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panataran temple | one of outstanding temple in indonesia

panataran temple is hindu temple located in east java indonesia, exactly on the kelud mountain blitar. this is one of biggest temple on east java. this temple build by kediri kingdom and used until majapahit kingdom. panataran temple or in javanese language called by “candi panataran” discovered at 1815 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) the general of england government at that time.

panataran temple

dwarapala statue (more…)

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history of gamelan | traditional orchestra from indonesia

Gamelan music is the sum of diverse foreign influences. Pitch relationships from China, bronze instruments from southeast Asia, drums and modal practice from India, bowed strings from the middle east, and even military styles from Europe contributed to the traditional music we hear in Java and Bali today.

The First Gamelan

Among the earliest evidence of gamelan instruments is a series of stone relief carvings on the Borobudur Buddhist temple in central Java (ca. 800ad).

Borobudur shows the world’s first record of a bar percussion instrument. It appears to be a gambang style “xylophone” with ten wide bars resting over a trough resonator. We have no way to tell, but the bars were most likely made of wood or metal. The instrument is shown being played with two sticks with large, presumably padded, balls on the ends (see Kunst, “Hindu Javanese Musical Instruments,” fig. 21). Cymbals resembling Balinese ceng ceng kopyak used in modern processional music can be seen as well as two-headed hand drums which appear to be of both Javanese barrel shape and Balinese conical styles.

The reliefs of Borobudur and other central Javanese temples of the period, including Prambanan and Candi Sari, depict many other instruments including zithers, lutes, harps, vessel drums (gatam), and transverse flutes. Most are extinct in Indonesia today and may have never really existed on the islands, possibly carved from memory by mainland artisans. Only the bar instrument, cymbals, and drums remain. Notably absent from all reliefs of this period are gongs.

The First Gongs

Gongs first appear in the carvings of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, among temples of the Majapahit Hindu empire. These depictions show small gongs, often mounted in pairs on a stick or hanging singly from a cord in the hand and played with a padded mallet. Also evident are significant advancements in bar instruments since the time of Borobudur, including four-mallet gambang style xylophones of a type still used in Bali for cremation rites. Suspended bar gangsa and gender as well as saron with resting bars can be found. The earliest evidence of tuned acoustic resonators, bamboo tubes which amplify the sound of the bars, also appears in this period.

Notable in the east Javanese reliefs are images resembling sitar and other gourd resonated plucked string instruments like those used today in India. Many drums depicted in this period also strongly resemble Indian mridanggam and pakawaj. These instruments became extinct in Indonesia, and again may have never existed, but their presence indicates a powerful foreign cultural infusion.

Gongs most probably did not originate in Indonesia. There is no evidence of the development of bronze gongs in Indonesia before the thirteenth century. They simply appear in the record as highly refined instruments, complete with an embossed center and deep shell. Mainland Asia, however, displays a much wider variety of bronze gong styles, including shallower shells, flat faces, and a clear developmental lineage.

Ancient literature suggests that gongs may have been known and used in Indonesia as early as the ninth century. Their original use may have been as instruments of battle, a sound used to encourage soldiers as it instilled fear in their enemies. But, their absence from the earliest stone record suggests that they were either relatively uncommon until that time. Perhaps they were not an instrument of the ruling class, or had no religiously important purpose.

Majapahit is where all the primary elements of modern gamelan came together. Bronze gongs combined with Indian and southeast Asian influences and the “indigenous” music and instruments of the central Javanese cultures which built Borobudur make east Java the birthplace of gamelan as we know it today. Influence of the Majapahit was strong throughout Indonesia and the southern Philippines and reached deep into the mainland of southeast Asia.

Bali and Java Split

In the fourteenth century, people from the middle east introduced the religion of Islam and the fall of the Majapahit empire began. Those who wished to remain Hindu were exiled to Bali, where they remained relatively isolated for hundreds of years.

The gamelan we hear in Bali today is a direct, almost pure, descendant of the music of the Majapahit period. Many instruments in Bali are exactly the same as those recorded by stone carvers in east Java over six centuries ago. But, while the tools of the trade have remained similar, the music has changed and developed. Every generation of musicians in Bali puts their personal stamp on the music. An added variation here, a new section there, or another composition for a particular ritual, add up considerably over six hundred years. Changes in popular taste also had an effect.

In Java, the new Islamic Mataram empire began and music and instrumentations changed considerably. In Bali, we still find primarily homogenous ensembles of bronze, iron, bamboo, etc. But, in central Java, this diverse instrumentation was combined into a single orchestra. Also combined were the two scales, slendro and pelog, which had remained exclusive to certain ensembles and rituals in Majapahit times. While scales and even melodies may have remained the same, theories behind them were amended to create the Javanese “patet” modal system.

The Javanese Mataram empire is responsible for advancing bronze foundry techniques to produce the very large gongs which have become a staple of modern Javanese and Balinese gamelan. The village of Semarang on the north coast of central Java became the new Indonesian center for gong making, supplying instruments to most of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo, and surrounding islands.

