The Sleeping Buddha above isn't located at Thailand or Nepal. Instead, it is located at Trowulan East Java, Indonesia. This Sleeping Buddha or as the locals call it " Buddha Tidur" is an iconic spot in Trowulan that said to be the third biggest Sleeping Buddha in South East Asia.This statue length is 22 meters with 6 meters wide and 4.5 meters high. With the golden color coating the statue,This Sleeping Buddha looks majestic.
The statue is located inside The Maha Vihara Majapahit. To this day, the Vihara is still functioning for Buddhist renunciates and the praying place for the Buddhist. However, since Majapahit was once a multicultural and multi-religion society, visitors can see a mixture of Hinduism-Buddhism influence in this Vihara complex. Not only that,visitors can also see some "gamelan" instruments and feeding the fishes that live underneath The Sleeping Buddha Statue.
I went to this place with my mother and my cousin. We started our journey at 10 AM from home.This journey was a bit unexpected. However, I had some thoughts in the past as I was watching a documentary from CNA about series called " The Mark of The Empire" that highlighted Majapahit as the " Indonesian Spice Kingdom". That documentary was awesome and it made me want to visit the sites as seen in that documentary. However, As far as I recall, this sleeping Buddha was not included in that documentary.
It was our first time visiting this Sleeping Buddha statue. Today was hot.Although today is Wednesday, the road was crowded as if it was the weekend. But that hot weather and the crowd didn't stop our enthusiasm to see this golden colored statue. My mother remarked, " How come we have never been to that place even though it's nearby?".
At the complex of the statue, we spotted some houses that represent the houses in the past.The architecture was simple and minimalistic with terracotta as the base material from these houses.
FYI : This kingdom is known for its terracotta materials compared to other kingdoms that existed in Indonesia.
When we reached the front gate, there were some banners that mentioned the covid-19 protocols. Then at the front gate, we were greeted by two tall statue and also some Buddhist monks statues.
The entrance fee to this complex is 5000 IDR for an adult and 3000 IDR for a child. I think it's quite reasonable price and throughout this journey, each temples in this area are also at the same price.
Though the main attraction is the Golden Buddha Statue, I think the lotus pond and the gamelan corner were worth checking.
I was lucky enough to spot the performers was doing a rehearsal. Though they were not playing the full music but hearing the distinct sound of Gamelan was soothing. I am a fan of ethnical music and Gamelan use to be something that I observe closely.
The upper part of the gamelan was also pretty. I could see the influence of Indo-China in those gamelan which unlike classic Central Javanese gamelan and Yogyakarta that doesn't have dragon on top of the instrument.
So basically the lotus pond, the golden statue, and the gamelan corner is located at the main complex.
And if you follow the path to the east, there will be a vihara with relief of Buddha's story.
Sadly, I can't get closer to the relief. But the pictures I took were enough for me to understand the story.
The relief is a long piece that tells from the beginning of the Buddha until the end.
The remaining of the relief story.
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If you have ever read Siddharta by Herman Hesse, you'll at least get a bit of a picture. Though it's not related to His life, it's somewhat similar to the story. I think the relief was also an amazing work.
After spotting that relief sculpture, my mother and my cousin showed me the many faces of Buddha statue. The many faces of Buddha is guarded by two elephants. There's also a sign that says visitors must not cross the line.
That is how the many faces of Buddha looks like up close. This room/chamber is still used for the Buddhist monks to pray as I spotted some offerings and also a faucet to wash hands and a hand sanitizer.
Then if you follow the path, there will be a garden and a miniature of Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddhist Temple and was once included in the 7th of World Wonders.
Below the miniature there is a pond and also another relief sculpture.
If you follow the path north, there will be another statue of Buddha.
In this place, though it was extremely hot, the atmosphere was serene and tranquil. But when I explored the path north, I almost got bitten by some mosquitoes. So, I left the place immediately. But before leaving, I was capturing the statue up close.
At the parking lot, we spotted some merchandise. But unlike many touristic places in Indonesia, this place only has a few merchandise spot/vendors like this one below.
It's not a complete tour if you don't visit the Ancient Empire Majapahit. This Empire is considered to be one of the greatest and most powerful empires in the history of Indonesia and Southeast Asia. I like you to the wikipedia article. In case you are interested in knowing this Greatest Empire, you can click on the link above. The complex of this Ancient Empire and its ruin, located about 20 minutes drive from the Sleeping Buddha.
The first historical site that we saw was Kolam Segaran or " Segaran pool" this is a massive pool that belonged to the Empire once. Now, many people are fishing in that pool.
Due to some regulations, I can not tell any stories about the temples I visited.However, I can share the pictures.
So, I visited two temples. The first one being Candi bajang ratu and the second one being Candi Tikus. These two are one of the ruins that exist till today as the mark that once the greatest Empire in South East Asia existed.
That is Candi Tikus.
Our tour has not finished yet. Before going to the museum, we visited the famous local establishment. They are located in front of Segaran Pool. This small place sells various of fish, poultry, and Sambal at an affordable price.
When I was in highschool, my mom's friends took us there because they said it's a good place. They even told us that visiting this complex won't be complete without eating the meal from this humble place.
These are the menu:
Sambal is served on a terracotta plate.
They also serve food wrapped in banana leaves.
My mom picked small fish while I picked eel. My cousin and the driver who took us around choose chicken.
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After we are full of energy, we explored the museum which is located next to this eating place.
I have been to this museum before as a kid. I was impressed with the collections. As someone who loves visiting museum, this was one of the most organized museum I visited.
At this point, I was already a bit exhausted. So, I let my mom once again doing the registration.
Again due to the regulation, I can only show and tell you what is it without making any opinion on it.
The first chamber we visited has a Majapahit Map territory.
That is the replica of what used to be the house of people in this region. Inside that replica there are some household items on display. My cousin (Ray )was also taking a picture of the complex.
From that display, it mentions that the people love to save up.
Then, there are these terracotta displays.
What all of us found impressive is the excavation site of what used to be the houses of Majapahit civilians.
My mom and Ray got explored it from up above and they told me it was amazing above. While I choose to stay down and tried to imagine the structure. But my mom and Ray said it looks more visible from up above.
On the way to the parking lot, we saw "bitter maja" which is The derivation name of the Empire from local Javanese. German orientalist Berthold Laufer suggested that maja came from the Javanese name of Aegle marmelos, an Indonesian tree. You can read more about the trees in that the text that I hyperlinked. Here's how the fruit looks like.
My cousin touching the fruit.
After that, we bid goodbye to this amazing complex rich in history. I wish to visit this place one more time because after exploring the museum, I realized that there are many temples nearby that I have yet to cover.
That was the refreshing view on the way home.
You can also watch the visuals of these place here :
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