"Abode of the Gods" Top 5 Page for this destination Pegunungan Dieng by ukirsari

Pegunungan Dieng Travel Guide: 83 reviews and 204 photos

Dieng Temples (c) ukirsari - Pegunungan Dieng

this place named dieng and so called abode of the gods. domain of the gods which leavings ancient ruins of temples, predating the old buddhist temple borobudur.
even dieng doesn't have 4 seasons the altitude over 2,300 above sea level here is astonishing. surrounded with gorgeous mountaineous range of mount sumbing and mount sindoro. nearby the place i was born. a cozy small lively town named parakan. after trekking to the temples which have names from the main characters of epic mahabharat, i go to the coloured lake and mingle around with locals. and found many sincerely smiles around me. so peaceful here!

20/07/04

Di-Hyang [Sanskrit lingo]

Candi Arjuna Dieng (c) ukirsari

The name Dieng taken from Sanskrit lingo Di-Hyang, means Abode of the Gods. It's the oldest-ancient Hindu ruins in central Java, mostly built between 8th - 9th centuries and covered by plateau and several craters in Dieng.
Due to the mysterious depopulation of central Java, this archaeological site was forgotten 'till 1856 when van Kinsbergen, an archaeologist drained the flooded valley around these ruins and rediscovered remaining temples [it was over 400 temples and the rest about 8 temples so far].

From Tuk Bima Lukar to Kawah Sileri

Dieng Plateau (c) ukirsari

When I was a kid, I'd been anywhere in archaeogical sites of Dieng. And added with scenic route on the way there and back to my grandparents hometown: Parakan.
Then after, after ... whenever I have much time to visit Dieng, I always visit my fave places there:
~ Tuk Bima Lukar ['tuk' means spring, it's an ancient spring and flowing into Serayu River]
~ Arjuna Complex of temples
~ Dwarawati Temple
~ Gatutkaca Temple
~ Bima Temple
~ Sembungan Village [the highest village in Java, about 2,400 m above sea level]
~ Sileri Crater
~ Candradimuka Crater
~ Sikidang Crater
~ Telaga Warna [Coloured Lake] -- but now it's not so awesome as before :(
~ Gardu Pandang Dieng

And my recent trip, I share experience about Dieng Plateau with two good friends of mine: Irawan Akbar Hidayat a.k.a Wawan and Arya Marta a.k.a Arya. Wawan is son of Mr Manito Amin, one of Indonesian Off-roader and Wawan himself is the youngest member of Indonesian Off-roader Association. So, we go 'hiking' using his beloved Toyota LandCuriser FJ40 customized. Meanwhile, Arya becomes a special guest photographer in my Dieng page, who taking pictures of me. Billion thanks, Guys. Hoping to see both of you again someday! Lotta hugs :)

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:So high, so steep, so thin air but lovely place!

Last visit to Pegunungan Dieng: Jul 2004
Intro Updated Nov 11, 2005
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Reviews (16)

Iwan's FJ40 and gardu pandang (c) ukirsari - Pegunungan Dieng

Gardu Pandang Things to Do (11)

Means tower to see the beautiful scenery around Dieng Plateau. Don't miss it >> make you easier in finding scenic... more travel advice

I and Irawan with his beloved FJ40 (c) Arya Marta - Pegunungan Dieng

Using private car is more accessible Transportation (1)

Going around Dieng Plateau more accessible and comfy by private car. Since one and another destination are quite far... more travel advice

Cedhak Telaga Warna (c) ukirsari - Pegunungan Dieng

The lakes Things to Do (11)

After craters, Dieng also has many many lakes. Here they are: ~ Telaga Warna {Coloured Lake, the biggest] ~ Telaga... more travel advice

Kawah Sikidang (c) ukirsari - Pegunungan Dieng

The craters Things to Do (11)

Beside scenic and gorgeous plateau, Dieng has several volcanic craters. From suphur fumes to bubbling mud ponds. Here... more travel advice

Sports & Outdoors (1)
Visit the highest village in Java and...
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Comments (8)

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sobo97 Oct 17, 2007 at 10:15 PM

i stumble across your pictures. i was there in 97 building the geothermal power plant and pipelines in dieng. your photos brought back great memories.
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bpacker Jan 5, 2006 at 1:45 AM

@rie, I'm amazed, there are so many similarities between the temple complexes found here and the ones in Angkor! This is the first time I've heard of this place.
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bkarjee Nov 11, 2005 at 5:13 AM

Hi Ukirsari, Its good to see the worship place of two different faiths located close to each other. Indonesia has much to show the world the religious tolerance and integrity.
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DidiBeachBum Sep 16, 2005 at 8:22 AM

gue dulu waktu kecil pernah ke Dieng bo.. seinget gue sih bagus bgt.. en dingiiin neeek hehehehehe
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belgianchocolate Aug 20, 2004 at 9:25 PM

I love your pictures arie. I was close to this plae...Indonesia so much to see , so little time. frank. (greets from Frederik as well)
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globetrott Aug 10, 2004 at 8:52 PM

What an interesting location ! ...FJ40 looks nice, but I certainly would prefer Steyr Daimler Puch Pinzgauer and Haflinger ;-))
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Goldenboy Jul 26, 2004 at 2:21 AM

a tale of an offroader in another highland. or a highlander, after himalayan... :P
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kenHuocj Jul 24, 2004 at 6:26 AM

you sure are popular, you sandalled feet on the wall of a foofer plane was featured on VT Homepage ;-)))