Tour Guide, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
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“Special Region of Yogyakarta is one of the best tourism destinations in Southeast Asia by its characterically appealing tourism places of nature, culture and history, religion, and so on” – Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, The Governor Special Region of Yogyakarta.
“Temples are one of our ancestors invaluable inheritance. Temples also identify characteristics of a civilization and culture. The existence of either Buddhist or Hindu temples in Yogyakarta proves that cultural acculturation really happened in the past. Special District of Yogyakarta becomes center of the civilization and cultural diversity. The existence of the temples in Yogyakarta shows how spiritual and loyal people from the past were, in order to achieve their purpose together. Without cooperation and loyalty, those invaluable masterpieces would never come true” – Sri Purnomo, The Regent of Sleman, Special Region of Yogyakarta.
Ever imagined the thrill of walking around the site of empire building remains? Unlike other relics of ancient Javaese whose building design is commonly religious, the Site of Ratu Boko Palace is a settlement complex with an entrance gate, pendapa, houses, bathing pools, and fences of protection. So, visiting the Site of Ratu Boko Palace will absolutely be one amazing adventure that involves imagination of civilization and life of the king in the past.
Ratu Boko Temple is a complex of multifunctional buildings consisting of several components : a fortress, a palace, and a cave.
The complex consists of a main gate, a temple, a 20 x 50 – meter pool with a d epth of 2 meters, a cave, fences and a square, a temple for fireplace, and a paseban (an audience hall). The remains of pendapa , halls, three small temples, a pool, and a keputren ( a place for king’s wives and daughters) are in the southeast. The other pool, Statue of Buddha, and some caves including Wado n (female) and Lanang (male) cave are in the east.
Located on a hill, it would require water source and distribution system for fulfilling daily needs. Bathing pools were ones of the water control system which then challenged archaeologists to reconstruct them. Beside giving air freshness along with such beautiful scenery for the people, it also gave protection from enemies since it was located on a high hill. The longer you walk arund the complex of Ratu Boko Palace, the deeper admiration of the will it carve. The construction of the palace complex has shown how experts in the past had so brilliant thoughts that they could adjust the landscape and contour of hilly area with layout planning as well as the beauty of amazing architectures.
There are so many places in this complex that remain a mystery. For example, an extensive building of crematorium in the left of the main gate implies routine cremation activities. The real function of this building seem to need more in –depth research to know whether this place was formerly functioned as a sort of altar or a place of offerings. The complex of Ratu Boko Palace is mostly visited in the late afternoon before sunset as the gate and the temple look covered with gold, set with the vastness of horizon and the panoramic hilltop down there. (Taken from book “The Thousand Temple Tours of Sleman”)
Location and access:
Located in Prambanan, Sleman, Yogyakarta, the complex of Ratu Boko Temple that is at 196 meters above sea level can be reached from downtown Yogyakarta through Prambanan – Piyungan Street, 3 kilometers away to the south of Prambanan T- junction. Follow the signpost to the complex of Ratu Boko Temple.