Since a long time good road connect the coastal area with Jawa's fertile inlands. In ancient times a number of roads lead from the kingdom of Mataram, the current area around Yogyakarta, through the mountains to small places at the coast. In this places of collection goods from the inlands were traded against metal objects, pottery, spices, clothes, and other goods from abroad.
The journey from Mataram to the coast took a long time. People had to cross rivers on foot, and during the wet season the roads became mud paths. The distance of 120 kilometres took some days.Travellers slept in the cool mountain lands with it's sacred places, hotwater sources and distant meditation caves. Now the journey only takes two hours, over a nice smooth road. The small villages of those times have been replaced by big cities. Semarang, since the 18th century the most important harbour at this coast, now is the capital of the province
Jawa Tengah ( Central Jawa ), and with a total population of 1,5 milion, the fourth biggest city of Jawa.
Colonial city of collection
Semarangs past is covered in clouds. Jawanese stories name the harbour in Sanscrite like
Pragota or
Pergota, which means that there had to be some kind of Indo-Jawanese village. Following geologists the row of hills surrounded the mouth of the
Kali Semarang , southwest of Semarang nowadays. This is the place where admiral Zhenghe ( from the Ming ) went, and where now the temple
Gedung Batu is located.
At the end of the 15th century an Arabic mullah took the local nameof Ki Pandan Arang. He founded a village on this place and subjected him to the mighty Demak. His grave is on the Bergota hill. In that time Semarang was an unimportant harbour, but when in the 17th century the harbour of Demak became silted up, the city got more important rapidly. In 1678 Mataram had to give away Semarang to the VOC, which replaced it's headquarters from Japara to Semarang.
In 1706 the outpost of the VOC was sieged by 3500 Chinese rioters from Batavia, reinforced with 20,000 troops from Matara. Remarkable enough, the Dutch defense was strong enough to withstand the rioters until reinforcements arrived for them, ever since the Dutch rule was never doubted for. Behind the railway station Poncol at Jalan Imam Bonjot are soms ruines of the 18th century VOC fortress.
In the 19th century Semarang developed into a booming centre of trade, also because of the construction of proper roads to the south, along both sides of the Merapi vulcano and Merbabu vulcano. The plains around Semarang were cultivated and against the end of the 19th century tremendous amounts of sugar, rice, coffee and other trading goods were transported to the harbour.
Semarang was one of the few harbours at the northern coast who did survive the transition towards steamships. The light industry boomed, and in the high tides around the turn of the century Semarang could compare itself with Surabaya and Batavia for what about size and importance. As a centre of production, the city is still becoming more important every day, but as a city of collection, it lacks a good seaport, so it looses ground there.
Old city with Chinese mark
Semarang is not a tourist city, however the hills south of the city give something natural to the city. Spend a day in the old city and then go into the hills south of the city.
Start your walk with a look in the harbour, a smaller version of Sunda Kelapa and Surabaya's Kali Mas. Walk southwards to the old European trading quarter around Jalan Jendral Suprapto. In between 200 year old warehouses and offices is the
Gereja Blenduk, the Protestant Church dating from 1753, with a bronze dome as a roof. Passed the river to the west is the hotel-, and shopping quarter. First make a detour through Jalan Pekojan to the heart of Semarangs 'Chinatown'.
Chinese traders contributed much to the rise of Semarang to a centre of trade. The most known of them was Oei Tiong Ham, the 'sugarking', which earned a fortune with exporting argicultural products around the turn of the century. Because of this, he became leader of the Chinese in Semarang, as owner of a widespreak trade imperium with interests in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York and London. His firm also named the first multinational company in Asia. When he died in 1924, his fortune was estimated on 200 milion Indian Guilders.
With the highest percentage etnical Chinese inhabitants of all Indonesian citues, Semarang still has an clear Chinese mark. The maze of small streets in the turn of the river at the end of Jalan Pekojan, with busy
toko's and unbroken old 'Nanking'-houses with decorated entrances and balconies are a proove of that.
Feature of this quarter is the half-dark temples and clanhouses. Enter
Gang Lombok just before the bridge on Jalan Pakojan. Here is the entrance of Tay Kak Sie, the biggest Chinese temple. The most important Goddes is Kuan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, but the niches around the temple house many other gods. The temple was built in 1771-1772 by Chinese trader/workers, and over the years, statues and althars from other regions were brought in. As a result, there are many holidays to be celebrated, however it's always a busy place. Visitors buy incense at the entrance, which is burned at every althar.
