Lomography

Candi Gedong Songo
written by monoflow on September 16th, 2009 , 7 comments (3 votes)

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In Ambara, a sub-district of Semarang in Central Java, there is a complex of Hindu temples called Candi Gedong Songo, which in English would roughly mean Nine Big Temples. The Gedong Songo temple complex, discovered by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1804, was built during the 9th-century Syailendra Dynasty. Though supposedly there were nine Hindu temples that you can see at Candi Gedong Songo, only five that are still viewable by visitors. Located at above 1200 meter above the ocean level at the valley of Gunung Ungaran (Ungaran Mountain), the view at Candi Gedong Songo is breathtaking and the air is really chill; moreover, many pine trees and roses surrounding Candi Gedong Songo making the area more beautiful and the existence of a natural spring water source adds up as another reason to go to this Hindu temples complex.

All the nine temples are lining up like a big stair (steps) connected with cemented pathway. You can ride or rent a horse (that will cost you no more then $5) to go from one temple to the other temple and at the same time admiring the beauty of nature around Candi Gedong Songo.

Legend has it that Queen Simha of the Kalingga Kingdom was in power when the Gedong Sanga complex was built. She was known for her fair and respectable reign. The Queen taught her people to worship Sang Hyang Widi, the Powerful God, and in order to accomplish this, she ordered that a temple devoted to Sang Hyang Widi be built.