Pura Parahyangan Agung Jagatkarta ("the perfect divine nature") often referred to simply as Pura Parahyangan is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

of Nusantara located in Ciapus village, Tamansari subdistrict, Bogor Regency,

West Java West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The temple complex is a sacred place of worship, serving as a ''Pura Kahyangan Jagad'', a type of pura located in a mountainous region, for Hindu Dharma devotees in the

Greater Jakarta The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as ''Jabodetabekpunjur'' (an acronym of Jakarta– Bogor– Depok– Tangerang– Bekasi further extended to include Puncak region of Bogor Regency and portions of Cianjur Regenc ...

area. It is also considered a sacred place to honor the ''

hyang ''Hyang'' (Kawi language, Kawi, Sundanese language, Sundanese, Javanese language, Javanese, and Balinese language, Balinese) is a representation of the King of the gods, supreme being, in ancient Mythology of Indonesia, Java and Bali mythology. T ...

'' (deified ancestral spirits) identified as King Siliwangi of

Pakuan Pajajaran Pakuan Pajajaran ( Sundanese: ᮕᮊᮥᮝᮔ᮪ᮕᮏᮏᮛᮔ᮪; known as Dayeuh Pakuan/Pakwan or Pajajaran) was the fortified capital city of Sunda Kingdom. The location roughly corresponds to modern Bogor city in West Java, Indonesia, approxi ...

kingdom, an ancient Hindu kingdom that once stood in the

Parahyangan Parahyangan () or Priangan ( Sundanese script: ) is a cultural and mountainous region in West Java province on the Indonesian island of Java. Covering a little less than one-sixth of Java, it is the heartland of Sundanese people and their cultur ...

area.

Layout

Pura Jagatkarta is located on the northern slope of

Mount Salak Mount Salak (, ) is an eroded volcano in West Java, Indonesia. It has several satellite cones on its southeast flank and the northern foot, along with two additional craters at the summit. Mount Salak has been evaluated for geothermal power d ...

, in Ciapus, Tamansari Subdistrict in Bogor Regency. The temple is built on a sacred location in Mount Salak where it is believed the Sunda Kingdom's

once stood. Historically, Pakuan Pajajaran (now

Bogor Bogor City (), or Bogor (, ), is a landlocked city in the West Java, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.

) is the capital of the

Sunda Kingdom The Sunda Kingdom ( , ) was a Sundanese people, Sundanese Hindu kingdom located in the western portion of the island of Java from 669 to around 1579, covering the area of present-day Banten, Jakarta, West Java, Lampung, and the western part of ...

, which was one of the last Hindu kingdoms in Java and experienced its golden age under the rule of King Siliwangi, before being conquered by Muslims in the 16th century. The location of Pura Jagatkarta was also selected based on the legend that the area is the place where Prabu Siliwangi reached

moksa ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, ''nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologica ...

with his soldiers. Before the temple compound was built, a ''candi'' temple with a black and white tiger statue (believed to be the symbol of Prabu Siliwangi) was constructed as a tribute to the Pajajaran Kingdom, the last Hindu kingdom in the land of

. The access road from the foot of Mount Salak to Pura Jagatkarta has been widened since its construction started in 1995, so vehicles can reach the temple easily. However, due to an increasing large influx of visitors, parking is located far from the temple area.

Development

The construction of Pura Jagatkarta started in 1995 and was initiated by a mutual cooperation of the Hindu Nusantara community to provide a '' Pura Kahyangan Jagad'' temple for the Balinese Hindu community resident in the

area. This is to enable them to complete whole rituals required in the Hindu Dharma religion. At present, the temple compound has not been completed. However, the main temple buildings in the ''Mandala Utama,'' such as the Padmasana, Balai Pasamuan Agung, and

Paduraksa Paduraksa, also known as kori is a type of gateway covered with towering roofs that can be found in the islands of Java and Bali, Indonesia. This architectural feature is commonly found in buildings from the classical Hindu-Buddhist period of Indo ...

Gates have been completed. Before entering the main area of Pura Jagatkarta there is also the Pura Melanting and Pura Pasar Agung which is used specially for praying, perfecting, and sanctifying the offerings to be presented at Pura Jagatkarta as a form of gratitude. Tourists are generally prohibited from entering the main temple, except for those who want to perform ritual praying, for access is only otherwise available to the outer court temple.

References

External links

Laman Pura di Situs Pemerintah Kabupaten Bogor

"Pura Gunung Salak, Pengakuan Riwayat Padjadjaran" di situs Kasundaan.org

CNN Indonesia: "''Suasana Khidmat di Pura Terbesar se-Jawa Barat'' (Solemn Atmosphere at the Largest Temple in West Java)"
{{Hindu temples in Indonesia Hindu temples in Indonesia Religious buildings and structures in West Java Tourist attractions in West Java Bogor

Layout

Development

See also

References

External links