TELAGA WARNA (the Colorful Lake)

Dieng has an extraordinary natural and cultural wealth. One of the icons is Telaga Warna (the Colorful Lake), a beautiful lake with natural forest around it.

TELAGA WARNA
Desa Dieng Wetan, Kecamatan Kejajar, Kabupaten Wonosobo

TELAGA WARNA (the Colorful Lake)

Beautiful Twin Lakes

 Hidden among the rows of hills at an altitude of more than 2000 meters above sea level does not make Telaga Warna (the Colorful Lake) lack of visitors. Its beauty and mystery always attract anyone who visits Dieng. Entering through the main gate, YogYES was greeted by a path that has been slicked up by the paving blocks with dense forest on either side. Culminate in a T-junction, Color Lake outspread ahead. Greenish water looked calm, no ripples at all. The sound of the wild birds chirped and the thick forest which is wild maintained present a reassuring atmosphere of peace.

Followed a road that branched off to the right, YogYES found another intersection. Paving road towards Semar Cave and a muddy trail. Driven by a curiosity, we took a dirt road trail straight ahead. Jumped on the slippery ground formed by the rain on the previous night, we fought hard to avoid the mudded ground. And suddenly a broad meadow emerged, reminiscent to the movie Little House on the Prairie. Although we were a little in doubt, we kept on walking. Voila, suddenly another lake appeared in front of us. The water was very clear that reflected whatever image was on top of it. Well, it felt like in a different place. Paving road was somewhere out there, meadow was on the other side, and tall trees were all around.

Although we were fascinated by the beauty of this crystal clear lake, but the desire to explore Telaga Warna finally brought YogYES back to the first lake. This time the exploration carried out by following the road that leads to the left. In some places the surface seemed bubbly and pulled out the small bubbles. It caused by the sulfur that contained in the water. Unfortunately, as far as we could see, the entire surface was remained green without a touch of other colors.

Apparently there is a trick to enjoy the beauty of this lake. At the back door, there is a trail uphill towards one of the hills that enclose the lake. This dirt road is very narrow, just enough to pass one person. The climb is not so steep, but slippery enough considering Dieng area frequently hit by rain. After a few hundred meters climbing, we reached the top of the hill which surrounded by the views that would make anyone spellbound. Down below, outspread a beautiful lake surrounded by thick forest with beautiful purple color of water on the edge, shaded in green in towards the middle, and pale green in the center of the lake. On the other side, a narrow meadow separated it from another lake called Telaga Pengilon or lake which reflected like a mirror. Further ahead, Mountain Prau and Mountain Pakuwaja rows in circle, formed as if to protect these two beautiful lakes from anyone who wants to damage it.

Copyright © 2010 YogYES.COM

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 06.00 a.m. to 18.00 p.m.

Ticketing
Domestict visitor: IDR 5,000
Foreign visitor: IDR 9,000

More about → TELAGA WARNA (the Colorful Lake)

ARJUNA TEMPLE and KALIASA MUSEUM

Standing in the middle of Dieng Plateau, Arjuna temple brings another nuance than just a place of Hindus praying in the past. The not so many reliefs and inscriptions revealing about the temple makes it as one of the Asia's most mysterious temples.

CANDI ARJUNA
Desa Dieng Kulon, Kecamatan Batur, Kabupaten Banjarnegara

ARJUNA TEMPLE and KALIASA MUSEUM

The Mysterious Peaceful Three-Headed Shiva Palace

 Cultural relics as the witnesses of the past greatness scattered in every corners of the archipelago. The example is the Arjuna Temple, one of the oldest temples in Java. In this complex, only five of more than a thousand years old temples that still stand sturdy. The temple was pretty crowded with visitor both domestic and international that evening. They walked around for a closer view of the temple. The atmosphere was relaxing and peaceful. A group of young people took an advantage of terrain on the right temple to play football.