Continue the journey across the bridge due south and through small alleys like
Gang Pinggir and
Gang Warung to end at Jalan Wahid Hasyin, the street of the goldsmith's. Turn right onto the former
alun-alun. Here is the big mosque with it's layered Jawanese roof. The
alun-alun now is the most important market of Semarang, the
Pasar Johar Besides the usual utilities and cloths also copperworks and small funny things are sold.
Semarangs 'Champs Elyseés'
West of the Pasar Johar is the busy crossing with Jalan Pemuda, Semarangs shopping street. In the colonial time this was the well-known '
Bodjongweg' ( Bodjong Road ), a wide, clean boulevard surrounded with old trees, shops and nice villa's. A Dutch writer from the early years of the 20th century named this boulevard 'Champs Elyseés' of Jawa.
To the north is one of the remaining hotels from that time, the Dibya Purio ( rebuilt in 1913 ). Turn left to see more colonial monuments. On the right the Galendra Artshop, this used to be the building of bookstore and publisher G. Kolff. On the left the well-known restaurant
Toko Oen, dating from 1935, which still serves good Dutch food, complete with potatoes and vegetales, swimming in molten butter. Desserts are icecreams, cake and cookies. Ventilators on the ceiling, servants in white costumes with black hats, rattan chairs, linnen sheets; this all looks a lot like
tempo doeloe. Along the street is Mustika Mas where batiks and antiques are sold.
At the end of Jalan Pemida a fountain is located, as well as
Tugu Muda-obelisk, erected for the fallen young heroes from the early days of revolution. Across are the former house of Nicolaas Hartingh, built between 1754 and 1761, and the former office of the NISM ( Nederlandsch Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij e.g. Dutch Indisch Railroad Company ), built in the early twenties, in Indian style. The Jawanese gave it the nickname
Lawang Sewu ( Thousand Doors because of the many doors and windows.
Gedung Batu temple
The most famous place of interest of Semarang is one kilometre southwest of the city: the
Gudung Batu temple. It reminds of a visit of a Ming representative in the beginning of the 15th century. This man, Zenghe ( Cheung Ho ) , was a emperors euneuch, originally from Yunan. He made seven journeys to the coastal areas of Southeast Asia, India and East Africa for making diplomatical and trading deals and connections which were broken during the Chinese wars. The number of legends about his personality was so big that he was named a God of the people, Sam Po Kong ( San Bao Gong ) of Sam Po Tay Jin ( San Bo Tai Jian ), 'the great euneuch of the three valuables'. Everywhere along the coasts of Jawa, Sumatera and Malacca the Chinese remained althars for him.
Zhenghe's collosal fleets were the biggest to visit this part of the world until then. The first one counted 27,800 men, and 62 vessels. The biggest ship was 132 metres long, and 54 metres wide. The fleet arrived in 1406. It is said that Zhenghe came ashore at the bank of a river and spend the night meditating in a cave on the place where now a temple is build. Geologists confirm that the spot once was a protected inled at the coast.
Maybe because Zhenghe was a Muslem, both Jawanese Muslems as Chinese see the Gunung Batu as sacred. The temple consists of a number of shrines at the foot of the hill, and are located around a cave in which a sacret althar for Sam Po can be found. Left of the cave lies an anchor, which is believed to be from one of the ships of Sam Po, but in fact originated from a ship that belonged to the VOC. Right of the grave of Kyai Juru Mudi Dampoawang, the Islamic leader of the admiral. On the extreme right is a shrine, offering for the protection spirit of the temple, Tao Peh Kong. In front are pavilions, which are used during crowded days to sacrifices and shows.
Once a year, the 29th day of the sixth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, the construction of the temple is commemorated. In early times the statues of Gods were placed in sedan chairs and taken through the streets for a colorfull procession. Musicians, trance mediums, dragons- and liondancers from all over Jawa took part in the procession, which started at first daylight from the Tay Kan Sie temple, and arrived at Gunung Batu somewhere in the afternoon. There honour is shown to Sam Po and his soul, people were praying for him to come back. His horse was already waiting for him. Nowadays the people travel to the destination by bus and truck, and the ceremonies only include the festivities on the terrain of the temple. Thousands of Jawanese come from all over the island to bring an sacrifice and to burn incense.
Even on regular days it's crowded at Jawa's most famous
Klenteng. The Jawanese and Chinese religious people gather twice a month - on the eve of Kliwon and dinsdag Kliwon - at the grave of Kyai Juru Mudi Dampoawang to spend the night together and get his blessings.
