Gedung Batu: Home of Java’s Most Popular Folk Deity

One of the largest and most honored Chinese temple complexes in Indonesia, Gedung Batu in Semarang, Central Java, commemorates the spirit of a Chinese admiral, Cheng Ho (or Sam Poo Kong, his saintly name). A legendary Muslim eunuch of the Ming Dynasty, Cheng Ho landed on Java in 1406 with a "treasure fleet" of 62 vessels and 28,000 sailors.
 
The admiral, over two meters tall "with glaring eyes, teeth as white as shells, and a voice as loud as a huge bell," is said to have stepped ashore on a riverbank, then spent the night meditating in a cave, the site today of the temple’s innermost chamber. Geologists have verified that this site was once located on a sheltered cove near the sea.
 
Cheng Ho commanded a graceful, silent and deadly armada of giant junks, one of the largest in existence at the time. Some vessels measured 130 meters long by 60 meters wide, boasted up to nine masts, watertight bulkheads and a crew and passenger list of over 1000. His exploits, on behalf of the emperor of the Dragon Throne, established China as the era’s unrivalled naval power. 
 
The Expeditions
 
In the early 15th century, this famous naval hero led a total of seven expeditions to India, east Africa, and the islands of west and south east Asia, covering a total of 300,000 kilometers and landing in more than 40 countries. The admiral’s core mission was to re-establish diplomatic and trading ties that had been severed by decades of dynastic wars of succession in China.
 
Cheng Ho’s epic voyages left a trail of legends that over the centuries elevated the adventurer to the level of a folk god. Shrines honoring the "Three Jewelled Grand Eunuch," as he became known, are found at all of his former ports of call in Sumatra and along the north coast of Java.
 
After Cheng Ho’s death in 1433 during his seventh voyage, China turned inward and issued an imperial ban on the construction of any ship with more than two masts. Today, the great warrior’s remarkable achievements are virtually forgotten. All records of his journeys were burned and, having been buried at sea, his tomb in China stands empty.
 
The Complex
 
Since Cheng Ho helped carry Islam to Java, and the construction of Gedung Batu commemorates the faith’s arrival here, this temple has become a rare "double sanctuary" that incorporates Javanese mysticism, social mores as well as interfaith belief systems.
 
This makes the premises sacred to Taoists, Buddhists and Muslims alike. The sight of Indonesians wearing a peci in the temple's interior, carrying incense sticks, praying in a Chinese klenteng to a Chinese admiral, gives one hope that man kind will one day live in harmony.
 
The klenteng’s main hall, with its tall red columns and beautiful curved roof, is constructed around an inner chamber flanked by huge dragons. Pilgrims vigorously shake incense and containers of bamboo sticks before these stone beasts and other celestial statues, seeking good fortune.
 
In the rear, to the left of the cave, is an old iron anchor, the object of worship for scores of visitors each week. The Chinese believe the anchor once belonged to a sailing ship from China. According to the official Javanese history of West Java, however, it was salvaged from a VOC ship, the Leiden, which burned and sank in Cirebon's harbor in 1835.
 
To the far right of the cave is a shrine housing the temple’s guardian spirit (toapekong) and to the cave’s immediate right is the grave of Kyai Juru Mudi Dampoawang, the fleet’s Muslim helmsman.
 
Events
 
Twice a month, on Jum'at Kliwon (Friday) and Selasa Kliwon (Tuesday) of the Javanese calendar, multitudes of pilgrims arrive, present offerings on special  pavilions, and stay the night within the confines of the temple in order to obtain blessings.
 
The Sam Poo Kong grounds are especially crowded on the 29th day of the 6th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, the Gedung Batu’s anniversary, when thousands arrive by train, bus, truck and foot from all over Java to lay offerings, burn incense, attend ceremonies and view numerous entertainments.
 
In former times, lively processions of deities were carried on palanquins through the streets of Semarang, starting at dawn from Tak Kak Sie temple and arriving at Gedung Batu by noon. The parade of statues held aloft were accompanied by musicians, trance mediums, dragon and lion dancers from all over Java. As these images reveal, the tradition has not diminished for more than 600 years.
 
Getting There:
 
Popularly known as Gedung Batu ("Stone Building"), this great cave temple lies on the main road to Kendal about five kilometers southwest of the city’s center.
 
Your hotel can arrange a taxi. Alternatively, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Semerang’s most famous tourist site by public transport. First board the Damri bus No. 2 from Jl. Pemuda in Semerang to Karang Ayu, then take a Daihatsu (small minivan) to the temple.
 
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Copyright@2004 PakBill
 
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