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IF you hear the word Borobudur will imagine a splendor of the 8th century ancient heritage. Borobudur is identical to a Buddhist temple in the district of Magelang, Central Java. It has long been known as a tourist destination, but its prestige is still inferior to Bali.
So when the government set Borobudur as one of the 10 New Bali destinations, public attention was drawn to this region. What’s more, besides the Borobudur temple, many other interesting tourist sites around Magelang, where the world-recognized cultural heritage stands proudly.
Borobudur Tourism can be grouped into three types of tours. First, religious tourism, represented by Borobudur, Mendut, Pawon to Mount Tidar Temples. Second, natural attractions that can be represented by Punthuk Setumbu and rafting of the Elo River. The third historical tour, represented by the Diponegoro Museum and the BPK Museum.
Religious tourism
When visiting the Borobudur Temple from Yogyakarta’s New Airport. The distance between the two locations is approximately 60 km and traveled in 1.5 hours. For Buddhists, Borobudur, Mendut and Pawon temples are sacred places that are related to their religious rituals.
Religious ceremonies usually start from Mendut Temple, then to Pawon and the peak is in Borobudur. Usually when Vesak celebrations, rituals are held and attended by Buddhists all over the world.
Of course, the Borobudur temple is not only attractive to Buddhists. Its grandeur is an attraction for visitors no matter what their religion.
You name it, Benito one of them. This Italian tourist claimed to be interested in coming to Borobudur to admire up close the beauty of the relief and grandeur of the building. It’s more amazing to see firsthand than in cyberspace.
While Theresia, from the Netherlands, came to Borobudur for the second time. If before he came alone, so now he comes with his friends. “It’s never boring to come to Borobudur,” he said.
Besides being able to enjoy the beauty of the temple, you can also get a lot of entertainment. Starting from taking the park train, horse cart, biking, horse-drawn carriage to taking pictures with elephants. Because it is located at an altitude of 265 meters above sea level, from this temple we can see the beauty and splendor of the rising sun.
To watch the sunrise, tourists are willing to spend IDR350,000 by buying an entrance ticket from Manohara restaurant managed by PT TWC. By buying tickets, visitors get special permission to enter the monument early in the morning around 04.30, before regular opening time. It takes about 5 minutes to walk from Manohara to Borobudur Temple.
If you want to go up to the temple, then come in the morning before 10 or between 3 pm to 5 pm. In addition to avoiding the blazing sun, you can also get photos or images with minimal backlight.
In addition to Buddhists, Muslims also have interesting sites in Magelang. Precisely in the area of Mount Tidar. The location is in the city of Magelang near the old terminal.
Mount Tidar has a tomb site or shaykh Sheikh Subakir, which is one of the spreaders of Islam in Java. No wonder, if this site is also visited by pilgrims from various regions in Java.
To get to this site, you have to climb 564 steps. But don’t worry, the surrounding scenery is quite beautiful and cool because it is surrounded by pine and pine trees.
Natural tourism
For those of you who love nature, don’t forget to visit Punthuk Setumbu. This area is actually a hill that can be used to enjoy the panorama of Borobudur Temple.
Many tourists, both local and foreign, come from dawn to Punthuk Setumbu to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise against the backdrop of the Borobudur, Mount Merapi and Merbabu temples.
The distance is only 4.8 kilometers from Borobudur Temple. To achieve this, it takes around 11 minutes to drive a four-wheel drive. To reach the top of the hill, you have to continue the journey on foot, up the stairs for approximately 10 minutes to 20 minutes.
For you lovers of white water rafting, you can taste rafting on the Elo River. This river is located in the village of Pare, Blondo Mungkid, Magelang.
Elo River has a length of around 12 kilometers. If followed by rafting, it takes about 2.5 hours to 3 hours. If it’s too long for you, calm down, the Elo River rafting operators also provide a 10 km rafting package with a travel time of about 2 hours. The Elo River is in low tide because it is drought. If it is the rainy season, the flow of the Elo River will be even more challenging. Low tide conditions are ideal for novice participants, said Pranjono, the Elo River rafting tour guide.
During the trip across the Elo River, there is a rest area for those of you who want to rest. [kontan.co.id/photo special]
