The geographical bioregion of Indomalaya corresponds to the cultural entity of the Indosphere, which divides itself ethnically roughly between Bharat (India) and Dvipantara (Southeast Asia). Before the 1500s and colonization by Western powers and Abrahamic religions, the whole region was all once an integrated Sanskrit Cosmopolis of connected mandalas, or…

Via: Indosphere Image source: Didi Trowulanesia The Majapahit empire was the last of the major Hindu empires of Dvipantara and the greatest state in Indonesian history. At its peak, the empire’s dominated all of today’s Indonesia and Malaysia. A legendary kingdom The history of Majapahit is shrouded in legends and mystery. It is…

Via: Indosphere In India, the temples called devalaya or vimana. In Bali they are called pura. Why are temples in Java called candi? Candi means ‘old throne’ and is one of the names of Durga (known as Sang Hyang Bathari Durga in Java), the Mother Goddess, who is born from…

Image source: Mas Bhoemi Wilwatikta When the powerful King Kertanegara of Singosari ascended to the throne, his title was Bhattara Shivabuddha, which glorified his embrace of the syncretic Indonesian Shiva-Buddha religion. Lesser known is that he was also an adept of the esoteric Kala Bhairava Tantra Hindu-Buddhist lineage. His deified…

Via: Indosphere It was chaos in Java by the end of the 15th century. Feuds were happening everywhere and the Moslem expansion had reached the most populated areas of Java. Javanese Hindus then sought refuge in the eastern parts of Java, mostly in Pasuruan, Banyuwangi, Tengger and Kelud. The Javanese…

Via: Indosphere Indonesia’s largest holy site is the Prambanan temple complex in Central Java. ‘Prambanan’ means Para Brahman (“Temple of God Almighty”) and is a Shiva temple dedicated to the Trimūrti. Its original name was Shiva-grha (the House of Shiva). It borders the Opak river, that was cut along a…

Via: Indosphere In Java, a succession of Hindu kingdoms flourished for 1500 years. In Java, the strongest form of Hinduism was Javanese Shaivism, rooted in the very ancient Shaiva Siddantha tradition. Javanese Shaivism is a religious system that postulates Shiva as God Almighty, the Ultimate reality, the origin and final…

Via: Indosphere The Tengger people are one of the biggest Hindu communities in Java. Their population is centered in around 50 towns in the isolated Tengger mountains, around Pasuruan, Lumajang, Probolinggo and Malang Regency. The Tengger people are descendants of loyalists of the Majapahit empire who resisted islamization for centuries…

Devotees climbing to the crater for Yadnya Kasada Via: Indosphere Each year, the Tengger people of East Java hold the world-famous Yadnya Kasada ritual at Mount Bromo in Java. The volcano is considered to be the abode of Lord Brahma (‘Bromo’ in Javanese). …