Evening star., 1901-11-16
REMARKABLE RUINS
Java's Temples That Are Greater
Than the Pyramids.
4 WILDERNESS OF BROKEN STATUES
Pictures in Stone of a Thousand
Years Ago.
VISIT TO BORO BOEDOER
Copyright, 1901, by Frank G. Carpenter)

DJOKJAKARTA, Java.
Away out here in the heart of Java, in
the midst of the Indian ocean and five de-
greeS below the equator, are some of the
most wonderful ruins upon earth 1 have
just returped from visit of exploration
to them. and my pen halts as 1 try to de-
scribe them. / have seen the Parthenon at
Athens, the Forum of old Rome, the myriad
ruins of India and the pyramids of Egypt
but nowhere anything like the remains of
the old temples Of Java. They are scat
tered over a vast territory. Some of them
cover many acres and some are miles in
extent. The most wonderful of all lies
within few miles of Djokjakarta. 1t is
known as the Temple of Boro Boedoer.
This temple is the greatest monument
ever erected to Buddha. 1t surpasses the
temples of Siam and the giant Buddhas of
Bangkok. 1t is more wonderful than the
Japanese creations in bronze and stone and
larger than any Buddhist monument in
China Some of you have seen the pyra-
mids. The greatest of them is that of
Ghizeh. which covers thirteen ACRES and
upon which several hundred thousand men
are said TO have worked for twenty years.
If that be so the Temple of Boro Boedoer
must represent the labor of more than half
a million. 1t is not quite large as the
great pyramid, but the labor upon it was
Infinitely greater 1 have climbed the pyra-
terror by the light of magnesium wire. 1t
is huge mass of stones laid up in terraces
in pyramid shape. There is no decoration,
no carving-nothing but great blocks of
stone.
Three Miles of Carvings.
This so-called Temple of Boro Boedoer is
also pyramidal. but it is one mass of cary
ing and statues. 1t is built upon a vast
stone platform rising terrace by terrace to
gigantic cupola more than 100 feet above
the base. At the bottom 1t is 500 feet
square and it covers, 1 judge, from eight
to ten acres of ground. All the terraces
are decorated with statues and their walls
with baS reliefs of wonderful carvings.
There are, il has been found by actual
measure, more than three miles of carved
figures, some two or three feet in height,
some no larger than your finger, and all as
exqUisitely cut as though picked out with
knife by some patient Chinese. / counted
in places eight different figures in a space
yard square, and such figures continue
right along around and around the ter
races. 50 that the length is about three miles
Every figure must have taken weeks TO
make. When 1t is remembered that the
work Is that of an artist you can see that
a vast population must have been engaged
upon it. Altogether thousands of lives are
bottled up in these carvings-the lives of
the past telling the story of their times to
the present. Some Of the figures are won
derfully hfelike.' Every face has a differ
ent expression and some smile and frown
as though alive.
Life i'm Java 1000 Years Ago.
l can't give you the number of statues
of Buddha. There are five hundred large
ones representing; him in sitting posture
in the different positions he held when he
prOphesied. taught and thought before he
was translated TO the Nirvana. There are
figures representing the life of the
court and common people of this is
miles Of elephants, peacocks and mon
keys l saw all the vegetables and fruits
Of the tropics portrayed in stone. Stone
peasants drove stone buffaloeS they
dragged stone plOws through the stone
fields There were stone men carrying
stone rice upon their shoulders, and stone
women bearing water Jars on their heads
as they did in the days of the Scriptures
There were dancing elephants and ele-
plants carrying fans and state umbrellas.
The life of the sea as well as the land is
depicted upon the temple There are ships
and boats in action. and, indeed all the
figures and scenes of the life of these peo-
pie thousand years ago.
Thousand Years Old.
Yes, / mean thousand years ago, For
1t is estimated that these ruins are at least
ten or twelve hundred years old The tenn
pies were constructed when Buddhism was
at Its height on this island This beautiful
carving was done when our ancestors in
were
eating with their fingers living in huts and
sleeping on skins, and at least six hum
dred years before America was discovered
and that many years bSore the people of
Europe knew that Java existed.
But why did the temples not fall to pieces
long ago? They lie in the heart of the
tropics. on the edge of the equator. and
they are washed by the most terrible rains
on earth They have lasted largely through
their wonderful workmanship and also be-
cause they have been buried from sight
under forest and earth. They laid
without mortar or cement. The stones are
Joined as closely as the finest mosaic. and
though many of them are exceedingly
small they still hold together.
When the Buddhist religion was over
thrown in Java hundreds of years ago 1t is
supposed that the people who owned the
temples buried them. In time trees grew
upon them and for six hundred years they
were as unknown to the natives of this
part of the world as were the ruins OF