"Gunung Padang is a megalithic site located in Karyamukti village, Cianjur regency, West Java Province of Indonesia, 50 km southwest of the city of Cianjur or 6 kilometers from Lampegan station. It has been called the largest megalithic site in all of Southeastern Asia, and has produced carbon dating results which, if confirmed, suggest it is extraordinarily old. The survey believes that Gunung Padang was built in four different eras"
- Wikipedia
It's September in Indonesia, and it means we're very close to the rainy season, which means... the weather is uncertain.
Sometimes it's raining, sometimes it doesn't, however me and hubby are still willing to travel. So we decided to visit a close spot near Bandung (the city where we live), and it is rich in historical value. The place is called Gunung Padang, in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia.
HOW TO GET TO GUNUNG PADANG
Since it's located near our place, we decided to take a motorcycle to get there. It took only about 2,5 - 3 hours from Bandung. If your starting point is from Jakarta, you might want to take a bus to Cianjur or Sukabumi, and tell the driver to drop you off at the Gunung Padang entry at the bypass. It's a very long way from the bypass to Gunung Padang however. By motorcycle, it takes about an hour or less (19,2 km), some roads are smooth, but some are bumpy, and narrow. There are forests, paddy fields, and the most cool view is when we are almost there where the route is curvy and there's a row of beautiful mountains right in front of you.
The advantage of taking motorcycle to get there is you can park it in front of the Gunung Padang gate which is also the place where you buy your ticket and get information at TIC (Tourism Information Centre). There are booths selling FnB and souvenirs and there's a hostel available as well. What if I drive a car? Well you'll get lucky if you love exercise. Just park your car there, then walk... oh no... I mean hike uphill. Pretty near, just 400 m. But quite a hike... you know what I mean? :D
Ok so we've parked the car and hiked too. Are we there yet? Nooo not yet :D Once you've arrived at the gate, buy the ticket first. It's not pricey at all. Then welcome to the second part of hiking. Yaazzz!! Anyway, they provide two trails. First one is 175m, and second is 300m. Guess what? Yep, 175m is a pretty steep one. Since I'm a couch potato type of a person, we chose the second trail and took a break pretty often. Even the trail is narrow, but those plantations and trees on your left and right side, they do chill us up.
Not only trees, you can find some booths selling local FnB. So no worries about getting hungry or thirsty.
GUNUNG PADANG
What is megalithic era? When did it happen?
"In prehistoric art, a megalith is a large, often undressed stone, that has been used in the construction of various types of Neolithic, Chalcolithic or Bronze Age monuments, during the period 4500-1000 BCE. These monuments can consist of just one stone (Menhir), most megalithic monuments consist of a number of stones, which are fitted together without the use of mortar or cement. This form of rock art was used in ceremonial or ritualistic structures (Stonehenge stone circle, monolithic Moai of Easter Island), single or multiple tombs (Newgrange, Knowth), sanctuaries (Gobekli Tepe), and several other types of monumental architecture. The construction and alignment of these prehistoric structures could be highly sophisticated: specific rock shapes were often hewn to meet specific design requirements, while the buildings themselves were sometimes positioned in relation to the stars or the solstice."
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Source: http://www.ancient-code.com/gunung-padang-oldest-pyramid-planet/
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"Gunung Padang consists of a series of rectangular stone enclosures with inner partitions, walkways and gate entrances, as well as various rock mounds, all of them in a ruinous state. They are constructed of naturally-forming andesite. The size of the blocks varies between 25 cm and 40 cm in width and height, and on average around 1.5 meters in length, with a weight of approximately 250 kilograms. Some of blocks, which have either a roughly square or polygonal profile, are actually much larger in size, with weights exceeding 600 kilograms.
Archaeologists and historians place the construction of Gunung Padang’s megalithic structures firmly within the Bronze Age, ca. 2500-1500 BC. However, geological surveys conducted at the site since 2011 by Indonesian geologist Danny Hilman Natawidjaja of the Indonesian Centre for Geotechnical Research suggest the monument is much older.
Core drilling samples and other exploratory excavations have uncovered evidence that Gunung Padang is a multi-leveled structure, one phase being built on top of the next, with evidence of activity on the hill at 22,000-20,000 BC, 14,700 BC, 9,600 BC, 4700 BC and 2800 BC, the final date being the age of the megalithic structures visible today.
If the radiocarbon dates can be shown to relate to human activity, and are not simply the result of natural sediment accumulation on the hill slopes, it is feasible that they are the result of Paleolithic peoples occupying or visiting a natural cave site located at the heart of the structure. Indeed, it might well be possible that the megalithic complex was built to surround an existing cave sanctuary of immense antiquity (the exploration of caves and rock shelters in eastern Java revealed evidence of occupation during the Upper Palaeolithic age, approximately between 40,000 years ago and 15,000 years ago)."
If you're from abroad, and you don't speak any bahasa, I suggest you hire an interpreter, tour guide, or join a tour group. There is also a TIC office available, but the officer sometimes is not around. Some information and blueprints of the site are hanging on the TIC area, but still, they're written in bahasa, no English information provided. And this is when you need someone local to ask.
Happy hiking, and good luck!
Thanks for visiting our blog
Another great blog.
ReplyDeleteHey Mark thanks!
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