Ratu Boko

According to writer H.J. de Graff, in the 17th century there were many European travelers to Java, who mentioned that there existed an archeological site related to certain King Boko. In 1790, a Dutch researcher, F. Van Boeckholtz was the first to discover the archaeological ruins on top of Ratu Boko Hill. The hill itself is the northwestern branch of the Sewu Mountains, located in the southern part of Central and East Java between Yogyakarta and Tulungagung. The publication of the discovery attracted scientists such as Colin Mackenzie, Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn, and Brumun to conduct research and exploration on the site in the year 1814. In the early 20th century, the Ratu Boko site was thoroughly studied by researcher FDK Bosch, who published his findings in a report entitled "Keraton Van Ratoe Boko". This report concluded that the ruins were the remnant of a kraton "palace". During these researches, Mackenzie also found a statue of a gold-headed man and woman embracing each other. A stone pillar with ornaments of zoomorphic figures among which are elephants, horses, and others, is also found among the ruins. The 792 Abhayagiri Vihāra inscription is one of the few written evidences discovered in Ratu Boko site. The inscription mentioned Tejahpurnapane Panamkarana or Rakai Panangkaran (746-784), and also mentioned a vihāra located on top of the hill, the Abhayagiri Vihāra, which means "vihāra on top of the hill that free from danger". From this inscription it was concluded that King Panangkaran in a later period of his reign wished for a spiritual refuge and created a vihāra named Abhayagiri Vihāra in 792. Rakai Panangkaran was a pious follower of Mahayana Buddhism, a Dhyani Buddha statue was discovered on the site, which confirmed its initial Buddhist nature. Nevertheless, some Hindu elements are also found at the site, such as the discovery of statues of Hindu deities: Durga, Ganesha and Yoni. It seems that the compound was later converted to a hilltop fortress by a local landlord named Rakai Walaing Pu Kumbayoni. According to the Shivagrha inscription issued by Rakai Kayuwangi on 12 November 856, the place was used as a defensive fort, consisting of hundreds of stacked stones. The hilltop fortress was used as a fort during a power struggle in the later days of the Mataram Kingdom. The Ratu Boko complex consists of gopura (gates), paseban, pools, pendhapa, pringgitan, kaputren (women's quarter), and meditation caves. ==Archaeological remains==

Ratu Boko stands 196 meters above sea level and covers an area of 250.000 square meters. It is divided into four parts, the central, the west, the southeast and the east. The central section of the compound consists of the main gates, a crematorium temple, a pool, a stone pedestal and the paseban (or audience hall). The southeast part covers the pendopo (attached open pavilion), balai-balai (public hall or building), three miniature temples, a pool and a walled compound popularly named by locals as kaputren (women's quarter). Only the stone bases still remain, while the organic wooden material of the building is gone. Miniature temples On the south side on the pendopo, there are small shrines in the form of three miniature temples with a square stone basin located in front of it. This shrine probably served a religious purpose, as some kind of Hindu or Buddhist shrine in the Ratu Boko complex. Kaputren and bathing place On the eastern side of pendopo on the lower terrace, there are several andesite stone walled enclosures with paduraksa gates and a gallery leading to the several pools within. This structure is associated by local folks as kaputren (women's quarter), since the pool is believed to be the pleasure garden for king and his concubines. One particular pool (or well) within the bath place is considered sacred by Hindu people called 'Amerta Mantana'. It is believed that the water of Amerta brings luck for anyone who uses it. Hindu people use it in Tawur Agung ceremony, one day before the Nyepi day, to support the achievement of self purify and to return the earth into her initial harmony. To the east of the pool there are two stone base structures, yet again probably the remains of a wooden building, of which only the stone base still remains. From this structure, overlooking a valley on the east side of Ratu Boko compounds, visitors can see Candi Barong, a Hindu temple complex across the valley on the slope of the hill in the east. Ascetic Cave At the northern part from pendopo, isolated from the rest of the site, lies two caves that were formed of sediment stones. The upper cave is called Gua Lanang (Male Cave) and the lower cave is called Gua Wadon (Female Cave). In front of Gua Lanang, there is a pond and three effigies. Based on the research, the effigy is known as Aksobya, one of Buddha Pantheons. The cave probably functioned as a meditation place. ==Buddhism and Hinduism==

Ratu Boko site has yielded many smaller artifacts including statues, both Hindu (Durga, Ganesha, Garuda, a Linga and a Yoni) and Buddhist (three unfinished Dhyani Buddhas). Other finds include ceramics and inscriptions; a golden plate with the writing "Om Rudra ya namah swaha" on it as form of worship to Rudra as another name of Shiva. This proved that the Hindus and Buddhist live together with tolerance or in a syncretism. ==Functions==

Despite the large quantity and variety of remains found there, the exact functions of Ratu Boko site is still unknown. Some believe it was the former palace of ancient Mataram kingdom; other scholars interpret this site as monastery. While third group holds that it was a place for rest and recreation. Inscriptions shows that the site was occupied at least during the 8th and 9th centuries. Five inscriptions in pre-Nagari script and Sanskrit describe the construction of a shrine for Avalokitesvara. One inscriptions refers to the constructions of a Buddhist monastery modelled after Abhayagiri Vihara (means a monastery on a peaceful hill) in Sri Lanka, where a group of ascetic forest dwelling monks resided. Three dated inscriptions in Old Javanese and poetic Sanskrit recount the erection of two lingga, and bear the date of 778 Saka or 856 AD. Another undated inscription mentions the erection of lingga named Hara at the order of King Kalasobhawa. ==The legend of King Boko==

King Boko is a legendary character known from popular folklore of Loro Jonggrang. This folklore connects the Ratu Boko Palace, the Durga statue in Prambanan temple (which is identified by local folklore as Loro Jonggrang), and the origin of the Sewu temple complex nearby. Prince Bandung Bondowoso loved Princess Loro Jonggrang, the daughter of King Boko, but she rejected his proposal of marriage because Bandung Bondowoso had killed King Boko and ruled her kingdom. Bandung Bondowoso insisted on the union, and finally Loro Jonggrang was forced to agree for a union in marriage, but she posed one condition: Bandung must build her a thousand temples in one night. He entered into meditation and conjured up a multitude of spirits (genies or demons) from the earth. They succeeded in building 999 temples. Loro Jonggrang then woke her palace maids and ordered them to begin pounding rice. This awoke the roosters, which began to crow. The genies, hearing the sound of morning, believed the sun was about to rise and so disappeared back into the ground. Thus the prince was fooled, in revenge he cursed the princess and turned her into a stone statue. According to the traditions, she is the image of Durga in the north cell of the Shiva temple at Prambanan, which is still known as Loro Jonggrang ("Slender Maiden"). == Gallery ==

File:Ratuboko I.jpg|Entrance to the site in late 2019, notice the excavated original path File:Keraton Ratu Boko-Ukiran 2.jpg|Kala carving on the stair railing File:Ratuboko II.jpg|View from the upper gates File:Baths_at_the_Ratu_Boko_Complex.jpg|The baths at the back of the complex File:Ratuboko Gate.jpg|Hindus collecting sacred water from Ratu Boko pool ==See also==