The use and purpose of gamelan music in Java was also revised by Mataram. Originally, gamelan was played in outdoor temples for religious rites, to inspire trance and to invite ancestral spirits. But, in Java religious worship was redirected to the royal courts and the old Hindu and Buddhist temples were left to decay. This change of environment gave rise to many of the aesthetic differences between Balinese and Javanese musical styles. Music in Java moved from open air temples to large roofed platforms within the royal court. Mallets were softened to allow the instruments to reverberate within the space in a more pleasing manner. Forms were also slowed down and elongated to take advantage of the new acoustics and lend austerity to the court. Music became largely a cerebral pursuit of the aristocracy and musicians became servants of the courts.

The Twentieth Century

The last hundred years has brought great changes in both Balinese and Javanese music. Older Balinese musicians speak of times when tempos were slow and variations less intense. Older Javanese musicians relate stories of now rare grand court events and lost compositions. Balinese kebyar style is a product of this century, as is the bonang imbal and kembangan playing techniques so typical of today’s Javanese sound.

Gamelan music continues to change and evolve in both style and purpose. Government performing arts schools are the new patrons driving the future. Students in these institutions are required to create new music and dance, expanding the scope and popularity of gamelan both at home and around the world.

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exotic girl from dayak tribe indonesia

dayak tribe are one from many tribes in indonesia south east asia, some called them as a head hunter. but the girl from dayak tribe are very very beautiful, take a look on the photo below

we will collect another beautiful culture from dayak tribe another time, or if you had experience about dayak tribe, you can share your information here.

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cool samurai wallpaper

this is wallpaper on my desktop, very awesome isn’t it? just click to the picture to enlarge this wallpaper and then you can save it on your personal computer and make it as your desktop wallpaper. this wallpaper reminds me of the last samurai movies and download the last samurai wallpaper and put it on my notebook as desktop background

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Sir Galigi Played Wayang: The Inestimable Charm Of Wayang Kulit, Or Indonesian Puppet Dancing

Pariangan is a neat little village on the slopes of Mount Marapi in Indonesia. They say that the Minangkabau people of Indonesia first arrived here after their ship landed on this mountain when the world was submerged in water and only the mountain’s peak was visible (That’s some kind of cruise!).  Well…sitting in that old village, with the evening just setting in, I could almost believe that familiar fable. This place was pretty different from the city lights of Chicago, where I live. You could feel that oddly tangible sense of history around here.

They were just setting up the puppet show. I had come all the way from Chicago to see this thing. It is called the Wayang Kulit, and it is an ancient Indonesian art form. “Wayang” literally means “shadow,” and you can understand why they call it that if you see how the puppet show works. I have seen puppet shows elsewhere, but most of them have actual puppets being moved around by a set of strings. The Wayang Kulit is different; here you don’t see the actual puppets. You just see their shadows.

They set up a backlit screen. The screen looks like it is made with Japanese rice paper; it has that peculiar texture. The light behind the screen is a diffuse yellow. The puppets are placed between the light and the screen and what you get to see, sitting before the screen, are their shadows. There’s a very different visual impact of this “shadow dancing” from the usual sticks-n-strings puppet shows I had seen before. Things look more black and white, and visually, the show is very powerful.

I had read up on Wayang Kulit, of course. It is a peculiar Hindu art form of very ancient Indian origin. Wayang Kulit did not originate in Indonesia; it was brought here by Hindu colonialists in the 8^th or 9^th century CE. The first performance of Wayang Kulit is mentioned in a 930 CE inscription here which says “si Giligi mayawang” or “Sir Giligi played Wayang.” Apparently, this “Sir Giligi” (Sir?!) was a famous wandering entertainer around these parts. The theme of Sir Giligi’s ancient puppet show has not changed much even today. These themes are almost always stories from ancient Indian epics, and they talk about ancient war heroes, gods, demons, and not a few princesses, I guess. The actual religion-oriented themes didn’t interest me much, to be honest; but I was fascinated by the continuity of this art form, and the strong visual impact of the shadows dancing on the yellow screen.

The show starts off with peculiarly resonant drum music. If you have heard drummers beating to the tune of the Balinese dance music (YouTube?), you will see what I mean. This is a small drum with a wide base, and the sound has a strong high bass note to it. I can well imagine some of our Chicago rapper brothers getting hold of this thing; they would love it; I did.

Then they start off with the actual puppet dancing. There is a sort of “soul” music that goes on with it. It is done in a strangely nasal voice; I guess they are talking about the stories and themes of the show. I am not sure I understand what is going on, so I just stop worrying about it and focus on the shadows.

The shadow puppets are mesmerizing. The puppets themselves are very well designed, with lots of details in the peculiar headdresses and the style of clothing. They move with a fine grace. If you are watching this thing at night, in an unknown, strange village like this, you are bound to feel something different. What can I say – it’s a very out-of-the-world experience!