Due south
Semarang has more to offer to the visitors: The Provincial Museum, the zoo and the 'snakegarden'. Enjoy the view from Candi, an high suburb of the city ( get out at Hotel Patra Jasa ) or just ahead from Gombel ( at Sky Garden of Gombel Indah at the highway ). Take a drink and have a look over the holy lowlands and the Jawa Sea in the distance.
Four kilometres south of Gombel is the
jamu-factory Nyonya Meneer, where spice medicines are made. A museum shows something of the past and from the used ingredients; a tour through the factory may be possible sometimes. Opened from Mondays to Fridays from 10.00 until 15.30.
About eight kilometres after Gomel is the Bhuddhist convent Watu Gong ( across a new military complex ) founded by a man who studies agriculture, graduated in California and earned a living with growing vanilla and fruit trees. On older age he became a monk, but after he passed the age of 90, he married a young girl, in the hope to get children. Now he owns a small shop at the side of the road. A little ahead is Ungaran with its bath filled with water from a natural source,
Tirto Agung. There are some good restaurants. Ten kilometres ahead, a small road brings you to Bandungan.
Near Bawen, 24 kilometres past Ungaran, the main roads splits, left leads to Salatiga and Surakarta, right to Ambarawa and Yogyakarta. Spending a night in one of the twoo mountain villages - Kopeng or Bandungan - is a very good sollution.
Ambarawa is about four kilometres from Bawen on the road to Yogyakarta. The small city has a railroad museum, which forms the stay of steam engines from the 'Golden Time'of the railroads. There are 21 German, Swiss and Dutch locomotives to be seen, built between 1821 and 1928. An old geer-wheel railroad of 12 kilometres runs to the village of Bendono. Wagons and steam engines dating back from around the turn of the century are still looking marvellous; train lovers will never forget their visit here. Make reservations at the PJKA office ( State Railroad company ) in Surabaya.
In Ambarawa, a turn leads to the seven kilometre more northern place of Bandungan, ont of the most loveable mountain villages of Jawa. It's located at an altitude of about 900 metres, at the southern side of the
Gunung Ungaran and it has good hotels and restaurants.
Early in the morning there is a flower market. At Hotel Rawa Pening,
jamu ( traditional Indonesian medicine ) are sold bu
Ibu Imi. Approximately 500 metres from the hotel is a tahu factory. The surrounding area is perfect for short tracks on foot; nice views on the vulcanoes and the
Rawa Pening lake. The biggest attraction are the beautifully located templex of
Gedung Songo, six kilometres west of Bandungan.
The 'Nine Buildings'
The
Gedung Songo ('Nine Buildings') belong to the earliest antiquities of Jawa, they follow op the temples on the Dieng Plateau directly, for what about time. They were also built high in the mountains in an area full with vulcanic activity; and they were also from Hinduist origin. But where the temples on the Dieng Plateau are somewhat squeezed into a foggy valley, the Gedung Songo are spread over the higher parts of the mountains, which guarantee a spendid view. On clear days, the horizon is one long row of vulcanoes, from the
Gunung Lawu in the east, towards
Gunung Sumbing,
Gunung Sundoro and the Dieng Plateau in the west.
The temples were built between 730 and 780, the first temple excepted, which could have been built some 30 years later. Gunung Songo is not the original name and also doesn't point at the number of structures. The number nine has a special meaning in the Jawanese culture, in which there is a strong attachment to numbers. The templex are located at about the same distance from eachother ( 100 metres, 200 metres ) on an naturally formed terrace of edge of a mountain.
Temple 1, the youngest, has a somewhat distant location. The other temples form separate groups, comparable with the Arjunagroupe of Dieng. The path from temple one towards temple twoo consists still from the original materials used in the 8th century. The biggest group of constructions are around temple three. The main temple is erected for Siwa, and there are statues of Nandiswara and Mahakala, north and south of the entrance, still on their spot. This Siwatemple prooves that the Hindu-icons were already fully grown at that time: Ganesha is against the back wall, just across the entrance. Durga at the northern side, and Agastya at the southern side. This placing would become the standard for which it was used for the entire classical period on Central Jawa.
As an supplement on the Siwa and Nandi temples, left of the main temple, a smaller temple was used for Wisnu. In front of the main temple is, just like the
Candi Semar of Dieng, is square, a form that is nowhere else used. Other smaller temples were probably meant for the bull Nandi, and were in front of the second and sixth temples.
From the third temple a path leads into the ravine, in which hot sources and streaming sulphate are found. At the other side are the remaining groups of temples, some partially restored, others still as they were found. Take something to eat, and certainly to drink (swimming clothes for the hot sources). Experiencing the sunrise in one of the most impressive areas in Central Jawa is a real happening, you can easily spend a day there.