These temples were first discovered by a British soldier named Van Kinsbergen in 1814. Unlike the other temples that mostly found buried underneath the land, the temples on Dieng plateau were found on a water swamp. The drying process started more than 40 years later. There is no clue about who named the temples after the puppet characters. The main temple is Arjuna which is facing a smaller temple with an elongated shape that is often called Semar Temple.

Srikandi Temple, PuntadewaTemple, and SembadraTemple stood in line on the left of Arjuna. Puntadewa has a shape that is almost similar to the Arjuna, while Srikandi Temple and Sembadra Temple slightly smaller and shorter. Based on the folklore, Puntadewa Temple is in the midst of Srikandi and Sembadra as a mediator for the two sisters who both became the wife of Arjuna.

Beautiful gardens with pine trees and flowers around the temple complex presented the beauty in the midst of peace and serenity atmosphere. On the distance, white smoke is billowing endlessly from numerous volcanic craters. The hills and mountains surrounding added a peace in to our mind. Many young people took advantages of the beauty and serenity of this temple by spending the times with their spouse or partner. YogYES walked slowly on the grassy land surrounded the temple, while admiring the natural beauty of God's creation and breathe fresh air that is almost impossible to find in the middle of urban areas. The turf felt soft and bouncy. It WAS bouncy. The complex was once a swamp, so the ground around the temple contained a lot of water. As a result, walking on the ground felt like walking on foam.

Trimurti Gods at Srikandi Temple

Arjuna temple complex is the oldest Hindu temple in Java Island which was built in 809 AD and was a place of worship of Shiva. This can be seen from the Lingga and Yoni in the main temple, and the statues of Goddess Durga, Ganesha, and Agastya on the building. The statues are now placed in the Kaliasa Museum near the temple. Architecturally, Arjuna Temple was influenced by the Indian culture. The shape is similar to a temple in southern India called Wimana. Meanwhile, Semar Temple was likely copied the form of Mandapa, which became part of a temple in India as a place for the pilgrims and festivals.

There is not many temple reliefs found in this complex. There was only a relief depicting the Trimurti Gods; Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, strengthens the evidence that this temple is a Hindu temple. But strangely, these reliefs were not carved on the main temple. Depictions of the three Gods were found on the walls of the Srikandi Temple. While the walls on the other temples were plain. None of the 12 inscriptions found in Dieng explain about this. There was only Kala decoration at the entrance of temples and niches where statues were placed.

Three-Headed Shiva in Kaliasa

After enjoying with the beauty and peace fulness of Arjuna Temple, YogYES followed the path toward the southwest. Approximately 10 minutes walking, we arrived at a small temple called Gatotkaca. Rows of shops and stalls lined nearby, provided a variety of souvenirs, traditional food and drink of Dieng.
Across the street, on the slopes of a hill stood a museum called the Kaliasa Museum. There are 4 buildings in which two showrooms functioned to display variety of objects and artifacts of historical heritage. Most items on display are statues and stones from the complex of temples in Dieng. The most interesting item is the three-headed Shiva statue often referred as Shiva Trisirah. Shiva Trisirah is known as the oldest form of worship to Shiva. In addition, the museum is also displaying various information about the typical life of the indigenous Dieng people, traditional arts, as well as information about the phenomenal of the dreadlocks children. There is also a theater space to play the documentary film about Dieng’s natural and cultural potential that would be played for at least a 10-visitors group.
Exiting the museum, YogYES walked up the stone steps leading to the building located at the highest. It turned out that this building serves as a cafe. While unwind after going around the temple and museum, sat in the cafe, sipping hot drinks and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Dieng Plateau is just amazing.
Copyright © 2010 YogYES.COM

Opening Hours
Monday to Sunday: 07.00 a.m. to 17.00 p.m.

Ticketing
Domestict visitor: IDR 2,000
Foreign visitor: IDR 2,000

More about → ARJUNA TEMPLE and KALIASA MUSEUM