Jakarta Globe, Putri Minangsari – Burufly, October 7, 2013
Serenity at sunrise makes Borobudur temple a memorable place to visit. (Burufly Photo) |
More than
three decades have passed since Unesco first listed cultural and natural
heritage sites of special significance. In 2012, with almost 1,000 places on
the list, it has become one of the reasons why people travel to faraway lands.
Indonesia
is home to eight such Unesco sites. These range from natural beauty in the
wilds of Sumatra to the magnificent Borobudur temple on Java. Here’s our guide
to all eight:
Borobudur
Compound (1991)
This temple
is one of the the largest Buddhist monuments in the world. With more than two million
blocks of carved volcanic stone and a beautiful line of five active volcanoes,
the serenity and history make it a truly memorable place to visit.
Prambanan
Compound (1991)
Adorned
with lavish and suggestive decorations, this Hindu monument — a complex of 240
temples and was built in the eighth century, during the heyday of the powerful Sailendra dynasty in Java — is
said to be the largest outside India.
The
compound has an open-air theater in which more than 200 dancers perform the
great Hindu epic “Ramayana” every other night. The performance, set against the
starry sky and a great bonfire with Prambanan as the backdrop, is definitely
spell-binding.
Komodo
National Park (1991)
More than
five thousand giant lizards, whose appearance and aggressive behavior have led
us to call them Komodo dragons, live in Padar, Komodo and Rinca, the three big
islands that make up the Komodo National Park.
The living
fossils might be the main attraction here, but the national park has more to
offer. The dry hillsides of the savannah and pockets of green vegetation offer
great vistas, while the white and pink sandy beaches and natural corals will
take your breath away.
Home to
Krakatau — famous for a catastrophic eruption in 1883 — the Ujung Kulon
National Park’s beauty remains preserved. Located on the south-western tip of
Java, the park boasts several offshore islands with unspoiled beaches,
stretched towards the Indian Ocean.
Sangiran
Excavation Site (1996)
Outside the
charming city of Solo in Central Java lies one of the most important sites in
the history of human evolution. Excavations at this site, led by German
archeologist G.H.R. von Königswald from 1936 to 1941, uncovered the first known
hominid fossils. In the following years, excavations discovered fossil believed
to belong to the first human ancestors, Pithecanthropus erectus (“Java Man.”)
Lorentz
National Park (1999)
Slightly
smaller than the US state of Oregon, Lorentz National Park is located at the
eastern tip of the archipelago. From the eternal snow on of the world’s seven
highest summits to exceptional tropical marine environments to extensive
lowland wetlands, the park offers striking contrasts that are perfect for
adventurers.
Distinctive,
indigenous cultures such as the Amungme, West Dani and Komorohave have their
roots in the region.
Tropical
Rainforest of Sumatra (2004)
Sumatran
tigers, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran orangutans are among the many
inhabitants of this site, which comprises three national parks: Gunung Leuser,
Kerinci Seblat and Bukit Barisan Selatan, which together are home to an
estimated 10,000 species of plants, more than 200 species of mammals, and some
600 species of birds, of which 465 are resident and 21 are endemic.
The Subak
System: Cultural Landscape of Bali (2012)
Recently
named a world cultural heritage site, the Subak reflects the philosophy of Tri
Hita Karana, which brings together the realms of spirit, human and nature. A
water temple sits at the center of the site, and a priest is in charge of
dividing the water. The democratic farming practices here have enabled the
Balinese to become the most effective rice growers in the archipelago.
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