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span class="inline inline-left">Temple lovers: Bol Brutu members paint and draw pictures of Candi Ijo.Members of Gerombolan Pemburu Batu (Bol Brutu) or the Stone Hunters Group, explorers of archeological relics and historical sites, reached Candi Ijo in Prambanan, 25 kilometers east of Yogyakarta, on one bright Sunday morning.

Perched on a hill at an altitude of 350 meters, Candi Ijo is the highest temple in the region, and is comprised of a main temple and three perwara (ancillary) buildings.

In the temple yard, over a dozen “stone hunters” had gathered and were chatting. Some began to study the structures believed to date back to the ninth century AD.

Putu Sutawijaya, a painter from Yogyakarta, took a position north of the temple. He adeptly drew some strokes on a large canvas, painting Candi Ijo and its lingga-yoni (symbol of fertility), known as the largest in Indonesia.

Semiotician Kris Budiman and several others were sketching on paper. “Come on, who can draw like this?” said Kris to a crowd of local girls surrounding him.

Bol Burut members are fond of going to places with rough terrain to find ancient objects and sites of historical significance, with priority given to marginal relics not covered in history books or travel gazettes.

They have discovered lingga and yoni stones along riversides, statues on villagers’ farmland and temple ruins in remote parts of Gunungkidul.

Cuk Riomandha, another Bol Brutu member, said the group started in October of 2009 when relic lovers invited their peers via Facebook to join a tour of the Kyai Sadrach (early Javanese missionary) site in Purworejo, Central Java. They assumed the name Bol Brutu in March of 2010.

At Candi Ijo, some Bol Brutu members wore black T-shirts decorated with a “dwarf god” named Gana, which became the group’s logo after Kris found a Gana relief on a stone fragment at Candi Morangan in Sleman, Yogyakarta. The unknown temple is located near the Gendol River, the main lava conduit of Mount Merapi.

According to Kris, Gana in his crouching position hefting something represents Bol Brutu’s mission: supporting and promoting attempts to preserve temples and various other historical objects.

However, the community has no intention of launching intensive campaigns for preservation. “Bol Brutu’s activity has its serious and fun sides,” said a group member Hairus Salim. According to Putu, Bol Brutu has its own idea of what its members want: adventure.

When the sun was high in the sky that Sunday, Cuk and a few other group members began what they call the “rite” of blusukan, or a hard-terrain search, for little known sites. This time they headed for Sumur Bandungan, about two kilometers from Candi Ijo.

Traveling uphill and downhill, passing through farmland and thorny shrubbery, the relic hunters are no strangers to injuries and getting lost. “This search is so exciting,” remarked Cuk, always clad in a cap and holding his camera.

While walking, Cuk related his most thrilling experience as part of the group, when he was searching for Batu Kajar, a relic in Lasem, Central Java. After the group had climbed a hill and thoroughly explored the location without finding anything interesting, it turned out the stone being sought was right in front of them.

Bol Brutu members don’t always go out together. Hailing from different cities in Indonesia and abroad, they frequently go on separate tours and later upload the information they discover on Bol Brutu’s Facebook page. All members can then exchange views about various newly visited sites.

After around 30 minutes, Cuk’s group arrived at Sumur Bandungan — sumur meaning a well. “Welcome to the toilet of Bandung Bondowoso,” he jokingly said. Bandung Bondowoso was a figure in the myth of the creation of Candi Sewu at Prambanan.

People gathered round the shady site that is not very well known by residents of Yogyakarta. There was a square hole with green molded square stones on its four sides, the site most likely a temple ruin.

Watering hole: Sumur Bandungan, an ancient well, was one of the sites visited by the group of historical artifact enthusiasts that is Bol Brutu.“This hole is in the lower part of the main temple structure. It used to serve as the place to keep ashes of the dead,” said Cuk.

While discussing the relic, Bol Brutu explorers took pictures. The results were displayed at the Sangkring Art Gallery in Yogyakarta that same month, the public thus becoming aware of many historical relics previously unexposed.

One valuable piece of documentation was the conveyance of Candi Lumbung Sengi in Tlatar, Magelang, which was at the edge of the Pabelan River. The temple had to be moved because it was feared the flow of lava from Merapi, erupting at the end of 2010, would erode the soil on which it had been erected and cause the temple to drift or collapse.

By midday, the amateur Indiana Jones returned to Candi Ijo. Moi, a female artist and tourist from Singapore who didn’t join the Sumur Bandungan trek, was engrossed in painting.

“I like going along with Bol Brutu because it’s free and relaxed. With travel agents, we just take pictures and leave,” said Moi, who was in Yogyakarta for three weeks.

Despite the casual atmosphere and the diverse educational backgrounds of community members, Bol Brutu members are always learning through field discussions. Hailing from Kalimantan, Hairus Salim was less familiar with the temples, but can now distinguish between Hindu and Buddhist worship sites, and between lingga
and yoni relics.

Devi Puspitasari also feels fortunate to be a member of Bol Brutu. While making many new friends, she is learning more about historical objects. “I know more about the temples in Yogyakarta,” said the young woman who works at the Tourism and Culture Office of Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

The gathering wound up with people taking photos together in front of Candi Ijo. Later there will be a discussion about the next destination on Facebook with the more than 400 group members, with people always looking to satiate their thirst for clues to bygone eras.

— Photos By Bambang Muryanto