The Wayang Kulit continued for an hour into the night. There we were, about two hundred ethnic Indonesians, one extremely garrulous Padang cab driver and an American from Chicago, and we all sat engrossed in the strange beat of that drum, that weird, interesting music, and the shadow puppets dancing away on the screen.

The cabby was unnaturally quiet on the way back to the hotel, as if he could see the little shadow puppets dancing around the car in the darkness of the Indonesian night, and had to focus on the road so he didn’t hit one of them.

written by : Thea Elfleda

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angklung are came from indonesia

indeed angklung came from indonesia, especially came from sundanese tribe cultures that located in indonesia.

So, if the state claims that Malaysia Angklung art is a product of their fathers in the past, the question is whether in Malaysia there is the ritual ceremony or helaran such art? If there is, then what kind the sound of their traditional Angklung? If they are claimed Angklung Daeng Soetigna the diatonis, the recognition is the recognition that can not be accepted sense. What for? If true artist discover Malaysia diatonis far Angklung Daeng Soetigna before, of course Angklung Daeng Soetigna Concert held in the Asia Africa Conference (KAA) in 1955 in Bandung diprotes already exhausted by Malaysia. The fact that there is even otherwise, the Asia Africa Conference delegation felt great surprise to the musical instrument Angklung Daeng Soetigna creation of the physical appear traditional, but at the same time, as recognized by the contemporary musician Slamet Abdul Syukur in a written essay that, “Angklung, the accidental “.

(more…)

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batik are indonesian cultures

we’re all know that malaysia always try and keep indonesian cultures. no! batik is not yours dude!!! batik are not just as culture to us, or just as ornament or fashion, but it had deep philosophy on it. read this :

Philosophy of Batik for Indonesian
by : Erny Setyawati

batik pattern

Indonesia has thousands islands that spread from Sabang to Meuroke. Every island has difference language, culture and ethnic and traditional life. Batik as traditional cloth that has been created since century ago, become specific cloth cold not be separated from Indonesian life. You will find Batik almost in every regencies and Municipalities at Indonesia.

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rumah gadang the artistic house from sumatra indonesia

indonesia are well known had a rich culture, thats why malaysian always try to stole it from us. one of it are rumah gadang from padang.

rumah gadang

Rumah Gadang is one of Minangkabau’s symbol, the most common housing forms have traditionally been wooden and raised on piles, built of locally gathered materials, with steeply pitched, roofs. Their culture is matrilineal, with property and land being passed down from mother to daughter, while religious and political affairs are the province of men. The Minangkabau are strongly Islamic, but also follow their own ethnic traditions, or adat. Minangkabau adat was derived from animistic and Hindu beliefs before the arrival of Islam, and remnants of animistic beliefs still exist even among some practicing Muslims. As such, women are customarily the property owners; husbands are only tolerated in the house at certain times and under special conditions, and must return to their sisters’ house to sleep.

The external walls of a rumah gadang are covered with various motifs, each having a symbolic meaning. A communal rumah gadang is a long house, rectangular in plan, with multiple gables and upsweeping ridges, forming buffalo horn-like ends. They normally have three-tiered projections, each with varying floor levels. They are broad and set on wooden piles that can reach as high as 3 meters (10 feet) off the ground; sometimes with a verandah running along the front face of the house which is used as a reception and dining area, and as a sleeping place for guests. Unlike the Toba Batak homes, where the roof essentially creates the living space, the Minangkabau roof rests on conventional walls. Cooking and storage areas are often in separate buildings.

The house is largely constructed of wood; an exception being the being the rear longitudinal wall which is a plain lattice woven in a chequered pattern from split bamboo. The roof is of a truss and cross-beam construction, and is typically covered with thatch from the fibre of the sugar palm (ijuk), the toughest thatch material available and said to last a hundred years.The thatch is laid in bundles which can be easily fitted to the curved, multi-gabled roof. Contemporary homes, however, are more frequently using corrugated iron in place of thatch. Roof finials are formed from thatch bound by decorative metal bindings and drawn into points said to resemble buffalo horns – an illusion to a legend concerning a bullfight from which the ‘Minangkabau’ name is thought to have been derived. The roof peaks themselves are built up out of many small battens and rafters.

The women who share the house have sleeping quarters set into alcoves – traditionally odd in number – that are set in a row against the rear wall, and curtained off by the vast interior space of the main living area. Traditionally, large communal rumah gadang will be surrounded by smaller homes built for married sisters and daughters of the parent family. It is the responsibility of the women’s maternal uncle to ensure that each marriageable woman in the family has a room of her own and to this end will build either a new house or more commonly additionally annexes to the original one. It is said that the number of married daughters in a home can be told by the counting its horn-like extensions; as they are not always added symmetrically, rumah gadang can sometimes look unbalanced.

sources :

this articles are written by : Widya Rosanti

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BALI – INDONESIA

bali

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