I just returned from
vacay, spending my last day in Dublin after leaving Switzerland. We went to the
National Museum of Ireland, where we saw
tons of beautifully executed golden objects
that have been found in bogs over the years. These ancient objects are dated to
the first 1000 years BCE, giving an image of a culture with resplendent
metalworking and particularly fine gold work. The sophistication of these early
Celtic / Viking cultures (pre-Roman and certainly pre-Christian) surprised me.
How many cultures have you not thought about in the last, say, 24 hours? How
about the rich cultural history of Java, Indonesia?
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Java, Indonesia, Prambanan Plain, near Yogyakarta, Plaosan temple complex, view across Plaosan Lor, 830–850 CE. Image © 2017 Davis Art Images. (8S-10183) |
This beautiful, sculptural temple complex is located in
south-central Java. It was built during the rule of the Medang (or Mataram)
Kingdom, which flourished, along with many other dominating kingdoms in
Indonesia, between the 700s and the 900s CE. The Medan Kingdom was the ruling
entity when the Great Stupa at Borobudur was built.
It is generally believed that the earliest inhabitants of
the Indonesian archipelago were of Indian or Burmese origin. Later migrants
known as Malays came from Southern China and Indochina at around 3000 BCE. Hinduism
was introduced from India through trade during the first 100 years CE. Hindu
kingdoms were established in Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Java between the 400s and
the 1200s, some of which had also absorbed Buddhist influences.
The Medang, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom, evolved at the same
time as the massive Srivijaya Empire in Sumatra and western Java.
Interestingly, although few inscriptions from either culture survive, they
appear to have been similar in the fluid manner in which they ruled, with kings
overseeing regional overlords who were more or less autonomous. Similarly, both
the Medang and Srivijaya seem to have established what could be considered
urban centers.
Javanese architecture began under Hindu influence. There was
a surge of Buddhism from about 750 to 850 (as evidenced by the monumental Stupa
in Borobudur), followed by a second flourishing of Hindu architecture that
lasted from the late 800s until the 1300s, with the coming of Islam. The
Plaosan temple complex is a large group of Buddhist temples. Plaosan Lor (North
Plaosan Temple) was dedicated to the Dhyani Buddha, the five celestial Buddhas
believed to have existed since the beginning of time. This is one of two
temples in the center of the complex. It was built on a 2 foot (60 cm) high
base, and, like the Great Stupa at Borodubur, contains a grouping of multiple
towers at the top, a symbol of the world mountain, Mount Meru.
This female figure may have been a celestial woman or deity
from the decoration of a temple. In style, it is very similar to the female
figures depicted on the exterior of the Great Stupa of Borobudur, in the Medang
Kingdom. This indicates the vast influence the Indian sculptural style had as
Hinduism and Buddhist spread throughout Southeast Asia.
The Sryivijaya Kingdom was Hindu-Buddhist, and was ruled by
Tamils centered in Palembang, Sumatra. After the Funan culture (centered on
mainland in Cambodia) had been defeated in the region, the Srivijaya dynasty
established itself around the late 500s CE, and thrived between the 700s and
1200s CE. The kingdom enriched itself by controlling the sea trade in the
region, particularly that to India and China. The kingdom established control
over Sumatra, western Java, and much of the Malay peninsula. Like the Medang
kingdom, the Srivijaya rulers established vast Buddhist temple complexes that
were famous for their exterior sculptural decoration.
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Prambanan, Java, Pawon Temple, ca. 778–800s CE. Image © 2017 Davis Art Images. (8S-10451) |
Pawon Temple is one of three Mahayana Buddhist temples built
during the Sailendra Dynasty of the Medang Kingdom. The name Pawon derives from
the word for “kitchen” in the Javanese language, which in turn comes from the
root word for ashes or dust. It is theorized that the term pertained to the
fact that the temple may have contained the cremated ashes of a king. It is on
a northeast-southwest axis between the temples of Mendut and Borobudur. The multiple
towers and high platform are similar in style to the other two temples.
Various scholars have proposed the origins of the Sailendra
to eastern India, Cambodia, and Sumatra. Early inscriptions mentioning the
dynasty name date to 778 CE in the Kedu Plain in central Java. The Sailendra
rulers had good relations with the Srivijaya Empire in Sumatra. It existed next
to the Sanjaya dynasty in Java, and around ca. 850 CE it seems to have been
subsumed by the Sanjaya. The next mention of the Sailendra was as rulers in
Sumatra associated with the Srivijaya. An Indian invasion by Chola rulers in
1025 conquered Sailendra territories in Sumatra and seems to have ended their
rule there.
Correlations to Davis
programs: A Global Pursuit: 8.5; The Visual Experience: 13.3; Discovering
Art History 4E: 4.5
nice
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