consist of three terraces, the first terrace is the lowest level, followed by the second and the third above it. The terrace are connected with stairs to each other, each of it has an entrance gate. The temple has believed to be constructed in the 15th century during the declining years of Majapahit Empire. The relief found beside the first gate are believed had mean (sengkalan) reads Gapura Buta Aban Wong and Gapura Buta Anahut Bubut, meaning the year of 1359 saka or 1437 AD.
Johnson, the resident of Surakarta, first discovered the temple in 1815 in a very poor condition during the period of Raffles government. The first study in 1842 had done under the leadership of Dr. Van de Vlis, Hoepermans and was studied by Verbeek in 1889, and finally by Knebel in 1910. _In 1917 there had been an effort to secure and rescue by the office of prehistoric sites of the Netherlands East Indian Government. Then in 1989 the restoration was resumed by the Restoration and Maintenance of Prehistoric and Historic Project in Central Java. The view surrounding the temple is alluring. The road to this temple with impressive grandeur is surfaced all the way. The structure and the mood of Lawu Temple are different from other temples in Java, it is built like a Maya stepped pyramid, and so it is worth seeing.
