Panataran Temple was a Hindi temple which was built in times of kadiri Kingdom,
and was used up to the sovereign of Majapahit Kingdom.
Crisp air and cool breeze definitely telt invigorating as we enter the temple, which was surrounded by houses
and small food stall owned by local people. At which time our watches showed the number 14.10 and the sky was definitely cloudy.
Childhood memory took me back on the 1980s when i went camping near Panataran Temple area.
the atmosphere was different back then. Decades ago, there were only trees surround the temple,
the mystical atmosphere and aura of old buildings were very thick. Now, the area is crowded with local's residence.
If we trace back on its history, this temple complex symbolize the governance of ancient kingdoms
and the biggest temple complex in East Java. for that reason, to increase tourism industry,
local government made Panataran Temple as cultural centre in Blitar.
This temple is located in the southwest of Kelud Mountain at the elevation of 450m above see level,
in a village called Panataran, Ngelok area, Blitar region.
to get there, you can go from downtown Blitar, to the north, to the direction of Soekarno
Cemetary all the way to Nglegok.
The road from the city to the temple was estimated to take 25minutes. took distance of 12km through freeway of ashpalt road,
it was a journey we enjoyed very much. all throughout the road, fields of rice paddy and the sturdy Kelud Mountain
was visible all the way.
Pnataran Temple is stuated in an area of 12.946 m2, with the temple buildings being side by side from northwest all the way to the
southeast. the division of the gardens into three are rooted in old belief of our ancestors.
The order of the Panataran Temple area is truly interesting because the temples are facing each other where in a glance it looks out
of order. the order of the buildings are similar to the ones in Bali,where the temple i the far back is the most holy as this
is the centre temple, where the Gods lie, closest to the mountains.
Before entering temple complex, there were two pieces of statues which guarded the door, Dwaraphala, which among Blitar people also known as
"Mbah Bodo". what interesting about these two statues was not their massive size or their scary face, but the carving of the year written in Ancient Javanese: Year of 1242 Saka of 1320 AD.
According to the carved year, Archeologist belive that the sacred building of Panataran Temple was made official being nation's temple on the regime of Jayanegara King from Majapahit
who ruled on 1309-1328 AD.
