Candi Sukuh

A. G. Maisey · 14th November 2016, 09:57 AM

Candi Sukuh is located on the slopes of Mount Lawu, not far from Solo in Central Jawa. It was built in the 1400's. It is important to the study of keris because it gives us a time frame that we can relate to the existence of the keris.

The photo below is a picture of the main structure.

When I began my visits to Candi Sukuh, during the early 1970's, almost no restoration work had been carried out, over the years some work was done and little by little the site came to the appearance that it had up until recently. The area where Candi Sukuh is situated had an almost other worldly air to it, you could enter the surrounds of the Candi and feel as if you were in a spiritual place, and that at any moment you might be transported into another world.

Regrettably, the Candi had been built on a foundation of river sand and loose stones. For years the local people had mined this sand and the smaller stones for their own building needs, and finally the Candi began to sink. In 2014 the government archaeological department decided that Candi Sukuh needed complete restoration which is now well and truly under way. This restoration was necessary in order to preserve an important part of Jawa's historical and artistic heritage, but with the restoration it seems almost certain that the unseen spirit of Candi Sukuh will be lost.

Over many years I've taken a lot of casual photos of Candi Sukuh, and in March 2015, just before the restoration work had commenced I did a complete photographic cover of Candi Sukuh. Some months ago I put together a few web pages from these photos that I had taken, but somehow they got lost in the shuffle. A week or so ago I needed to do some tidy up work on my site and I found the pages that I had misplaced. Below is a link to those pages.

A word of caution:- strictly Muslim people regard Candi Sukuh as obscene, they call it "Candi Cabul" = "Obscene Candi", and by their standards it might be able to be considered so, however, by the standards of those who built it, it is a religious place, not an obscene one.

I suggest that you focus on the weapons displayed, including depictions of early keris, rather than any images which might be likely to cause offence. You will never see Candi Sukuh like this again, the old Candi is finished, a new, totally restored one is on the way, and there is a pic of works in progress below also.

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/CANDI...OTOSPAGE1.html

14th November 2016, 09:57 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,892	Candi Sukuh Candi Sukuh is located on the slopes of Mount Lawu, not far from Solo in Central Jawa. It was built in the 1400's. It is important to the study of keris because it gives us a time frame that we can relate to the existence of the keris. The photo below is a picture of the main structure. When I began my visits to Candi Sukuh, during the early 1970's, almost no restoration work had been carried out, over the years some work was done and little by little the site came to the appearance that it had up until recently. The area where Candi Sukuh is situated had an almost other worldly air to it, you could enter the surrounds of the Candi and feel as if you were in a spiritual place, and that at any moment you might be transported into another world. Regrettably, the Candi had been built on a foundation of river sand and loose stones. For years the local people had mined this sand and the smaller stones for their own building needs, and finally the Candi began to sink. In 2014 the government archaeological department decided that Candi Sukuh needed complete restoration which is now well and truly under way. This restoration was necessary in order to preserve an important part of Jawa's historical and artistic heritage, but with the restoration it seems almost certain that the unseen spirit of Candi Sukuh will be lost. Over many years I've taken a lot of casual photos of Candi Sukuh, and in March 2015, just before the restoration work had commenced I did a complete photographic cover of Candi Sukuh. Some months ago I put together a few web pages from these photos that I had taken, but somehow they got lost in the shuffle. A week or so ago I needed to do some tidy up work on my site and I found the pages that I had misplaced. Below is a link to those pages. A word of caution:- strictly Muslim people regard Candi Sukuh as obscene, they call it "Candi Cabul" = "Obscene Candi", and by their standards it might be able to be considered so, however, by the standards of those who built it, it is a religious place, not an obscene one. I suggest that you focus on the weapons displayed, including depictions of early keris, rather than any images which might be likely to cause offence. You will never see Candi Sukuh like this again, the old Candi is finished, a new, totally restored one is on the way, and there is a pic of works in progress below also. http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/CANDI...OTOSPAGE1.html Attached Images