Cetho Temple is one of the tourist attractions thronged by many domestic and foreign travelers lately. It is located at Cetho hamlet, Gumeng, Jenawi, Karanganyar, Central Java. Located on highland with various local plants, tea plantations, onions and others make it have a cool atmosphere offering a very beautiful panorama.
View of the mountains from around the temple area looks very beautiful. There are Mount Merbabu and Mount Merapi. Besides, visitors are also presented with a wide view of Surakarta City and Karanganyar City spreading below. Especially at night, visitors will be pampers with beautiful view of sparkling street lighting and home lighting.
Domestic travelers mainly those from the Island of the Gods (Bali) often take advantage of this historic place to perform spiritual tourism activities. As on Wednesday (Apr. 19), Regent of Badung, Nyoman Giri Prasta, with his entourage on the sidelines of the activities of Development Information Week (PIP) in Kudus and Bantul district did joint prayers at the temple resembling a stepped pyramid, while foreign travelers only perpetuated the existing moment.
Harsono, a tourism officer at local village, said that every day there are always travelers visiting the Cetho Temple tourist attraction. On national holidays, domestic travelers from Surabaya and other cities in Java usually visit this temple and so do foreign travelers. “This month, the foreign tourists visit can be counted on fingers, but different from June where foreign travelers throng this attraction,” he said.
The temple complex is usually taken advantage by the locals as well as Hindu pilgrims to say prayers. In addition, this temple also poses a hermitage for the people remaining to practice ancient Javanese religious tradition.
Priest of Cetho Temple said that at the time of piodalan or temple festival there are unique activities becoming the main attraction to travelers. The festival held every 210 days precisely on Anggara Kasih Medangsia is followed by all pilgrims living at Cetho hamlet, not only the Hindus, but also the Muslim and Christian residents. They perform spiritual activities based on the customs of Cetho hamlet that work in mutual help.
Cetho hamlet is inhabited by 100 family heads. Seventy families practicing Hinduism firstly present pejati offerings containing roasted chicken. The offerings are made by each family head. After being presented, they undertake joint meals. As requirement, each family head is not allowed to enjoy their respective roasted chicken, but must enjoy the one made by another family head. “Until now, this tradition remains sustainable as a form of tolerance among the people,” said Harsono.
Historically, Cetho Temple in Karanganyar was built around the fifteenth century at the end of the Majapahit Hindu Kingdom. Cetho Temple was found by a Dutch archaeologist named Van de Vlies around 1842. When first found, the condition of Cetho Temple was very apprehensive where there were only 14 terraces with the rock conditions having been covered by moss. Later, the restoration was made by Humardani, a personal assistant to President Soeharto in 1970. (BTN/015) (Source: http://bali-travelnews.com/2017/04/27/cetho-temple-in-karanganyar-heritage-of-hindu-kingdom-becomes-a-tourist-attraction/)
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