Blast from the past: Withstanding the test of time, the Jago Temple located south of East Java’s Malang still stands despite minor damages. JP/ Retno K. Djojo
Despite the damage it has sustained over the centuries, Candi Jago, situated around 22 kilometers south of Malang in East Java, continues to serve as an education resource.
Crowds of visitors, particularly during holidays, throng to the Candi Jago (Jago temple) site, to see moral and ethical values conveyed through age-old stories, sculpted into beautiful relief panels on the temple walls.
Walking around Jago's tiered terraces, visitors can study the story of Kunyarakarna, who persuaded his best friend Purnawijaya give up his old "loose" ways and save himself from burning in hell.
With the help of a deity, Wairocana, Purnawijaya makes the firm decision to turn over a new leaf. He is granted a remission, and his sentence in hell is reduced to only 10 days.
While locals are all familiar with this story, taken from the Hindu Mahabharata and Ramayana epics, the vivid presentation of the story in the relief panels attracts visitors from far and wide.
Many visit the temple again and again, enjoying the refined craftsmanship of the ancient Singasari kingdom's relief masters, while also deepening their resolve to uphold virtue through the ups and downs of life.
A panel on the second tier vividly portrays the extreme heat Purnawijaya is forced to bear after he is put into a large cauldron filled with steaming water. The next panel shows the cauldron breaking apart and its water forms a beautiful lake with a tree growing in the center.
The story continues on the third tier, describing Purnawijaya's homecoming. While still deeply impressed by his spiritual experience Purnawijaya decides to retreat to the forest and spend the rest of his life in prayer and meditation.
Subsequent relief panels on the third level present a visualization of Arjuna, who turns away seven angels that attempt to persuade him to give up his prayer and meditation. Arjuna succeeds in attaining a powerful weapon that he needs to defeat the evil powers of the Kurawa.
This story teaches people to always persevere for a good cause. The ethical lessons sculpted into the temple walls have a strong appeal.
The charactors in the story are all adapted to local characteristics. Arjuna's physical appearance resembles that of an average Javanese man.
Jago's Arjuna is portrayed in the Wayang style (a popular form of entertainment at that time), wearing stylish clothing, a special headdress and attributes that make him easily distinguishable from other characters.
Through the ingenuity of Singasari's craftsmen, Jago temple remains an attractive and lasting tool for the propagation of ethical and moral values.
Candi Jago, which is located in Jago village, was built in the latter half of the 13th century as a memorial shrine for King Wisnuwardhana, the fourth ruler of the Singasari kingdom.
The temple has for decades provided archeological scholars with interesting study material on the history and cultural aspects of the Singasari kingdom's golden age.
"It's amazing that although the Singasari kingdom only lasted for a relatively short period - around 70 years - it left us with a number of beautiful art works, all decorated with exquisite reliefs," said Amelia, an archeologist at the Center for Archeological Research in South Jakarta.
This is a testament to a prosperous society. With peace and prosperity in the area, craftsmen could concentrate on their work.
Four bands of relief panels decorate the temple walls conveying folklore and fables. Intricate relief sculptures with floral motifs lavishly decorate open spaces. Pillars and wall linings and wings of staircases are carved with ornate art work.
While the temple chamber has been damaged, with only the doorway still standing, a closer look reveals outstanding craftsmanship.
While the temple's relief work mostly shows Hindu influence, the statues at the premises show strong Buddhist influence.
The presence of both religions confirms that Wisnuwardhana was honored by adherents of both religions.
Historical records reveal that Wisnuwardhana succeeded in making the two religions cooperate for peace and prosperity.
The Buddhist group honor Wisnuwardhana as their savior, testament in a statue representing Dhyani Amogapasya. This statue can still be seen at Jago, although it is badly damaged.
Some of Jago's statues representing the Buddhist Pantheon are currently housed in the National Museum in Jakarta.
At the Jago site there is a large stone medallion representing a monster head or Kala. It is ornately crafted, with bulging eyes and crooked fangs.
The monster head is regarded as the guardian of the temple and was previously placed above the temple chamber doorway.
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles was the fist European to report on this historic monument in his 1817 journal, The History of Java.
Raffles reported that the ancient temple lay in a forested area, and was much larger than other temples he had seen in the area. The temple's tiered terraces lead to the temple chamber some 30 feet above ground level. The doorway is still standing, but the back part of the temple, has given way completely.
While Raffles did not mention a beautifully crafted statue of goddess Mamakhi, currently housed in the British museum in London, this is also believed to have originated from Jago.
Subsequent restoration work has placed the historic temple in a fenced-off area, but a lack of funding could not free the adjacent areas which were originally part of the temple compound and are now used for houses and a school.
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