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Image Finder: An Oasis In the Teak Forest
Words & Photos Tarko SudiarnoIf the statue of the Madonna could speak, she would definitely recount the situation in a teak forest in Gubug district, Purwodadi, Central Java, during the upheaval of the Reform Era in 1998
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Words & Photos Tarko Sudiarno
If the statue of the Madonna could speak, she would definitely recount the situation in a teak forest in Gubug district, Purwodadi, Central Java, during the upheaval of the Reform Era in 1998. The forest, considered sacred by locals and home to a Catholic shrine, was plundered, with thousands of trees cut down and the mountain denuded.
Today, the forest, under the supervision of the forestry agency, is lush once again. The local community and environmental activists have gradually planted trees in the dry area where water is scarce. The site of the shrine in Penadaran village is now known as the Teak Spring of Mother Mary’s Grotto.
It is not easy to reach Penadaran, with the road from Gubug to Penadaran still made of stones. The majority of homes are built from teak, including the floors. At the entrance to the Madonna Grotto, there is a bamboo tower for water catchment, with the water used for various needs, including in the event of forest fires.
Design by Thomas, an architect from Semarang, the area shows careful development, from the integrated formation of the cultural house, footpath, route for carrying the cross, rest area, spring pool, to the prayer site around the Mary statue. Leafy and secluded, it is ideal for contemplation — an oasis amid the teak forest.
