Cempaka Culture and Tourism: Mysterious Ancient Palace Ratu Boko, the Perfect Spot to Catch Yogyakarta’s Sunset

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Mysterious Ancient Palace Ratu Boko, the Perfect Spot to Catch Yogyakarta’s Sunset

Jakarta Globe, Wahyuni Kamah, Jan 14, 2015

Ratu Boko is the locals’ best-kept secret for sunset and sunrise viewing in the
tourist spots surrounding Yogyakarta. The complex offers a wealth of history.
(JG Photo/Wahyuni Kamah)

When the chief executive of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, visited Indonesia October last year, he went to Borobudur Temple in Yogyakarta to watch the sunrise.

Following the tycoon’s lead I asked, where is the best site to view the sunrise? “Ratu Boko,” answered Ari, my Yogyakarta driver.

Out of curiosity, I asked Ari to take me to the site one afternoon to catch the sunset. Ratu Boko is about 18 kilometers to the east of Yogyakarta, situated at the top of a 196-meter-high hill.

The road to reach the site curves with sharp turns.

“It’s challenging for a big bus to pass this road,” said Ari. During the hot season all I could see from the road was the villagers’ huts on bare soil. “Water is scarce in this area during hot season,” Ari said.

The Ratu Boko complex is located across two villages, Sambirejo and Bokoharjo, in Prambanan, Sleman district, Yogyakarta.

As I approached the complex a number of visitors were taking selfies by the entrance. A number of people carried professional cameras to capture the sunset.

The Ratu Boko site’s location on the hilltop offers gorgeous surrounding scenery: the Prambanan Temple to the north with Mount Merapi in the background and villages in the area. Indeed a good spot for photos.

The complex has three levels, or terraces. On the first terrace, no ruins remain but the rock wall supporting the second terrace, several steps above.

A 3.5-meter wall of andesite rock divides the second and third terrace. A small tunnel which may have been a moat also marks the division. To the south, I could see scattered rocks of on-going archaeological works.

A few meters from one of the many second terrace entrances lies the small Temple of White Stones. Stepping to the second entrance, I reached the square in the center of Ratu Boko site.

The breeze blew softly. Before the dusk it generated a sense of quietness and serenity.

The path leading to Ratu boko. (JG Photo/Wahyuni Kamah)

Setting it aside from other ancient buildings in Central Java which are mostly temples and for religious purposes, this complex suggests it had once been a grand residence.

It is still not clear what Ratu Boko once was. Only archaeological evidence like inscriptions and artefacts can help to reveal its history.

According to the evidence, Ratu Boko is an ancient archaeological site that has both Hindu and Buddhist influences.

As written in the ancient Abhayagiri vihara inscription dated 792 CE discovered in the Ratu Boko complex, the site was originally built as a place for seclusion and spiritual tranquility, a monastery for the monks.

Remains of Buddhist stupas (structures containing relics, including the remains of monks) were also found on the site.

Other inscriptions told that the complex had then become a residential palace of Hindu ruler Rakai Walaing Pu Kumbayoni, a descendant of the Sailendra dynasty, beginning in the ninth century.

Some ceramics from the dynasties of China, including Ming (from the 14th to 17th centuries) and Sung (stretching from the 11th to 13th centuries) were also discovered.

In 1915, F.D.K. Bosch, a Dutch archaeologist, named the ruins “Kraton van Ratoe Boko.” The excavation of the complex begun in 1938 and continues.

Sunset at Ratu Boko. (JG Photo/
Wahyuni Kamah)

I stood for a while enjoying the spectacular panorama from the hilltop. When I looked up at the sky, I thought it a matter of luck to be able to catch the sunset as the cloud started to cover the sun.

The signage in the square pointed to the pendopo in the southeast which I would’ve liked to explore. However, on-going archaeological works left some scattered rocks making it too difficult. As the sunset approached, my best option was to follow the sign pointing towards the best view.

There are steps leading to the platform. On top is a small open house for visitors to view the surrounding scenery or to meditate. From there, I could see Prambanan temple in the distance.

At dusk, I was almost face to face with the sunset when the cloud unfortunately started to hide it.

Despite failing to catch the sunset it was a nice experience to be in the Ratu Boko complex — named after the local legend Roro Jonggrang.

According to the legend, it was the palace of Ratu Boko (literally “king of stork”), the king of Boko, who had a daughter named Roro Jonggrang.

The legend Roro Jonggrang also explains the origin of Prambanan complex.

With its mysterious background, Ratu Boko site is indeed attractive; the atmosphere, surroundings, ruins, the peacefulness and mystique are something not to be missed.

On the way out of the complex, I stopped by the Plaza Andrawina. This is the best spot to get a breathtaking view of the valley, part of Yogyakarta and different angles of Prambanan Temple and Mount Merapi in the distance.